Anxiety and the Classroom - helping students to move through alarm to courage

Gordon Neufeld, a developmental psychologist from Vancouver, British Columbia, conveys a warmth that is natural, welcoming and supportive when he speaks. I have heard him speak twice, once at the Peel District Board Office during a PD session, the second at the Waldorf Academy in downtown Toronto last year.

Dr. Neufeld speaks on anxiety.  Just saying the word anxiety conjures the feeling of sweaty palms, a dry throat, butterflies and a pounding head. These are natural symptoms of our body`s response to our thoughts of alarm and unease, when we are faced with a perceived danger. In his talk, Dr. Neufeld first points out that anxiety is meant to be beneficial. The feelings of anxiety are our natural, internal activated alarm system.

Gordon Neufeld estimates that today, 1 in 5 children suffer from moderate to severe anxiety. Sometimes a school subject itself may create alarm in a student. I have taught anxious students in my math class.  Math anxiety is “a feeling of tension, apprehension, or fear that interferes with math performance." Every day, when the class time approaches, I may see that student begin to exhibit the symptoms of alarm. If there is no intervention, their feelings can lead to decreased motivation, resulting in math avoidance. Ultimately their confidence in their ability plummets. It's a reinforcing downward spiral. It's a real problem, for the teacher and the student, because an alarmed state prevents learning. Learning requires a tranquil mind.

So how do children cope. These students try to deal with their feelings of alarm through avoidance and distraction. Common coping mechanisms can include:

• Refusing tasks
• Making frequent trips to the washroom 
• Developing attendance problems
• Engaging in intensive procrastination such as using technology
• Creating distractions by performing a 'show' for their peers
• Developing physical complaints such as stomachaches, headaches, fatigue. 
• Becoming aggressive or defiant

The good news is that a teacher can step in to support the student in resolving their alarm and help return them to a state of calm, so they can learn.

Gordon Neufelds key message is that by understanding the natural process of alarm in our bodies, we can help children to overcome their feelings of alarm and move forward, beyond the fear and tears and into courage.

Neufeld describes that the three possible outcomes of our internal alarm system are caution, which if not resolved, moves into a state of adaptation (to the situation, creating a new steady state) and, if not resolved, finally moving through into courage. This is described by the image below (taken I believe, from a Neufeld talk):

1. Alarm - At the top of the diagram you can see the child becoming alarmed in response to perceiving a danger. This activates the internal 'alarm system'.
2. Caution is the first response after a child feels alarmed. Caution is a natural and good response to an alarm, it allows the child to focus and pay attention. Caution can be resolved once a child realizes the situation they are in is not dangerous after all, and they can relax from their hyper-attentive state.
3. If however the situation causing alarm is persistent unavoidable, the child moves from caution into the stage of futility. Tears are usually released and this leads to adaptation and the child experiences release and becomes restful at this point. At the stage of adaptation, the alarm system is internally recalibrated and the child experiences a calm state.  This is a good outcome of the alarm process, the child has successfully resolved their alarm by adapting to the new situation.
4. If adaptation stage is not reached, the child will need courage to continue to face the alarm-filled situation that confronts them. Courage isn’t possible without mixed feelings and children are not capable of experiencing mixed feelings until the age of 7 or 8. If a child reaches courage, the child becomes brave. They are able to  persevere in the face of difficulty, work toward their goals.  Reaching this stage frequently requires an adult's help.

Teachers are an important support in helping students develop productive strategies to cope with alarm in classroom situations. Neufeld suggests specific strategies based on the natural alarm process.

First, Neufeld suggest anxiety reduction behaviors that  relieve anxiety and turns off the alarm. These can include:

• Physical activity 
• Eating
• Focusing on a sensory input like a squeeze ball
• Doing relaxation exercises

 These behaviors temporarily relieve anxiety and turn off the alarm.

Second, Gordon Neufeld’s suggests anxiety can be addressed by reducing the separation the child is facing. Strategies include creating a a classroom that is a place of rest and safety. For a child safety means that as teachers we can first accept our role as an alpha figure in a child's life so the child can relax. This is a state of being that influences our approach to classroom management in a fundamental way. It means that teachers:

• Work on our relationship with the student so the child knows we care 
• Take responsibility to bridge any separation that cannot be avoided by focusing on the next connection 
• Accept and allow the symptoms of anxiety as a natural process
• Bringing alarmed children to rest and build resilience by helping to find the tears of futility when appropriate
• Cultivate courage by fanning their desires so the child can develop their ability to work through frustration by means of their own loves, passions and interests

Until we meet again.

Sources:
The Neufeld Institute
http://sensationalchildren.blogspot.ca/
Gordon Neufeld: Making Sense of Anxiety in Children and Youth - an hour-long presentation

Classroom climate and intercultural understanding

I have had the question, on occasion from one or two people who ask me how I compare creation stories to scientific evidence. I've been asked because I am a science teacher and I also am interested in multiculturalism. Last week I helped to organize and host and Educator's Tour of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation.

Well, to be honest I think this question arises from a misunderstanding. Comparing creation stories to scientific inquiry is like comparing apples to oranges.

I want to first highlight the intention of Ontario's curriculum documents. What I teach in science class is scientific literacy. Scientific literacy is "the scientific knowledge, skills and habits of mind required to thrive in the science-based world of the twenty-first century." (Ontario Ministry of Education. (2008), The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 and 10: Science).

Science is responsible for much of the prosperity and technological advances we have achieved in the past 100 years. For instance, the scientific method of analysing data is used extensively in business, marketing, science and engineering and is responsible for:

• discovering life-saving pharmaceuticals
• developing vaccines to prevent global pandemics
• determining from the evidence that the climate is changing
• creating sustainable and renewable energy sources
• improving the productivity of our agricultural sector to provide sustainable sources of food
• protecting the environmental health and economic vitality of the oceans, among others.

I teach scientific literacy every day in the classroom, I teach students how to observe the world around them and to distill conclusions from data.

Our curriculum document also says that  "the overall intention is that all graduates of Ontario secondary schools will achieve excellence and a high degree of scientific literacy while maintaining a sense of wonder about the world around them."  (Ontario Ministry of Education. (2008), The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 and 10: Science).

I communicate the wonder of our world  every day in my classroom. I enjoy the wonder of creation stories, and I leave it to various religions to explain how their version of the creation story fits with the scientific evidence that we all equally share.

It is my goal to create a classroom environment that is safe, positive and equitable. I include creation stories in my teaching to provide context for my lessons and to broaden intercultural understanding of my students . It is my goal to celebrate individual differences and to teach students to enjoy the diversity of cultures in our world.

Educator's Tour - Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation

Last weekend, 45 educators from the Peel and Dufferin-Catholic school boards boarded buses bound for Hagersville, Ontario. Our goal was to learn about the culture, history and issues facing the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation (MNCRN). The tour was offered by our group Beyond Our Classroom and was made possible by the financial suppport offered by the:

• Peel District School Board
• OSSTF District 19, and the
• Native Education Association of Ontario  

Many, many grateful thanks to the sponsors and to the people of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation for their hospitality.

The Reserve is directly adjacent to the Six Nations Reserve in southern Ontario.  The MNCFN Reserve is about about 2500 acres in size. This is a bit more than two country blocks (a country block contains 10 farms of 100 acres each, in a rectangular pattern).

It is also a picturesque, fulgant green spot. On the map above, you can see it outlined in green because a significant portion resembles beautiful park land. The Reserve Urban Planning Committee has designated one third of the Reserve as virgin forest, and an additional one third as cultivated green space. The Elders also encourage reserve residents to plant native species. The day's events unfolded at Lloyd S. King  Elementary School:

• A traditional drum ceremony by the students
• A traditional greeting and guided tour of the school given by Max King
• A comprehensive overview of the beautiful mural which depicts the history of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation by Kim Sault, a teaching elder
• Margaret Sault and Carolyn King providing an overview of treaty information regarding the  MNCRN, and  the historical timelines of Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation
• A bus tour visiting the Old United Church, the Grove, a gift shop and commercial ventures such as the Reserve commercial complex

For me, a highlight of the tour was the beautiful mural in the library of the LSK Elementary School.

The mural is a visual depiction of the First Nation's history. Kim Sault, a teaching elder, spent an hour with us, explaining the concepts and symbolism of the mural in detail. The mural has five main parts that describe the:

1. Anishinabe (Ojibway) Creation Story and teachings
2. Transition from woodland life to village life at Credit River in the Mississauga/Toronto area
3. Relocation from traditional land to the present location and the residential schools that forced assimilation
4. Participation in World Wars I and II, acknowledging the many members that enlisted
5. and a vision for the future, youth seeking guidance of elders for journey into future

The mural starts with the Anishinabe (Ojibway) Creation Story, which you can see below.

The story begins with seven circles representing the seven fires of creation. Starting from the left, the black circle represents the void and the white circle represents the first thought that appeared. The next two circles describes first the appearance of the sun and then the moon. The sun and the moon are in close proximity, representing the unfolding of twinness. Mixed together, these became the spiral circle, which became the first movement, causing universe to move and to be balanced by the four directions. The first thoughts of the Creator and shaped them into kernels of seeds containing the essence of life, and the birds then spread the seeds of thought on the Creation of Earth. The final fire was creating man in the Creator's own image.

It is a very beautiful and powerful story that shapes the Mississaugas of New Credit First Nation, linking the past with the present and the future. It clearly provides an sound moral compass to the First Nation and shapes their progress as a people, together, as they make decisions for the future. Part of my vision as a teacher is creating global citizens. I found this trip very helpful in broadening my worldview and discovering more about Canada and our heritage.

As Tony Pontes reiterated in a personal message to all Peel Board employees, the Peel Region is on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation.  This trip was an opportunity for all of us to recognize the value of diversity.  Living in Peel is a gift.  It was also a reminder that all Canadians are “treaty people” and that Canada would not be the culturally diverse, compassionate and prosperous country we know today without the First Nations peoples.

I will definitely share with my students.