PED3151 - Learning Log 3

Hello readers,

When should we start to talk about mental health in our classrooms? Does it have an effect on how we should design our lessons? When we discuss mental health, it becomes increasingly easy to get caught up in the semantics of it all before we realize that mental health is attached to human beings – after all, it’s the one of the core aspects of a healthy life. It has become no secret in recent years that students face a number of stressors both in and out of their school experiences. As a result, their mental health can take a nosedive, which poses negative consequences for their physical health and well-being as well. As we are an active member of their daily interactions, it falls on us as teachers to make sure that we are finding ways to promote mental health and safety in our classrooms and hallways. This can be achieved in a number of ways, most notably through the introduction of the concept of resiliency.

Resiliency is not something that achieved in moments, rather it is done over time and starts with the identification of one’s current emotional states. This is one of the things I hope to achieve during my time at my placement, as it involves simple strategies such as discussing how the students feel in a few words or less or involving word clouds/plicker-type programs that help the class identify how they are feeling as a whole. Then, once the students have identified how they are feeling, we can build on the “why” factor; why do the students feel the way that they do? If the students are able to model the stressors in their life, it becomes far easier for them to develop strategies to navigate the resultant feelings.

Towards planning assessment and reducing “test anxiety,” I hope to involve an iterative process when it comes to formative assessments in such a way that the students recognize that learning is an ongoing process. If students are to think that learning and evaluations are an “all or nothing” process, they will tend to develop anxieties around the one opportunity they are afforded to demonstrate their knowledge. By providing multiple opportunities for the students to demonstrate their knowledge, and identifying areas of improvement, it is possible for students to regulate their own learning and in turn their own thought processes.

Image credit: https://thenounproject.com/term/telepathy/26882/

#PED3151