PME 811: SEL and the Great Outdoors
Blog Post 1: My Question
For my blog posts I plan on exploring self regulation and how outdoor education can support the social and emotional growth of my students. The pandemic has affected all of us, including our students, and I've noticed increased anxiety, more behavioural outbursts, and a greater sense of disregulation throughout the school day in the past two years specifically. We have all be doing our best to cope with the constant changes happening in the world around us and I feel like teachers have been an anchor in their students' lives, trying to make school a safe and engaging place despite our new "normal".
I understand that teachers' fuses are also much shorter these days and perhaps their own personal boundaries of expected/unexpected behaviours has shifted throughout the pandemic to help them get through a day of teaching. Though, it seems to me that we have continued to make academic subjects the priority instead of shifting to prioritize our students' mental health in a time of uncertainty and stress. I recognize that ensuring that curricular goals are taught and reached is an essential part of learning, though it seems we are still saving self reflections to the end of the term for a blanket "student perspective comment" for report cards. I know that this is not the case for all classroom teachers and as a prep teacher I could include more self evaluation opportunities as well. I am wondering how I can model and implement more opportunities for check ins, self reflections, and mindfulness throughout the day to benefit both students and teachers. By creating a daily or weekly routine of emotionally focused tasks, students would be better able to label their emotions and practice using strategies independently, rather than having an outburst and needing adult intervention in response to a reaction or unexpected behaviour.
With counsellor shortages, increased tension at home, increased screen time, and less socializing with peers, it is no wonder that kids are struggling to make it through a school day without feeling overwhelmed and acting out. I am hoping that by exploring varied self regulation strategies and outdoor learning opportunities, I will be better able to support my students that are struggling to make good choices throughout the school day and help them become more self aware learners that are able to advocate for their needs and become more resilient learners. I recognize that what might work for one student may not work for all, though by exploring varied strategies and activities, I hope to acquire a library of helpful resources that I could refer back to and potentially implement in future classrooms or with specific students.
I look forward to hearing about your own experiences and am open to any suggestions you might have.
Hi Shanelle,
ReplyDeleteI think you have "hit the nail on the head." The last two years have been really challenging for students and I agree, I think both student outbursts and teacher boundaries are both at play. The best way to teach is to model. Modelling self-awareness, mindfulness, self-reflection, and even modelling checking in with oneself (as well as children / peers) would be an excellent way to help teach students these strategies. One of the things I thought of when you mentioned outdoor education is: doctors are beginning to prescribe outdoor activity as a way to cope with mental health stresses. This can be directly applied to the students who have spent waaaay too much time in front of screens over the last 2 years.
I wish you all the best on your journey and I am looking forward to hearing about your topic more.
Best,
Laura
Hi Shanelle,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to consider the shift in not only our students mental health but teachers also, even if we don't recognize it. I think this is a great avenue to dive into as research tells us the benefits of spending time outside and I agree that it should be incorporated into our schools more regularly. It would be interesting, maybe, to investigate some of the research about the effects of being in nature and spending time in the forest has on mental health with a class and have them consider these theories when outside.
I have also been wondering about how to regularly engage a check in or more self-reflection. I know a lot of people love the Zones of Regulation but it is a program that has never stuck for me. After some Pro-D's around Truth and Reconciliation last week, I am curious to connect animals to feelings and thinking to weave Indigenous teachings into my class and I know animals are something most kids connect so easily too.
Looking forward to following along your learning as you investigate this idea.
Cheers,
Holly
Hi Shanelle,
ReplyDeleteYour blog post is so relatable! I'm honestly sitting here feeling quite burnt out while trying to balance work life, school life, and home life. When I don't feel 100% I can definitely tell I have a shorter fuse while teaching. Setting aside time for personal enjoyment, growth, and reflection will allow us to be better teachers for our students.
I also agree with your comment about so much focus being spent on academics ("are they going to be ready for grade 1!?") and little about self-reflection and social emotional learning until it's a mandatory task we have to complete for our summary of learning. Although my students complete a number of self-reflections throughout the year, I still feel like sometimes they aren't as authentic and meaningful as they could be. I teach Kindergarten/Grade 1 and it's sometimes difficult to get students to really reflect on their own learning. I use a lot of the "I can" statements and language borrowed from the Popey website. I'll link it below.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, I look forward to reading more throughout the course!
- Jessica
https://popey.ca/bcs-curriculum-core-competencies#:~:text=The%20Core%20Competencies%20are%20sets,teacher%20and%20student%2Dfriendly%20formats.
Hello Shanelle,
ReplyDeleteI think that you bring up some very real points. As we face a growing number of students needing help, there is less of it. As teachers adjust and "pivot" there are changes in what is tolerated and what is not. I really appreciate that you are addressing self regulation. It is something that our students, regardless of age, need to have and to work on. The pandemic really seems to have impacted this. With nature being a calming force and a place for centring, perhaps this idea could help. Many years ago I had a student who struggled with ADHD. Since the circumstances allowed it, he would go outside and run or walk when he was struggling. He would return to class more regulated. I look forward to seeing what you gather in your research! I am sure that there is a lot more than a few anecdotes!
Erin
Hi Shanelle,
ReplyDeleteI am completely on board with more student emotional check-ins, in what ever form they need to be. In general I believe there is so much focus on learning objectives sometimes that one can easily overlook the factors that affect achieving them. Maybe the learning objectives themselves need to be shifted or changed as well in order to create a more balanced and mentally health classroom. I was given an opportunity to rewrite a dance course I teach for a theatre school and I focused on changing the learning objectives and rubrics to facilitate a more equitable classroom between students; that seemed to have a positive effect on student participation and autonomy