Anxiety

Attribution: This presentation was developed by staff at the St. Croix River Education District. (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

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Teaching about better choices

Preventing this behavior in the first place

Reinforcing better choices

Teaching Behavior Expectations & Skills

How can we teach about better choices?

• Your core curriculum should target grade-level benchmarks in the areas of self-awareness and self-management.
• Example skills:
• Managing Stress
• Using Calming Strategies
• Expressing Your Feelings
• Using Positive Self-Talk

FREESTANDING Life Skills Instruction

• A few intentional tweaks to a unit guide or lesson plan can maximize the life skills that students pick up during academic learning.
• Explore! 🚀 Find your content area → grade band → then browse a menu of ideas. Start in the areas of self-awareness and self-management.

INTEGRATED Life Skills Instruction

Prevention Strategies

How can we prevent this behavior in the first place?

• Lead whole-class mood check-in rituals at natural transition points (e.g., beginning of class). This helps you follow up when the student is having a tough day.
• Normalize anxiety as part of the learning process (e.g., use narrative engagement to tell the class about how you overcame anxiety when learning a concept that you're now teaching).
• Design choices into your lessons and offer them proactively.

Prevention: Quick Tips

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• If the student gives you cues that a particular assignment is triggering anxiety, offer to help them get started and/or pair them with a peer who can.
• Coach a student to use emotional regulation strategies (e.g., deep breathing, positive self-talk) that are appropriate for the classroom and help the student remain in their learning environment.
• Discreetly check in with the student (e.g., during a 1:1 conference at your desk) and use empathetic listening.

Prevention: Quick Tips cont.

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• Use multiple modes of assessment so that the student has options regarding how they feel comfortable demonstrating mastery.
• Consider consistently pairing the student with a supportive partner or group.
• If appropriate (e.g., pattern is chronic), help to connect the student to mental health support staff (e.g., school counselor, school social worker, school psychologist).

Prevention: Quick Tips cont.

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🛠️ GIF Mood Meters

Pop culture GIFs are numbered and arranged over a Mood Meter. Perfect for a light-hearted check-in ritual. Hundreds of options for all age levels!

🤔 How could your students benefit from this resource?

Find this tool + similar resources on the webpage for this strategy.

An elementary demo of a check in with a GIF Mood Meter (1:11)

🤔 What did you notice or wonder while watching the video?

CREDIT: @coffeefueledclassroom

A elementary teacher explains how she offers students choice on materials (0:56)

🤔 What did you notice or wonder while watching the video?

A teacher talks about what it means to build relationships via “moments” (2:33)

🤔 What did you notice or wonder while he was describing his epiphany that “moments” made the difference?

Reinforcement Strategies

How can we reinforce better choices?

• Provide a high frequency of affirmative attention to build the student up. Pay attention to the student’s preferences (e.g., private affirmation vs. public).
• Partner with the parent/guardian and frequently share successes. Be the student's "ally."

Reinforcement: Quick Tips

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🛠️ Affirmative Attention mini-poster

A mini-poster that includes a few examples of phrases you can use to provide affirmative attention.

🤔 Why do you think the examples include a student’s name in close proximity but not from a distance?

Find this tool + similar resources on the webpage for this strategy.

🛠️ 25 Things to Say Instead of “Good Job”

A mini-poster with examples of the variety of phrases we can use to give students affirmative attention.

🤔 What is your favorite phrase to use?

Find this tool + similar resources on the webpage for this strategy.

An elementary teacher models affirmative attention (2:09)

🤔 What would you say are some of the advantages and disadvantages of general/nonverbal attention vs. more descriptive attention?

An elementary teacher models giving affirmative attention privately (0:42)

🤔 How do you think the students felt as the teacher privately gave each praise or commented on their work?