How many of you are feeling overwhelmed right now in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic?  Like many individuals around the world, I myself am experiencing feelings of uncertainty, difficulty concentrating, and challenges surrounding prioritization and organization.  Now imagine you are also a student attempting to transition to online learning, complete assignments, and maintain a daily schedule from your home environment.  Such tasks can seem insurmountable for many students given the current climate.  However, an academic coach can assist students with the transition to online learning and with the development of strategies necessary to academically rebound with resilience.

When we are overwhelmed and experiencing stress, our cognitive functioning is negatively impacted. The hippocampus, the area of the brain associated with memory, is specifically affected (McEwen & Salposky, 1995).  If students are stressed, they my experience difficulty learning new material, prioritizing tasks, and completing homework.  An academic coach can work with students to break down assignments into smaller, more manageable tasks and create a daily schedule to foster time management.  Additionally, an academic coach can help students organize their home work environment in an attempt to create a space more conducive to work.  Finally, academic coaches collaborate with students to generate creative solutions to identify and meet academic goals.

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines resilience is as “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties”.  Today’s students are experiencing difficulties surrounding the transition to online learning and the potential effects of them lacking resiliency during this difficult time could impact our educational systems for years to come.  Research has shown academic resiliency is positively correlated with academic achievement (Martin & Marsh, 2006).  In efforts to support academic achievement during this time of uncertainty, academic coaches can help students build academic resilience through academic coaching.  As a coach, I often use the biopsychosocial model framework when discussing resiliency with students (Blascovich & Tomaka, 1996).  The biospychosocial model allows students to view academic tasks as opportunities instead of threats.  For example, instead of viewing a math exam and a “threat”, view the math exam as an “opportunity” to demonstrate to the instructor what you have learned in the course.  In the current situation, academic coaches can encourage students to view online learning as an opportunity to showcase academic skills instead as a threat to their academic achievement potential. 

And perhaps this perspective is what we as adults need to take for our children and students in the COVID-19 pandemic.  Although there is a real threat associated with COVID-19, there are also opportunities to become a resilient society that bounced back stronger from these challenges.

Blascovich J. & Tomaka J. (1996). The biopsychosocial model of arousal regulation.  Advanced Experimental Social Psychology, 28, 1–51.

Martin, A. J. & Marsh, H.W (2006).  Academic resilience and its psychological and educational correlates: A construct validity approach. Psychology in the Schools, 43(3), 267-281.     

McEwen, B.S. & Sapolsy, R.M. (1995).  Stress and cognitive function. Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 5(2), 205-216.