Since the beginning of the lockdown, our students have seen their lives constricted down to a pinhole. Even though many restrictions have been lifted, they’re still unable to hang out with their friends the way they once did.
They can’t play on sports teams, can’t go to after-school clubs, and can’t even build upon the close relationships that factor so prominently in their development.
Their entire social fabric has been ripped away.
They also have far less control than they once did. There are fewer decisions for them to make. Fewer adventures to experience. Fewer moments of excitement, adrenaline, and aliveness.
The enthusiasm that marks the many transitions to maturity and adulthood, and the blossoming freedoms that go with it, has been stunted.
Now, one day looks like the next, with nothing much to look forward to.
I apologize for harping on the negative impact the shutdown is having on students, but it’s important as teachers for us to empathize as best we can with the isolation and discouragement they’re going through.
Only then can we begin to combat it. Only by seeing the world through their eyes can we help them through it.
Teaching and reaching students until we’re back to “normal,” whenever that may be, is going to take creativity and openness to new ideas—or recommitment to old ones.
It’s going to take understanding and a shrewd, skeptical view of the recent past.
We can’t simply take the same curriculum and methods we were using in school and apply them online, or even in socially distanced classrooms.
It’s narrow and inflexible and, I fear, the approach many districts will push for in the fall.
It’s up to us as teachers on the front line to both deliver good, doable lessons and maintain high expectations while keeping in mind the mental health challenges students are facing.
In that spirit, I want to share with you one very simple way to help ease feeling as if their whole world is spinning away.
It’s something that hopefully you’ve already been cognizant about using in your classroom, something that research shows may not affect learning, but will provide students more personal autonomy and control.
So what is it? It’s choice.
You see, when children have limited choices in their life, as they do now, they begin to lack a sense of their own value and worth—two areas that are being pummeled by social distancing mandates.
Offering more choice can improve initiative, confidence, and problem solving skills. It can provide a sense of freedom that they all crave, now more than ever.
It can give them back a bit of what it means to be human. That is, that they have a say in the direction of their life.
Choices, of course, must be given within the boundaries of your classroom management plan. You also have to be careful about giving too many, as this can cause them to freeze up and become indecisive.
But offering a choice between a small few options, depending on grade level, can only be a positive. It’s also easy for you and appreciated by students.
All it takes is a bit of thought and willingness not to be in control of everything. Some possibilities include giving choices of:
Writing prompts.
Types of projects.
Ways to solve problems.
Ways to show their work.
Which questions to answer.
What experiments to do.
When to turn in work.
How to turn in work.
Mediums to work with.
Times to meet with you.
It’s seems like such a small thing, giving choices, and it was a few months ago. After all, it’s parenting and teaching 101. However, it now takes on a whole new level of significance.
With one-third of all Americans showing signs of clinical anxiety and depression, many previously and barely noticeable areas of our lives have now grown into critical importance.
Something taken for granted can explode into a necessity or in its absence become a strain on our mental health.
Consistently giving choices can be just the balm our students need to get through the day. At the very least, it can relieve some of the pressure. It can restore some of their self-worth.
It can give students some personal power and control at a time when they have very little of either.
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Giving students choices is a great idea. Among the choices (for some certain students who need it) could be…”You can choose for yourself, or I (the teacher) can choose an option for you.” 😉
Agreed. The choice to remove the “choice” can reduce a lot of strain. Sometimes kids need to feel like they’re protected by those “in control”…even when we don’t feel like we are. Sometimes, we’re the most stable thing these kids have.
Michael, the wisdom you have been graced with is utterly profound and I am really glad that you’ve continued to serve us on this platform during this time. While I continue to question whether or not I continue this teaching quest I’m on, I know that, should I continue, I’ve got a really handy resource in all that your content provides!
Yes! This rings so true. I totally transformed a geography block for my 20 students in Grade 7/8 by opening it up completely to them to meet in break out rooms and discuss any topic of interest in the wide realm of geography in which they may be interested. They were so relieved to have the undirected social experience together, and have shared great reports on everything from Easter Island to oil pollution in indigenous community lands.
Michael,
I gave my students in 10th grade the option of correcting their assignment after I corrected it with comments. One boy edited his work 3 times and got a well deserved 100. Otherwise they would hardly look at the comments. This way they were really learning. This is an advanced English group. I hesitate to do the same with the regular class. 100 there would look fishy. Their language is not that good. But self editing is such a great learning tool. Under the cover of Zoom maybe I should give them the chance. Otherwise, how can they improve?
Marlene
How about a zoom lesson conference with all your world wide fans? Or streaming? Maybe this summer?
Michael, I don’t think elementary school students lose their sense of self worth because they can only zoom with their friends and not hang out with them in person. To the contrary, they are more likely to lose a degree of patience and respect for others, not themselves, along with a deal of their inner tranquility. They may become more restless, irritable and unfocused. This, in turn, is what will make them less likely to cooperate with parents, teachers, and other adults of authority. Your idea of giving students productive choices in how and when to execute their assignments is a great one. It enhances their feelings of freedom and responsibility while motivating them to stay focused on their zoomed lessons. Greater focus = greater participation and internalization of the lesson(s). What a great method to help students and teachers develop a more positive attitude towards remote classes. Everyone wins, students, teachers, parents, tutors etc! all from the implementation of your simple idea!
P.S. Marlene, I love your idea of giving advanced students the freedom to self correct. I’m not surprised they learn more this way than they would if you’d return their papers with your own comments and corrections. My guess is you can even sneak in an addendum of your own and they’d be more open to reading and accepting it.
Thank you for giving us insightful info on how to help our students. It calls for creativity on the part of the teacher so that you fully engage the students.My students can now make presentations on power point.. something they had not done before.
In my end of the year questionnaire that I give to high school students I asked them “Which class was the most engaging during this remote work? Why? The classes that got the most shout outs were those that provided voice and choice.