Anxiety in the Classroom
By Cassie Pierce
Note: The blog series, “Anxiety in the Classroom,” is not a substitute for professional help or advice. Educators should consult with a mental health professional and their educational organization for mental health resources, as needed.
There is no question that we live in challenging times. Today’s students and educators face unprecedented and ever-evolving anxiety-producing educational obstacles from the pandemic to school violence, to politics, and more. In her Education Week’s article, “Student Anxiety is Rising: What Helps and What Doesn't,” professor of neuroscience and psychology, Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, estimates that 20 million students in the United States have experienced some form of anxiety.
Educators are asked to focus on academic content in a world where children may not even feel safe to enter a physical classroom or to even participate in an online classroom. Educators may face resistance to the topics or the methods by which they teach. Families may identify anxiety as the source of this resistance and then ask for an alternative assignment or topic, instead. Dennis-Tiwary cautions families about the urge to fix every anxious thought and instead encourages families to empower their students with coping skills when possible.
Likewise, today’s educators must walk a fine line between addressing the emotional needs of their students and families while they maintain professional boundaries. They must know when and how to refer out for help, when to accommodate academic requests, and when it is appropriate to encourage students to grow beyond their concerns in order to reach their goals. In short, teachers must find a way to navigate the minefield of anxiety, help their students reach the other side, and maintain their own professional integrity along the way.
This may sound like an impossible task, but it doesn't have to be. Anxiety can manifest in many forms whether these forms are the root cause, or not. However, there are clear and tangible ways teachers can support students in the classroom. Part One of Anxiety in the Classroom will focus on math anxiety, what this looks like, and how to address it.
Part One: Math Anxiety
What Does Math Anxiety Look Like?
In her article, “Recognizing & Alleviating Math Anxiety,” Edutopia’s Gina Picha points out that Math anxiety is not always obvious. Anxiety can appear as incomplete or minimal work, disruptive behavior, unwillingness to challenge one’s self, or medical issues associated with anxiety. Students can get trapped in a vicious cycle of negativity as they internalize their low grades as part of their identity or even their intellectual capacity. Student motivation may continue to decline with their grades, as a result. This produces a self-defeating pattern of behavior that can be difficult to break.
Pincha suggests teachers allow students extra time to think and to vary the dynamics of students in practice groups so multiple skill levels are represented. This stands in stark contrast to the traditional leveled groups.
She goes on to say that teachers should be mindful of where they focus their praise. Do they focus on the “correct” answer or the process? Do they openly discuss that mistakes and even anxiety are part of learning? Do they allow students to volunteer or do they decide when it is time for someone to share an answer?
Ideas to Increase Engagement & Manage Anxiety:
Consider this (not exhaustive) list of strategies to reduce or manage math anxiety and build community support for problem-solving strategies in the process:
Volunteer Support
Teachers can still cold call on students while they allow them the option to select a volunteer helper to collaborate with, if needed. The helper should share problem-solving strategies rather than answers. In some cases, more than one helper may be needed. This creates an opportunity to praise the “challenge,” and the teamwork rather than the speed of problem solving. Thus, the emphasis is on increasing complexity and confidence.
Beat the Teacher
Teachers make mistakes too! Can the students find the mistakes or challenge the teacher with different problem-solving strategies? The teacher is in a unique position to demonstrate and practice their own growth mindset in this activity. Anyone can “teach” a growth mindset. Students learn best when the skill is modeled in sincere and relevant ways.
Ask the Audience
The student may be more inclined to volunteer if they can draw on the support of the class. Teachers can turn this into a “game” format where asking for support is praised, rather than stigmatized.
Family Communication
Check out my blog, Families as Co-Teachers for communication tips and ideas about how to be proactive with family preferences and concerns.
Preview
In some cases, it may be appropriate for students to preview one or two problems before class so they have extra processing time. Students may then wish to “volunteer,” for a problem they have already practiced prior to class. As students build their confidence, they may branch out into new and novel problems or strategies on their own.
Process Over Perfection
Students are less inclined to “cheat,” or shut down when teachers recognize their real effort and the strategies employed rather than just the correct answers. Think of the scientific method or the engineering design processes. Consider Math Journals or ways for students to engage with problem-solving asan ever evolving process rather than just a one answer destination.
Subject/Project Integration
See my blog on The Literacy Gap in Online Elementary Math for ways to integrate literacy into math analysis discussions, as well as a list of online and physical multisensory math tools. Consider the blog, STEAM Projects for Elementary. Students are more motivated to solve math problems when there is a connection to their interests and the real world via projects.
Participation
What does participation look like? Just like anxiety, engagement comes in many forms. Can students share their understanding in more than one way? Can they draw, act, verbalize, build, or debate an answer in another form?
Remember the teacher may not be able to solve the root cause of a student’s anxiety nor are they necessarily responsible for doing so. We may not be able to understand or stop the factors in a student’s life that may continue to perpetuate their anxiety outside of class.
We do have the power and furthermore the responsibility to create a safe learning environment that encourages kids to become the best version of themselves. We must embrace anxiety as part of that process, as anxiety is a very real part of our students.
Stay tuned for Part Two of Anxiety in the Classroom as we focus on ways to tackle reading anxiety.
This is Cassie Pierce’s eighth year teaching elementary school (upper/lower elementary, private, charter, public etc.) both in-person and online. Cassie is knowledgeable of socioemotional learning with six years of experience at a not-for-profit hospice (clinical/administrative support, family bereavement support and children’s fundraising volunteer). Cassie is an instructional coach with SYS and she likes to help teachers plan meaningful lessons for their students.