Facilitating personal coping skills and strategies is a universal design for learning (UDL) guideline that supports multiple means of engagement. The UDL guidelines were developed by an organization called CAST. This article will explore how teachers and other educators can help learners develop strategies to cope with their varying emotional responses to learning challenges.
Facilitating personal coping skills and strategies in Universal Design for Learning
Facilitating personal coping skills and strategies means providing ongoing support to learners experiencing frustration, anxiety, or other emotional responses that inhibit their motivation. On one hand, some learners need support dealing with social anxiety in an in-person environment, or with distractions. On the other hand, other learners need support if they quickly become anxious or discouraged about their ability to complete a task. Each learner experiences different emotions and needs different degrees of support. While some learners respond to models, checklists, and other supports for maintaining motivation, others need more personal coping skills.
Teachers can use many methods for facilitating personal coping skills and strategies. For instance, teachers can give learners ongoing feedback on their progress dealing with frustration. Likewise, long-term models show learners how to ask others for help or emotional support. Similarly, simulations or real-life scenarios show how people use their coping skills.
Moreover, teachers can offer feedback, models, or scaffolded support as learners gain skills to cope when they feel apprehensive about a subject. For example, a learner might believe that they are “bad at” math. However, a teacher could recommend a more constructive way of thinking. While the learner recognizes that they struggle in math, they may believe they will always struggle. Instead, a teacher can help them plan strategies to improve. As the learner begins to believe in the possibility of their improvement, their frustration will diminish.