Module Introduction
As educators, we understand that fostering courage goes beyond teaching academic subjects—it’s about equipping students with the confidence and resilience they need to thrive in all aspects of life.
In today’s rapidly changing world, where uncertainty and challenges abound, the ability to cultivate courage is more crucial than ever. It’s about empowering our students to face adversity, tackle difficult tasks, and pursue their values-based aspirations with determination and a sense of purpose.
From fostering a supportive learning environment to providing opportunities for risk-taking and growth, we’ll examine how educators can play a pivotal role in helping students develop the courage they need to succeed.
Spark Interest
Select an image from this collage that represents courage for you. (This is a great activity to do with your students as well.)
Reflection
- What do you find compelling about this image? Why?
Learning Objectives
In this module, we will:
- Identify the various components of courage
- Understand the difference between “general” courage and “personal” courage
- Define academic courage and its relevance for students
- Understand what moral courage is and how it plays out for young people
- Examine the benefits of courage for young people
- Explore tools and practical strategies to help students find their courage
Module Resources
This toolkit includes additional resources, including classroom lessons and practices organized by developmental level, staff meeting activities, videos, podcasts, articles, and professional learning opportunities, as well as supporting materials for group facilitation on the topics of "Courage for Adults" and “Courage for Students.”
Individual Exploration
What is Courage?
In this first video, learn how researchers define courage, discover the different types of courage, and identify the six factors that influence courage [13:04].
Reflection
- When we see other people acting courageously, we can be inspired to do the same. Who do you admire? Who inspires you? Why?
- Have you noticed any of your students doing something courageous – however bold or quiet? Can you identify what or who supported them in acting courageously?
Why is Courage Important for Students?
In this next video, learn what researchers have discovered about how courage can benefit students. [8:22]
Reflection
- In what ways could you see exploring courage with your students help to foster a classroom environment that encourages inclusivity, empathy, and constructive dialogue among your students?
- What challenges can you imagine facing when discussing or exploring courage with your students? How might you prepare for or navigate these barriers?
How to Inspire Courage in the Classroom
In this final video, learn how educators can inspire courage in their students. [10:03]
Reflection
- How can we tailor our educational approach to ensure that every student feels empowered to step outside their comfort zone and embrace challenges?
- In what ways can educators cultivate a supportive environment that fosters resilience and courage in students, particularly in the face of adversity or setbacks?
Links from video
Practices to Encourage Students to See Themselves as Courageous
Courage Creatures (Adaptable for All Ages) Students learn about courage and see themselves as courageous by drawing their own courage creature and sharing it with others. (less than 1 hour)
Identifying Acts of Courage (Upper Elementary-High School) Students come up with ideas about what courage is, learn a scholarly definition of courage, reflect on courageous acts they have witnessed, and consider why they think courage is important. (less than 30 minutes)
Practices for Academic Courage and Perseverance
Crumpled Reminder (Adaptable for All Ages) Students write down a recent mistake and their feelings about it, and then crumple up the paper. Then they reflect on how their mistakes help them to learn. (less than 15 minutes)
Building Perseverance Through Role-Play (PreK-Lower Elementary) Students pretend to be a superhero or other hard-working character that they love while performing boring or difficult tasks. (less than 15 minutes)
Practices for Exploring Stories of Courage
Courageous and Compassionate Citizens (Upper Elementary-High School) Students brainstorm a current moral or civic issue facing society and explore how to use courage to address it. (less than 1 hour)
Who Are Your Heroes? (Lower Elementary-High School) After hearing stories of heroes from the Giraffe Heroes Project, students nominate heroes and discuss the risks they took and whom they helped, cultivating an understanding of what makes a true hero. In small groups, students then creatively present a chosen hero’s story. (multiple sessions)
Practices about Values and Character Strengths
Reminders that Encourage Moral Character Strengths (Upper Elementary-High School) Students identify important character strengths for the classroom, create a classroom character strengths board, and write stories of themselves that include the character strengths the classroom has agreed are important. (less than 1 hour)
Exploring Your Personal Values (Middle School-College) Students sort value statements in order of importance, and then reflect on the ones that mean the most to them. (less than 1 hour)
Discovering Your Strengths and Talents (Middle School-College) Students send emails to five trusted adults, asking them what they think are students’ strengths, talents, unique contributions to the world, and how to go about achieving their goals. (less than 1 hour)
Student Self Check-In Journal (Middle School-College) Use a values-informed reflective process to help students make ethical decisions with open-mindedness, integrity, and fairness. (less than 15 minutes)
Practices to Explore Community-based Courageous Problem Solving
Courageous and Compassionate Citizens (Upper Elementary-High School) Students brainstorm a current moral or civic issue facing society and explore how to use courage to address it. (less than 1 hour)
Courage Challenge (Upper Elementary-High School) Students take on a courage challenge and share their experience with their classmates, crafting a chain of courageous acts that inspire them to be honest, zesty, persevering, and brave. (less than 1 hour)
It’s Up to Us to Stick Our Necks Out (Middle School-College) Students “hear the story,” “tell the story,” and “be the story,” becoming inspired by everyday heroes, then choose, organize, and carry out a service project to address a problem they care about. (multiple sessions)
Practices to Support Self-Awareness & Self-Management
Navigating Challenging Emotions During Difficult Conversations (Middle-High School) Students will practice noticing and labeling bodily sensations and feelings (e.g., anxiety, anger, fear, shame) as they arise before, during, and after challenging conversations, and practice multiple coping strategies for navigating their emotions. (multiple sessions)
The Pendulum (Upper Elementary-Middle School) Students will identify people or situations that trigger shifts in their emotions and practice talking to others about their emotional experiences. (less than 15 minutes)
Practices about Moral Dilemmas
Reflecting on Moral Dilemmas with Practical Wisdom (Upper Elementary-High School) Students will develop practical wisdom by reading and reflecting on a moral dilemma with a set of guiding questions. Question sets prompt students to draw on past knowledge, understand the current context, and weigh various options up against guiding principles in order to determine next steps. (less than 1 hour)
Practices about Classroom Norms
Building Collaborative Classroom Norms (Middle-High School) Students co-create norms that foster a welcoming class environment and ensure safe discussions among peers, and develop a personal goal to help implement the norms. (less than 1 hour)
8.6 Take It Deeper: Courage for Ethical Decision-Making (fillable PDF)
Secondary students reflect on a list of moral courage “checkpoints” as they consider an ethical dilemma they have faced. (Optional: Courage Hero activity for younger students also included.)
Module Resources
This toolkit includes additional resources, including classroom lessons and practices organized by developmental level, staff meeting activities, videos, podcasts, articles, and professional learning opportunities, as well as supporting materials for group facilitation on the topics of "Courage for Adults" and “Courage for Students.”
Secondary students reflect on a list of moral courage “checkpoints” as they consider an ethical dilemma they have faced.
Group Facilitation
Before facilitating groups, spend time in individual exploration in order to experience and embody the learning. And if you haven’t yet explored our introduction to SEL in California, make sure you explore those resources.
Module Resources
This toolkit includes additional resources, including classroom lessons and practices, staff meeting activities, videos, podcasts, articles, and professional learning opportunities, as well as supporting materials for group facilitation on the topics of "Courage for Adults" and “Empathy for Students.”
A revisable, turnkey powerpoint slide deck to use for professional learning sessions on the topic of "Courage for Students."
A powerpoint slide deck with welcoming and closing activities to include in professional learning sessions.
Secondary students reflect on a list of moral courage “checkpoints” as they consider an ethical dilemma they have faced.
“My message, especially to young people, is to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are great qualities that they must work towards.”
Do you want to dive deeper into the science behind our GGIE practices? Enroll in one of our online courses for educators!
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