Aktionsrat Bildung publishes report on “Education and Resilience”

The Covid 19 pandemic revealed numerous problems in the German federal education system. In elementary schools in particular, systemic resilience, i.e., the ability to adapt to problems and changes, was rather low. This was demonstrated, among other things, by difficulties in switching from face-to-face teaching to digital teaching, which was due not least to the schools' sometimes inadequate equipment. Nele McElvany, a member of the Akrionsrat Bildung on Education and Executive Director of the IFS, therefore calls for “the education system to be given a higher priority in crises as a matter of principle. In retrospect, it is clear that it has been neglected in terms of crisis prevention and intervention. Since elementary school children themselves don't have much of a lobby and have a harder time drawing attention to themselves, important courses must be set now for handling future crises.”

How can resilience in elementary schools be increased?

Even if it's impossible to predict when the next serious crisis will occur, transforming the elementary school system with the help of new pedagogical approaches, modeling and teaching self-regulated learning, increasing resilience to crises systemically and individually, and with increased instructional diversity through digital devices could enrich instruction and children's development in general. At the school level, self-regulated learning, i.e., setting goals, organizing and shaping learning, and maintaining one's own motivation, can begin to be systematically promoted in early education, and further developed in elementary school. By additionally promoting core competencies in reading, mathematics, and science, well-being, independent action, and positive relationships, children can thus acquire resources as early as elementary school age that will make it easier for them to cope with a potential crisis. In addition, digital media must be integrated as natural tools in the regular classroom so that crises at this central point can be responded to with continuity. In addition, the resilience of elementary schools can be increased if there are clear and transparent responsibilities at the systemic level between the federal government, the states, the school authorities and the individual schools that clearly define who has to or may decide what in a general emergency situation.

Strengthening children through greater resilience

Even before a crisis begins, children's personal resilience and well-being should be promoted. In addition to the school in general, families, especially parents and teachers, play an important role at the private level, as they are important caregivers. Important for the development of children's individual resilience is the promotion of positive thoughts such as hope, the demonstration of the ability to act, and positive relationships with their fellow human beings. Therefore, teachers' resilience should be continuously nurtured during their training and later in their teaching careers. For parents, on the other hand, an additional program could be offered at schools, for example, to involve them in building resilience in their children.

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