Reflection #2

In the textbook, Byrnes describes findings related to the effects of stress and emotion on memory. In light of these findings, try to think of instances from your own education—or that of your students—when you believe that stress or negative emotions may have adversely affected your memory for information. What do you believe you can do as a teacher to intervene in the relationship between stress/emotions and memory? Are there strategies you know of or are currently using that may be effective to this end?

     From my own experience as an educator, I have seen stress and emotion negatively impact memory and learning for my students. Since I work at a Title 1 school, I feel like I have witnessed this more frequently than educators at more affluent schools. Students in my class often come from broken homes so they are already dealing with intense emotional issues outside of the classroom. Each day, I don’t really know what to expect when my students walk through the door.  If a student comes to school already feeling upset, they have a difficult time concentrating. I think this issue goes back to what we learned about in the previous class with the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model. In these situations, research has shown that the best way to handle the stress or emotions a child has dealt with before class is to listen briefly and then help them move on and focus on what they are about to learn. However, I think it is widely understood that trying to help a person overcome a stressful situation is easier said than done. The child may go sit in their seat and watch you teach, but their mind is not necessarily on the subject matter. If a student is overwhelmed with emotion, that tends to consume their thoughts, which prevents them from learning. If an individual is not focused during instruction, they are not going to be able to remember what they learned either. 

     I think this is also true for students with ADD or ADHD whom already have a difficult time focusing. I have had some students who suffer from this disorder and when something stressful happens to them, the effects are magnified to the point where they can completely shut down. I know one of my students suffering from ADHD has a difficult time when we play a review game and his team does not win. This is especially true if he feels like he is not good at something or lets himself or his team down. When this occurs, he almost immediately shuts down. Once he shuts down, I have lost him until he calms down. 

     Stress for a child doesn’t have to come from an outside event; it could simply be from an academic subject that is difficult for them. For example, if a child is not confident in their math abilities, they might be feeling anxiety every day during math. In turn, if that child does not do well in math, he or she might start to feel more stressed or emotional about the subject. All of these factors are going to prevent them from learning.

     I think there are a few things that an educator can do to help intervene between stress or emotions and memory. One of the most important things a teacher could do is to provide a positive emotional climate where all of the students feel comfortable, which goes back to the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model. If a student feels safe and relaxed in the classroom, then that student is going to feel more confident. When a teacher provides an atmosphere where students are more relaxed, they will be more likely to let go of their stress rather than be consumed by it. If a child faces a stressful event outside of school and then comes to a classroom environment that also stresses them out, they won’t be able to focus on learning which impairs their memory. If educators can make students feel comfortable and more confident we can help improve the chances of a child being able to still learn even if they might be feeling a little stressed. 

     Another thing that teachers can do is to help students realize there are strategies to cope with stress and emotional issues. I know this has helped some of my students who have severe emotional issues or who are easily stressed. By providing students with ways to cope with their feelings, they can use these strategies to assist in relaxation and help them focus on the instruction in the room. Deep breaths and a quiet place to go sit and think have helped some of my students. Some students need a fidget toy to help them let out some anxiety. Other students have needed positive reminders of “happy places” to think about when they feel worried. For example, one of my students wears a necklace with two fake keys on it and each key has something different written on it. When he feels sad or stressed, he can look at the key and it reminds him to think about one of those happier places, which helps relax him. 

     Educators also have to be aware of the challenges or level of difficulty they are presenting children with in the classroom. Children need to be presented with challenges in order to promote more understanding and retention of the material in their memory. However, if a child is presented with too much of a challenge, they may get anxious or stressed and shut down. Teachers need to know each of their student’s abilities and plan lessons, activities, and differentiation accordingly. 

      Overall, I think the most important thing would be to make sure the students know how much their teacher cares about their success. This also goes back to the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model in that students need to feel safe and confident and be aware that their teacher is concerned about them. They need self confidence and reassurance along with positive feedback. If a child knows they can count on their teacher and he or she believes in them, in the end it will be easier for them to cope with stress.

Reflection #1- Constructivism

Is there a continuing influence of constructivism in the field of education? Do you know of any educators who you would consider not to be constructivists? If so, please explain and give examples. If not, tell us what you think this means.

I believe that there is a growing influence of constructivism in the field of education. In a constructivist environment, students are the center of the learning and the teacher serves as the guide to help them construct new schema and ideas as well as build on their previous ideas. Students participate in discussions and activities to help them form new concepts or a better understanding of previous concepts they were taught through assimilation and accommodation (Byrnes, 2008).

From my own experience, I think that the influence of constructivism in schools is increasing.  Each year at my current school, the administration wants to see more learning become student-directed. For example, according to my administration, teachers are not supposed to be at the front of the room simply lecturing for each subject. The administrators want to see students engaged in discourse and discussions where they come to conclusions themselves rather than the teacher giving them all the answers. Students should be engaging in social interactions with other students to build upon their previous knowledge and help them form new connections. I remember after one of my observations last year, my principal told me that I shouldn’t have to do all of the work when I am teaching a lesson. He wanted to see the students actively participating in learning and guiding the discussion.

In constructivism, teachers serve as guides to help students build up their schema. In this environment, teachers would want to help students build upon their existing knowledge. However, constructivists also believe that not every student needs the same activities because the students have different schema and needs. For a teacher to be a constructivist, he or she would be providing differentiation in their classrooms. From my own experience, school districts and administrators want to see a whole group activity where students are introduced to a new concept with their classmates, followed by time for students to be engaged in learning with students on similar instructional levels. This is achieved through small groups or guided groups in math and reading. 

I think that literacy centers and math centers have become increasingly prominent in schools, which also coincides with constructivism. The students are given opportunities to practice skills and apply them in different ways. Another aspect I have seen become more prevalent is students engaging in reflection and explaining their answers. For example, all of my students have to write in a reading response journal once a week about what they are reading. However, they have to write about more than just what they read. Students are encouraged to reflect on their reading, which may involve how it made them feel or connections they made with the text.  I have also seen more assessments given to students that require them to explain how they arrived at their answer. 

I think that the second question is a difficult one to answer. When I first answered the discussion question at the beginning of the week about what a non-constructivist would look like, I found myself identifying many details about what the teacher would be doing. However, after reading what Luke wrote about separating the value judgments from the aspects of constructivism and non-constructivism, I started to see the constructivist theory in a different light. I believe it is important to consider what the student does in both environments, rather than focusing on the teacher. If we begin evaluating the different viewpoints then we focus on the details of each environment, not what any individual teacher is doing. 

After taking part in the class discussion about constructivism this week, I think that it is more important to look at the actual classroom environments rather than a specific individual. At my previous school, I definitely saw classrooms that did not demonstrate tenants of the constructivist viewpoint. In these classrooms students were not the center of the learning environment. The teacher directed learning and students sat in their own seat all day long doing worksheets. The students did not talk or engage in discussions and even stayed in during P.E. or other specials if they were not grasping a concept. If one were to examine the teacher in these environments, those teachers had usually been teaching for awhile and believed in a more traditional way of teaching which did not include students coming to conclusions through guidance. 

I think the most important thing to take away from the dynamic of a constructivist versus non-constructivist environment is how those strategies and techniques are impacting the students and whether the teacher is doing everything he or she can to help students succeed. As an educator, I have seen differing viewpoints come and go. Districts implement a new strategy that is supposed to have a significant impact on the educational system; within a year or so, it may be gone. However, I believe it is important as an educator to continually evaluate your teaching methods to make sure the students are learning and making gains. Educators need to pay attention to the changing needs of the students from class to class, adjusting strategies if necessary. After all, children are unique individuals.  

Byrnes, J. P. (2008). Cognitive Development and Learning In Instructional Contexts, (Third
      Edition). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.