Social & Emotional Needs of Learners
In my classroom, based on my experience, I have found it helpful to specifically plan for the social emotional needs of 1) females/males; 2) underachieving students, and 3) culturally diverse students in my classroom.
Addressing Gender Issues:GIRLS: I pair up girls with female lab buddies so that they have someone to connect with, I highlight accomplishments of women in science (such as the first all female astronaut space walk https://www.nytimes.com/ 2019/10/18/science/space/nasa-female-spacewalk.html), I model optimism and positive self-relfection, and I provide opportunities for girls to show their knowledge without risk of peers seeing results (Quizizz.com).
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BOYS: I incorporate both male academic and athletic role models in my classroom (I have a Michael Jordan poster along side a poster of Albert Einstein hangin in my room), I invite male science role-models from Georgia Tech (Asian, Middle Eastern, and in the past African American) to discuss their science and how they achieved success. I also provide opportunities for males to show their knowledge without risk of peers seeing (Quizizz.com).
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Addressing Underachieving Issues
Self-reflection strategies/activities
Pressure and StressI address pressure/stress using meditation in my classroom. When students are working, I play calming instrumental music quietly to help them focus. When we complete a lab or otherwise loud, active activity, I use a singing bowl to ground students and bring them back to the moment. I “ring” the singing bowl to get attention. Once I have it and it is silent, I ring the singing bowl a second time and students listen to the sound, raising their hand when they no longer hear the high ringing tone. This works wonders and I often have students requesting to use the singling bowl. One gifted student also has an anxiety based 504 plan. She has told me she wishes her other teachers used a singing bowl to quiet students down.
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I incorporate 1) daily self-reflection, 2) model organizational skills and 3) highlight process, not product.
Building Organizational Skills Each week I post on my white board due dates AND “how to prepare for” them. This is a two column chart that we fill out together. For example for a Friday Formative I ask students how they can prepare for it and they came up with the following ways 1) flash cards, 2) quizlet, 3) study notes. Highlighting Process and Growth I highlight process not product, with my underachieving skills through progress and mastery praise, not frequent praise. One way I do this is by sending a Friday Fundraiser “FF chocolate chip cookie” for students who have shown increased effort in my class, or students who have shown leadership by staying on task when others were disruptive, or students who pushed through a writing task that they were really struggling with. I also send one “you should be proud of yourself” email home per class each Friday. The message is addressed to the student and copied to the child’s parent. Finally, I model reflection with meditation by telling my student my personal story of how I deal with stress. I show them a video of what it is like to be a scuba diver and to jump in to the waves and sink below the white washed, oscillating waves to the calm underneath. I tell them that when I am frustrated or tired I take a deep breath and imagine myself “sinking below the waves”. We then talk about what they imagine to calm themselves.
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