Can Resilience Be Learned?

Before we dive into whether or not resilience can be learned, let’s examine what makes for effective learning. In the West, formal education historically emphasized “book learning’, the accumulation of knowledge by passive reading. Book learning was accompanied by passive listening to lectures. Reading and listening were separate from experience, for example testing in a laboratory or in practice. Pause for a moment to imagine the challenges of learning about dynamic living systems by reading two-dimensional pages or chalkboards, often limited to black and white images, if any. Today, in a technologically enabled educational environment, it seems like an archaic way to learn. Book learning is not particularly accessible to those whose learning style is predisposed to kinesthetic and visual learning styles, as opposed to an auditory learning style (Markova, 1996).

Toward the end of the 20th century, educators recognized the limitations of passive, two-dimensional learning. They sought to improve learning outcomes with an eye toward comprehension, retention, and integration of cumulative knowledge with critical thinking in innovative ways such as assignments conducted in small groups (Springer, Stanne & Donovan, 1999). At the dawn of the 21st century, teaching emphasis shifted toward active student engagement – application of theory in practice - through experiential learning. During my dissertation research (2011, 2020), educators asked my thoughts about student learning through project teams. I observed that meaningful and long-lasting learning occurs when students not only combine theory and practice, but also when education incorporates regular reflection. Reflective learning through techniques like appreciative inquiry (Cooperrider & Srivastava, 1987), especially deployed throughout experiential learning and particularly during debriefing, closes the loop to reinforce lessons for future application by students. In future posts, I will discuss appreciative inquiry, debriefing, and other ways learned resilience is effectively achieved.

Returning to the “teach-ability” question, in my experience learned resilience is similar to other complex processes that result in sustained competency and intelligence. Learning is ideally a continuous cycle throughout life – personal and professional. It begins with acquisition and organization of information resources. Then, cognitive and operational frameworks develop using that information. Mental models form and can be formalized through design incorporating emergent ideas. Depending on their suitability, models are tested in laboratories, through simulations, or put in practice. The outcomes of implementation determine the extent of success or failure of the model. Repeatability necessitates evaluation no matter what the outcome for future refinement and application. Three critical questions must be addressed during debriefing:

• What went well and why?
• What did not go well and why?
• What needs improvement and how will it be resolved before moving forward?

These three questions are essential in cultivating resilience (Edson, 2011). To foster resilience, it is important to understand what resilience is and what it is not. Learned resilience is a cycle of adopting its principles, applying them in practice, and reflecting on the experience. This adaptive cycle is the nature of learned resilience throughout personal and professional life.

References:
Cooperrider, D. L., & Srivastava, S. (1987). Appreciative Inquiry in Organizational Life in Research in Organizational Change and Development: An Annual Series Featuring Advances in Theory, Methodology and Research

Edson, M.C. (2020, forthcoming). Team Systems Theory: Building Stakeholder Value through a Learning Culture for Organizational Resilience in The Handbook of Systems Science. Singapore: Springer.

Edson, M.C. (2011). A Systems Perspective of Resilience in a Project Team. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest.

Markova, D. (1996). The open mind: Exploring the 6 patterns of natural intelligence. Berkeley, CA: Conari Press.
 
Springer, L., Stanne, M. E., & Donovan, S. S. (1999). Effects of small-group learning on undergraduates in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology: A meta-analysis. Review of educational research, 69(1), 21-51.