Effectively teaching students with high anxiety might take some preplanning and organization.
In the elementary grades, children are learning new material each day, as well as interact with one another and be part of a structured environment. For some children, the transition does not pose difficulty, but for those with high anxiety, the transition can be hard. Students with high anxiety typically worry that something bad will happen, become overwhelmed easily and might have trouble socializing or making friends. As a teacher, it is important to understand the needs of children with high anxiety and to make them feel as comfortable as possible. In order to teach elementary students with high anxiety, analyze the behavior of the students, develop a structured routine, write down the lesson plans and tell the students what they will learn. You should also speak in a calm voice, answer questions that the students have and make sure that the students have a relaxing activity each day.
Instructions
1. Analyze the behavior of the students with high anxiety. Elementary students with high anxiety might have different behavioral characteristics. For example, you might notice that the high anxiety students seem more nervous than the other students when learning new material or when taking an exam. They also might seem more sensitive than the other students and have difficulty socializing with the other children.
2. Develop a structured routine. Elementary students with high anxiety disorders need to have a routine in order to feel more comfortable. Constant change can cause them to feel more insecure and nervous. Therefore, plan a similar part of the lesson at the same time each day. For example, in the morning, you might do spelling and math, and then after lunch and recess, you do reading, science and history. This will help the students to know what will be taught at each part of the day.
3. Write down the schedule on the white board and tell the children what they will be learning. One way to decrease the level of anxiety is to prepare the children for what they will be doing that day. For example, you might be teaching new spelling words, addition, the water cycle and the Industrial Revolution. List these lessons in order, and include any other activities such as lunch or recess in the order as well. Be sure to tell the students about the schedule.
4. Speak in a calm voice. Even though you might be stressed, talking too fast or acting nervous can cause the students with high anxiety to feel even more overwhelmed and uncomfortable. Therefore, you must remember to speak calmly and not too fast. This will help the students to learn the information better and to feel more relaxed about asking questions.
5. Answer questions about the material. In elementary school, children are learning fundamental subject matter for the first time. Also, with high anxiety, the children might be more worried about not understanding the material. They will feel more relaxed if they can ask questions. Therefore, after you teach a lesson, ask the students if they have questions. If they do, answer each question and try to explain it in different ways until the student understands.
6. Make sure that you do a relaxing activity with the students each day. Elementary students with high anxiety have a lot of tension and need time to do something other than learn new material. For example, you might read to the students after recess each day or have the students bring their own books to read. This simple reading activity will allow the students to have some quiet time and to discover their own interests.
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