A whole-school approach to developing resilience: Resources and suggestions for New Zealand schools

In learning and life, there will always be challenges, requiring resilience to overcome, adapt, and persist in the face of adversity. Resilience is a key aspect of mental health and lifelong learning, reflected in the vision, key competencies, and health-related elements of the New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007). Working on the understanding that schools can and should help learners to develop resilience, this article shares a recent inquiry undertaken by a full primary school in New Zealand (NZ), as part of a Teacher-Led Innovation Fund (TLIF) project. The inquiry approach and main findings are outlined, along with resources, and suggestions for schools striving to build a shared understanding of resilience among teachers, students, and parents. Our inquiry attests to the power of a whole school approach to the learning of resilience, underpinned by relational connections, the language of resilience and cross-curricula integration, as well as informal learning