Promoting Resilience in Higher Education
Resilient Relationships
Across all themes we worked to foreground student voice, use arts-based methods to develop new knowledge, and focus on the value of generating and evaluating alternate perspectives.
It's about seeing the mentor's perspective as well
Foregrounding Student Voice
This art piece represents a difficult relationship between a PST and their mentor. It was a valuable exploration of the ‘tangential/lateral’ perspectives about why the mentor was the way they were. The piece shows that the relationship was once blossoming, but the environment was not conducive for a successful PST-mentor relationship. The piece represents a richness and beauty even in the times of much confusion and self-questioning.
We sought the PSTs perspective on what would happen if the flower/plant of the tree were to be pruned. She explained that all can be regenerated if it were to be pruned - both for mentors and PSTs and that maybe something more beautiful could still occur.
When talking about the picture, rather than the PSTs own experience, it created the space and the confidence for the PST to articulate something about the mentor. Previously, she was in a powerless position. The conversation about the flower allowed her to articulate her understanding of the mentor, rather than just being told to cope with it.
There's more than I'm aware of
Generating Alternate Perspectives
Many PSTs realised that “There’s more than I’m aware of” in teaching, particularly in relation to case scenarios that were explored as part of resilient behaviour management workshop materials.
Thinking differently by allowing spontaneity
Using Arts-Based Methods
The arts-based methods allowed the students to “think differently” as it enabled spontaneity through found words.
