A. Developing the Skills, Strategies, and Habits Needed to Succeed · Skills, Strategies and Habits for SuccessResilience and Perseverance: Adapting to Change
A1.1About 65 minutes
Learning goals- I can define resilience, perseverance and adaptability and explain why they matter in school, life and work.
- I can separate what I can control, what I can influence and what I cannot control.
- I can use a step-by-step approach to adapt to a big change.
- I can explain how building resilience helps in every area of my life, including a changing job market.
Words to know
resilience
The ability to adapt and recover (or even grow) after stress, change or difficulty.
perseverance
Continuing to work toward something even when it is hard or progress is slow.
adversity
A difficult or unpleasant situation, such as illness, a move, a loss or a failure.
adaptability
Being able to adjust your thinking and actions when the situation changes.
protective factor
Something in your life that helps you cope, such as supportive people, healthy routines or a sense of purpose.
circle of control
A way of sorting a situation into what you control, what you can influence and what you cannot control.
The move in November
Mateo's family moved from Sudbury to Ottawa in November, halfway through his Grade 10 fall term. New school, new timetable, no friends yet, and his new math class was two units ahead of his old one. For the first two weeks he ate lunch alone and wondered if he should just give up on math.
By March, Mateo had two good friends from the school's robotics club, had caught up in math with help from a lunchtime tutoring program, and had a weekend job shovelling snow with a neighbour.
What happened in between? Not luck. Mateo used resilience, perseverance and adaptability, and he had people around him who helped. In this lesson you will learn how these skills work and how to build them.
Three key words
- Resilience is the ability to adapt and recover after stress, change or difficulty. Resilient people still feel upset, sad or scared. The difference is that they find ways to keep going and, often, to learn something.
- Perseverance is continuing to work toward something when it is hard or slow. It is the "keep going" part.
- Adaptability is adjusting your thinking and actions when the situation changes. It is the "change course" part.
Perseverance without adaptability can mean doing the same thing over and over even when it is not working. Adaptability without perseverance can mean giving up at the first bump. Resilience needs both.
Resilience is not something you either have or don't have. It can be built. It grows from protective factors: supportive relationships, healthy routines, coping skills, a sense of purpose, and practice learning from setbacks. For many First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, connection to family, community, culture, language and the land is an important source of resilience.
Remember from Grades 8 and 9
In Grade 8 health you learned that resilience can be built through healthy habits and coping strategies, and in Grade 9 you looked at protective factors and risk factors. Grade 10 Career Studies asks a new question: how does resilience help you succeed in school, in life and at work, especially when things change?
Sort it: the circle of control
When something goes wrong, it helps to sort the situation into three parts:
- What I control: my effort, my attitude, how I prepare, whether I ask for help, how I treat people.
- What I can influence: things I can affect but not decide alone, such as my group's plan, a coach's view of my effort or a teacher's understanding of my situation.
- What I can't control: the weather, other people's choices, the date of the test, the economy.
Spending energy on the outer circle (worrying about things you can't change) tends to raise stress. Putting your energy into the inner circles is where your actions actually make a difference. You can still feel upset about the outer circle. Feelings are allowed. The goal is to choose where to put your actions.
A step-by-step approach to big changes
Changes like moving, starting high school, a new family situation, a new job or an injury that ends your season can knock anyone off balance. Here is one approach you can use:
- Pause and name it. What exactly changed? How do I feel about it? ("I'm lonely and worried about math.")
- Sort it. Use the circle of control.
- Pick one small action from the inner circle. Small is fine. ("Ask the math teacher about extra help.")
- Connect. Reach out to someone: a friend, family member, teacher, coach, guidance counsellor, Elder or other trusted adult.
- Review and adjust. After a week or two, ask: What helped? What should I try next?
This is also how adaptability works in sports and games. If the other team in a hockey game keeps blocking your passes up the middle, you persevere (you keep playing hard) and you adapt (you try the boards instead).
Worked exampleLet's apply the approach to Mateo's move
Use the five steps to show how Mateo could handle his first weeks at his new school.
- Pause and name it: "I moved, I don't know anyone, and I'm behind in math. I feel lonely and worried."
- Sort it: Control: my effort in math, whether I ask for help, whether I join a club. Influence: how quickly I make friends, how my teacher understands what I missed. Can't control: the move, the timing, what the other class already covered.
- Pick one small action: email the math teacher to say which units his old school had not covered yet and ask about extra help.
- Connect: tell his parents how he is feeling; visit the robotics club once (he liked building things at his old school).
- Review and adjust: after two weeks, math is getting better but lunch is still hard. Next action: sit with someone from robotics.
Mateo cannot undo the move, but by acting on what he controls and influences, and by connecting with people, he adapts. That is resilience in action.
Most people expect progress to be a straight line. Real progress usually includes a setback. With support and strategies, people often recover and even end up further ahead, which is sometimes called bouncing forward.Why resilience matters at work
The world of work keeps changing. New technologies change how jobs are done, some jobs disappear and new ones appear, and many people change jobs, or even careers, several times. Workers who can adapt, keep learning and stay positive after setbacks are better able to thrive in a changing job market.
At work, resilience looks like:
- moving on and applying again after not getting a job;
- learning a new computer system without giving up when it is confusing at first;
- staying calm when a shift gets busy or a customer is upset;
- being willing to take on new tasks.
In the next unit, Exploring and Preparing for the World of Work, you will look closely at work trends and the skills that transfer between jobs.
Just for funI took a wrong turn on the way to my first shift. My map app didn't panic, didn't sigh and didn't bring it up later. It just said "Recalculating" and found a new route. Honestly? That app has better adaptability skills than most of us.
Hands-on activityChange map
You need: paper and a pencil (or coloured pencils), and a compass (geometry set) or something round to trace, such as a plate and two bowls of different sizes.
- Think of a real change you have been through (starting high school, a move, a new sibling, a schedule change, losing a spot on a team) or one coming up (a first job, summer, Grade 11).
- Trace three circles inside each other, like the diagram above.
- Fill in the circle of control: at least three things in each ring.
- Under the circles, write the five steps (pause and name it, sort it, one small action, connect, review) for your change.
- Show your map to a family member and ask them to tell you about a change they adapted to. What did they control? Who helped them?
What to look for: items in the right rings (your own actions in the centre; other people's decisions outside), a small, specific first action, and a real person to connect with.
Your turn
1Define resilience in your own words.
Being able to adapt and recover after stress, change or difficulty, and keep going (often learning something along the way).
2How is perseverance different from adaptability?
Perseverance is continuing to work toward something when it is hard. Adaptability is changing your approach when the situation changes. Resilience needs both.
3Sort into control, influence or can't control: (a) a snowstorm cancels your bus (b) how much you study (c) your group's decision about who presents.
(a) can't control; (b) control; (c) influence (you can share ideas and help decide, but not decide alone).
4Name three protective factors that help build resilience.
Any three: supportive relationships, healthy routines (sleep, activity, food), coping skills, a sense of purpose, practice learning from setbacks, connection to culture, community, language or the land.
5List the five steps for adapting to a big change from this lesson.
- Pause and name it. 2. Sort it (circle of control). 3. Pick one small action. 4. Connect with someone. 5. Review and adjust.
6Give one example of what resilience looks like at a part-time job.
Examples: applying again after not getting hired; staying calm on a busy shift; learning a new till system without giving up; asking for feedback after a mistake.
7True or false: resilient people don't feel upset. Explain.
False. Resilient people still feel upset, sad or scared. Resilience is about what they do next: finding ways to cope, get support and keep going.
More practice: warm-up
1Which word means "continuing to work toward something even when it is hard"?
A difficult or unpleasant situation, such as a loss, an illness, a move or a failure.
3In the circle of control, what goes in the centre?
The things I control, such as my effort, attitude and actions.
4Can resilience be built, or are you born with a fixed amount?
It can be built, through protective factors and practice.
5Name one person at school you could connect with during a hard change.
Examples: a teacher, guidance counsellor, coach, school social worker, Indigenous student support worker or Elder (where the school has one), a friend.
More practice: on your own
1Nadia keeps studying for math by rereading her notes, but her marks are not improving. Is she showing perseverance, adaptability, or both? What should she add?
She is showing perseverance (she keeps going) but not adaptability (she is not changing a strategy that is not working). She should try a new approach, such as doing practice questions, asking the teacher for feedback, or studying with a classmate.
2Your summer job at a garden centre is cut from 30 hours a week to 15 because of a rainy June. Sort the situation using the circle of control and suggest one action.
Can't control: the weather, the manager's decision. Influence: whether you get extra shifts (by telling the manager you are available and reliable). Control: your attitude, looking for a second job, using the free time for something useful. Action: tell the manager you can cover extra shifts, and apply for a second part-time job.
3Explain why spending a lot of energy on things you can't control can increase stress.
You put in effort but nothing changes, which can make you feel helpless and frustrated. Putting your energy into actions you control gives you a sense of progress, which lowers stress.
4Why might a worker who is adaptable be better prepared for a changing job market?
Jobs and technologies change. An adaptable worker can learn new tools, take on new tasks or move into a related job, so a change is less likely to leave them stuck.
5Describe a time in a game or sport when someone had to adapt their strategy. What did they change and why?
Example: in basketball, a team keeps losing the ball to a full-court press, so it changes to using quick short passes. They changed because the old approach stopped working. Look for a clear change and a reason.
Challenge
1"Just think positive and you'll be fine." Using what you learned, explain why this advice is incomplete.
Resilience is more than positive thinking. It also needs actions (focusing on what you control), support from other people, healthy routines and sometimes changing your strategy. Telling someone to just think positive can make them feel their real feelings are wrong. Feelings are allowed; the goal is to choose helpful actions.
2Create a circle of control for a Grade 10 student whose part-time job schedule keeps changing every week with short notice. Then suggest two specific actions.
Control: telling the manager my availability in writing, planning homework in short blocks, keeping a calendar. Influence: how far ahead the schedule is posted (by asking politely), swapping shifts with co-workers. Can't control: the store's staffing needs, other workers' sick days. Actions: (1) give the manager a written list of times I can and can't work; (2) each Sunday, block homework time around whatever shifts are posted.
3Explain how the "expectation vs. reality" graph could help a student who just failed their first chemistry test of the year.
It shows that setbacks are a normal part of real progress, not a sign that you will always fail. The student can see the dip as temporary and focus on what helps people climb back up: support (asking the teacher for help) and strategies (new ways of studying). With those, they may end up stronger than before.
Quiz
1. Which is the best definition of resilience?
2. In the circle of control, which belongs in the centre (what I control)?
3. A student keeps using a study method that isn't working. What skill does the student most need to add?
4. Which is a protective factor?
5. What is the first step in the approach to big changes in this lesson?
6. Why does resilience matter in a changing job market?
Big idea: Expectation A1.1 asks students to explain why resilience and perseverance matter in school, life and work, including adapting to change and getting through adversity. This lesson gives them two tools: the circle of control and a five-step approach to change.
How to help: Share a real change you adapted to (a move, a job loss, a new baby, a health change). Be honest about what was hard and who helped you. When your teen is frustrated, try asking, "What part of this can you control?" rather than offering a solution right away.
Common difficulties:
- Thinking resilience means hiding feelings. Reassure them that feeling upset is normal.
- Putting other people's decisions in the "control" circle. Ask, "Who actually decides that?"
- Choosing a first action that is too big. Help them shrink it (one email, one conversation).
If a change (such as a family separation, a move or a loss) is causing your teen ongoing distress, talk with the school's guidance counsellor or social worker.