JENNIFER REECE MODULE 6

NOVEMBER 24TH, 2008

Stress and the Classroom1

Table of Contents

Slide 3: Stress in the Classroom Slide 4: Stress in your Classroom Slide 5: Summary

Slide 6: The Impact of Stress on Learning Slide 7: Stress on your Students Slide 8: Summary

Slide 9: Stress as a Teacher Slide 10: Are you Stressed? Slide 11: Summary

Slide 12: Tying it all together: Stress

2

Stress in the Classroom

3 -A stressor is "any event in which environmental demands, internal demands, or both tax or exceed the adaptive resources of an individual, social system, or tissue system"

-Children are affected by school-related stressors such as: failing grades, overly demanding classroom environments, athletic requirements, peer relationships, tests, and conflicts with their teachers

-Some signs a student is stressed: academic problems, behavior problems, drug problems or the child complains daily about headaches or stomachaches. “Stress is part of even the youngest students' lives, making the concept of a carefree childhood nearly obsolete.”

Coleman, M. & Fallin, K. & Wallinga, C. ( 2001). Helping children copewith stress in the classroom setting. Childhood Education. RetrievedNovember 22, 2008, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3614/is_200110/ai_n8967781/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1

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What you can do as a Teacher Helpful Resources

As a teacher you can help students deal with daily stress.

Teaching ways to cope with stress can be incorporated into several subject areas like: Art, Health or Language Arts.

Art: Have the students paint or draw to express their emotions

Health: Explain the side effects of stress and different coping methods

Language Arts: Have the students journal about their emotions or have them use creativity and write a story, this relaxes their mind.

Listed below are lesson plans that you can use to incorporate stress into your daily lesson plans:

- Health Lesson Plan: Striking Out Stress

-Computer Lab Lesson Plan: Taking Care of Me

-Art Activities: Exploring Stress

-Science Lesson Plan: Stress on the Body

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Stress in your Classroom

SummaryBy reading this article, I have

learned that stress can have a affect on ANY age. Stress can even affect children too. I believe this is because children

have more responsibilities today

than ever before.A-HA Moments:

-- Children have stress too-- As a teacher, I am able to easily incorporate stress management into my lesson plans

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The Impact of Stress on Learning6

- Today’s research suggests that stress can block chemical reactions in the brain that are necessary for learning.

- Stress can disrupt learning and memory development as it forces the brain to revert to more primitive survival needs.

- “We have much to learn about the- impact of stress on learning and - memory.”

MacArthur. ( 2004).The Human Brain. The Franklin Institute Online. Retrieved November 22, 2008, http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/credits.html

Example: How Stress Impacts Learning

- Students often have performanceanxiety.

Most of us can recall a time when theanxiety of presenting a presentation made our minds go “blank”. When theanxiety finally passes all the

informationcomes back. When this happens anxiety gets out of control and crossesto the other side of the curve andperformance plummets.

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Stress on your Students

Summary After reading this

article, I have learned that stress needs to be handled as a serious matter. Stress can

have a negative effect on our bodies,

including our brains. We should learn how to take care of this

issue so we can have a healthy body and

brain. A-HA Moments:

--Students can be negatively affected by stress-- The brain can be one the first places to be affected.

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Stress as a Teacher9

One-third of new teachers leave the profession after the first five years because of the stressful challenges.

A recent survey by Optum Research, a Minnesota-based company that studies work-related health risks, found that 88 percent of teachers experience moderate to high levels of stress.

What to do in your classroom to help you: Create systems, organize, make different “centers” in your room, upgrade your TECHNOLOGY, and make to do lists for each day.

What to do at home to help you: Have a family calendar, have a to do list for household chores, plan your meals out, and have some down time each night with your family.

Crute, S. ( 1997).Teacher Stress: Stressed Out. NEA. Retrieved November 22, 2008, http://www.nea.org/neatoday/0401/stressed.html

The Stress Test What you can do

Click the URL below to see what your level of stress is.

How stressed are you?

Click the URL below to get 10 great tips on living a less stressful life

Simple Ways to Live a Less Stressful Life

Make to do list Prioritize your list Meditation Yoga Exercise Writing Art- Drawing or Painting Laugh Be with family and friends Have a day or night to yourself

10

Are you Stressed?

SummaryAfter reading the

article, I have realized that as a teacher we need to not only take care of students but

ourselves. Our attitude and stress level reflects on our classroom, our

teaching and most importantly our

students. A-HA Moments:

-Most teachers are moderate to extremely stressed.

-- Some teacher quit with the first couple of years due to

stress

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Tying it all Together…12

Stress can have a negative influence on our lives. It can effect our emotional health, physical health and our mental health. As a teacher, our students

come from all different walks of life, with different stresses they have to deal with. As a teacher, you need to notice these different stresses and help your

students work through them by incorporating stress education into your lessons plans. As a role model to our students, we must first learn to handle

stress ourselves. Look back at some of the suggestions I listed on how to live your life less stressful. Each one of them will help. Don’t just imagine life with

out an overload of stress…LIVE IT!