In education we know how to measure IQ – but what if doing well in school (and life) depends on much more than your ability to learn quickly and easily? What we also know is that talent is no guarantee of success – in fact resilience/grit is usually unrelated or even inversely related to measure of talent…

The Importance of Grit

In international research across a wide range of companies – private and public sector workers – into who was most likely to succeed, be promoted, earn the most money, one characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success – it wasn’t social intelligence, IQ, good looks or physical health – it was grit. The keystones of a successful life: feeling in control; holding on to self-belief; being able to bounce back and being able to channel your anger all need to be taught.

Character Education Prioritised by Ofsted

From September 2019, schools will not be rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ in Personal Development without evidence of building character – including their students' resilience, confidence and independence and how schools help them understand how to keep physically and mentally healthy.

Who is this INSET for?

This course is suitable for school leaders and teachers at all key stages.

Course Outline

Children cannot become competent without first developing a set of skills that allows them to trust their judgments, make responsible choices and face difficult decisions. Those children who understand how their brain changes in response to challenge are much more likely to persevere when the going gets tough and one of the best ways of helping children to understand this is by teaching them to have a growth mindset. This INSET offers a range of practical ideas and strategies, based on sound research.

The science of resilience: it’s not rocket science but it might just be neuroscience...

An introduction to the human brain, how it works, and crucially, what to teach children and young people so that they can then make their own brain work for them, rather than against them.

Dopamine – a teacher’s best friend.

Dopamine is a naturally occurring chemical in the brain and a key component in effective learning. It is, however, predominantly under the control of the limbic brain – so how they feel – about you, themselves, the lesson and life – will determine whether or not their brain releases dopamine during today’s Maths lesson...

The significance of teaching children and young people to persevere in a world of ‘virtual stone-throwers' and against a backdrop of increasing mental health problems

We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health and it’s vital to remember that even people with good mental health still have a bad day sometimes...how do we help our students to gain a perspective on life so that they learn to bounce back from setbacks more quickly?

The value of ‘The 7 Cs’ in incorporating opportunities for children and young people to experience failure and building their resilience to setbacks

Competence, confidence, connection, character, contribution, coping and control are not inbuilt for most of us, they need to be taught. We discuss ways in which the 7 Cs can underpin our thinking, our planning and thereby be ingrained in our every day teaching, whatever the subject.

Fixed v. Growth Mindset – a look at the work of Carol Dweck et al.

At four years old, most children believe that they can be (and do) anything and everything, then they go to school...we look at ways in which a growth mindset can be developed from an early age and then used to fortify attitudes to learning in the years ahead.

Excellence v. Perfection – the curse of the high achiever.

Having considered how mindsets ultimately influence success, we examine how a fixed mindset avoids failure at all costs – a determining factor in the often habitual risk averse (and therefore self-limiting) approach of our most able.

Concrete skills and problem-solving

It is not uncommon for children and young people to feel overwhelmed when tasks or problems seem insurmountable. An invaluable tool in teaching is showing them how to break something down into easy-to-understand parts. This helps them to build greater resilience and feel less overwhelmed by allowing them to discover how complex problems/ideas/subjects can invariably be broken into less complex parts.

Presenter Profile

Dave Price is founder and managing director of an award-winning training consultancy specialising in the management of stress & resilience, mental health and emotional wellbeing, effective communication and teamwork.

He is an experienced facilitator and multidiscipline trainer, known for helping, educating and supporting organisations and their people to manage overwhelm, stress and anxiety whilst building both personal and organisational coherence.

He has dedicated himself to training and empowering people in their business and personal life, helping them to become the best version of themselves. Dave is a great believer that everyone has the ability to manage and improve their wellbeing and in doing so their enjoyment of life increases, their performance increases and their productivity levels increase.

Cost: £250 per delegate; £299 for 2 teachers from the same school booking on this course

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