Students who are flexible do not get stuck in problem-solving. They know that if a solution is not forthcoming, it is time to look at the problem from a new perspective and try different methods for reaching solutions. Flexible students have the confidence to persist through failure because they view failure as an opportunity to learn.  Many child psychologists today talk with parents about “productive failure” and that children might be better off embracing failure less as a place of frustration and instead as a “learning pit” – an area with steep walls that challenge you to feel the excitement that comes when those walls are scaled.

Students who lack flexibility can too easily give up on problems that are not answered quickly or easily. In the worst scenarios, inflexible students get stuck in one mode of problem-solving and rarely venture past that kind of solution.  The student who lacks flexibility can become stubborn and insistent that as an adult, “You don’t know how it really is”. Students need to understand that most problems have multiple solutions and that there is no single path to becoming a problem solver.

Flexibility can be an especially challenging situation for adolescents. Most young students have yet to develop a sophisticated system for dealing with flexibility issues. They often get stuck in routines and must be encouraged to step out of the routine to look at the problem with fresh eyes. Middle school teachers who understand this flexibility drama have tremendous opportunities to shape the lives and future welfare of their students.

Most children grow to understand that parents play an important role in providing feedback and flexible alternatives to the most vexing situations.  The best way of insuring this is to make a frequent reference to the flexibility it takes to address problems on a daily basis.  Children benefit from hearing that the same issue they face in the classroom (seeking solutions for vexing problems) are identical to those issues faced by parents in their daily work or home lives.

Mathematics is an area in which flexibility is most apparent.  Some students quickly reach frustration levels in math in which problems become insurmountable obstacles for progress.  The most effective math teachers teach many ways to solve math problems- from basic operations like multiplication and division to more complex geometric algorithms in geometry or calculus.   Parents need to be careful not to hand their own anxieties about math (or other subjects) down to their children.

Some students demonstrate a deep flexibility in academic settings, but then flounder with flexibility in social settings (or vice verse).  In both situations, it is important to remind students that a measure of their success is in the way they handle all situations with flexibility.

Teachers can look at problem solving dispositions in the classroom to determine grades for flexibility.  Teachers have used the following categories to help define grades for flexibility:

• Student starts and ends work in a timely manner.
• Student seeks new and different solutions when frustrated.
• Student manages failure well.
• Student views flexibility as a strength.
• Student demonstrates flexibility in academic settings.
• Student demonstrates flexibility in social settings.
• Student attacks problems in _________ class with vim and vigor.
• Student demonstrates an ability to learn from failure.

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Coming Next Wednesday- How to Grade for Independence

From our first posting:

“As parents and teachers, we need to reclaim our traditional role as influencers of our children – not by shouting louder than the influencers our children discover online, but by stressing ideas that are more important than fancy shoes and snappy TikTok tunes. We need to emphasize traits that everyone agrees children will honor.  We need to convince our children that the people who are most important to them have a better understanding of what it takes to be successful in life.”

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