Are You Addressing the Hidden Learning Disability That Affects More Than 30% of Your Students?
by Janet Zadina on 07/21/17(Originally published Fall 2016)
The problem: Anxiety, high stress, and trauma impact the brain in a way
that impedes learning and affects achievement.
They affect a significant number of students at every grade level. It is essential that schools are aware of the nature of stress, its effects on learning, and strategies for addressing this in the classroom and the school itself.
As researchers begin to study the effects of anxiety, high stress, and trauma on students, some shocking statistics are revealed.
Grades 7-12:
1 in 3 students report moderate-to-serious psychological
distress, a 10% jump from 2015.
Grades 11-12:
40% of students have significant stress and 21% had
visited a mental health professional in the previous year.
College students in the last year: 50% had enough
anxiety to impede learning, 33% had depression, and of
those who sought mental health services over 30%
considered suicide and 11% of those considered
harming others.
An Australian study found 80% of university students had psychological distress. The list of risk factors for trauma is extensive and beyond the scope of this article. But the facts above are sufficient for us to make a commitment to addressing this situation. Faculty need to be informed about how stress works and strategies for creating a stress-sensitive classroom. They must also embed mental wellness messages in the classroom.
Since many colleges have waiting lists for mental health services, faculty are first-responders. By engaging in stress-reducing practices and embedding wellness messages, faculty can help students until the students can get the additional help they need as well as avoiding practices that can make stress worse. Mental health and resilience need to be a priority, not just for the institution overall, but for every classroom. This can only come from
teacher education and awareness of this critical topic.
Three strategies for reducing stress in the
classroom:
1. Provide choice:
Choice has a significant effect on stress and anxiety. How can you give your students more choice? You can find many simple ways. For example, if you are writing 20 questions for a test, write 25 instead and then arrange them so they can answer four of these five and four of these five and so forth. This is very helpful in reducing test anxiety. Another way to give them choice is to ask them whether they want the test on a Wednesday or a Friday, for example, if you have the flexibility to give that option. Go with a class vote. Ask students if they would rather answer the questions in Section A or Section B at the end of the chapter. This works well in math problems, for example. Put choice at the forefront of your mind when designing lessons and you will discover more options than you thought. Control has been shown to have a profound mitigating
effect on stress (David Diamond). Okay, I can hear your sharp intake of breath as you think about releasing control in the classroom. No worries. It is the
feeling of control more than actual control that matters. Students can feel more in control when you give them choices. They can feel more control after you teach them a variety of learning strategies and talk with them
about which one they are going to use on an assignment.
2. Maintain predictability:
No, this doesn't mean being predictable in that boring way. It means that unpredictable behaviors can increase stress and anxiety, such as unannounced
changes. Pop quizzes for a grade are not worth the stress that they create. Unpredictable consequences for certain behaviors introduce stress in all students, not just the ones "in trouble." Have rules written with the consequences outlined and be predictable in your enforcement. I know you must deviate from the syllabus when unexpected days off wreak havoc with your plans, but avoid arbitrary deviations. Draw attention to your syllabus at least weekly so they find security in knowing what is going to happen and when. Have students keep a planner of upcoming deadlines and changes. Try to announce any changes ahead of time. It's a fine line to walk but just keep it in mind and you will come to see what kind of changes fall into stress-producing unpredictability and those that just keep things interesting.
3. Create a trauma-sensitive classroom:
Knowing how trauma affects behavior and learning can help you avoid triggers that can exacerbate the stress and trauma of many students. While this topic is
beyond the scope of a brief article, keep a couple things in mind. Discourage laughter when someone shows a high-startle response to loud noises. Explain
that is a survival mechanism that may keep you alive someday - the ability for the brain/body to immediately kick in gear- and that some people (you do not need to say traumatized people) have a higher startle response. Novel environments are stressful so if you are testing in a room other than the classroom, be sure students have an opportunity to go to that room once
prior to that day. Or have them arrive earlier than you need to give them time to socialize and relax while their underlying "scanning for threat" mechanism has time to do its job without distracting from taking the test. Obviously, there is so much more to this topic than I can cover here. You can find additional resources on the Butterfly Project tab on my website.
