A TEACHER’S GUIDE A TEACHER’S GUIDE
SEN STUDENTS SEN STUDENTS TO SUPPORTING TO SUPPORTING
By
Karen Haro, Alexey Mesias and Bryan Pérez
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
- What are Special Educational Needs?
- Range of Needs
- What is Anxiety?
- How does Anxiety affect students?
Importance for Teachers to Understand Anxiety/ Strategies to Support Students with Anxiety
Modeling in the English Classroom
Diferenciated Instruction
Setting Up a Comfortable Classroom Climate Assisting Students’ Social Inclusion and Friendships References
WHAT ARE SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS?
Special Educational Needs refer to the additional support provided to learners who have diverse social, intellectual, or physical needs. This support aims to address specific disabilities or learning difficulties that interfer with a child's ability to learn effectively compared to other children.
Special education involves creating individualized instructional programs and support services designed to meet the unique needs of each child with a disability. For that reason, every child regardless of their challenges, has the right to access quality education tailored to their unique needs.
RANGE OF NEEDS
SEN encompasses a variey of needs, including those affected by physical, cognitive, emotional, or sensory disabilities. Nevertheles, the goal of this e-book is to focus on a specific condition, which is students with anxiety.
WHAT IS ANXIETY?
Anxiety is a mental health condition characterized by feelings of fear, distress, or unease, particularly in situations where most individuals do not experience such intense emotions. It can manifest in different forms, including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, and specific phobias. (Ehmke, 2025)
HOW ANXIETY AFFECTS STUDENTS?
Impact on Performance: Anxiety can significantly affect on a student's academic performance and persistence. It often leads to difficulties in concentrating, completing assignments, and participating in classroom activities
Physical Symptoms: Students may experiment physical symptoms of anxiety, such as upset stomachs, headaches, or fatigue.
Behavioral Manifestations: Anxiety can lead to disruptive behaviors in the classroom, such as anger or withdrawal.
ImportanceforTeachers to UnderstandAnxiety
Impact on Learning: Anxiety can significantly interfere with students' ability to think clearly and learn efficiently.
Academic Performance: It directly affects language acquisition and academic success.
Student Well-being: Understanding anxiety helps create a more supportive and inclusive learning environment.
Cultural Sensitivity: Teachers need to recognize how cultural differences can increase language anxiety.
STRATEGIESTO SUPPORTSTUDENTS WITHANXIETY STRATEGIESTO SUPPORTSTUDENTS WITHANXIETY
STRATEGY 1: Modeling in the English Classroom
STRATEGY 2: Diferenciated Instruction
STRATEGY 3: Setting Up a Peaceful Classroom Climate
STRATEGY 4: Assisting Students’ Social Inclusion and Friendships
As future English teachers, we can turn our students' worries into confidence. When we get what anxiety feels like, we can create a space where everyone feels safe to share and learn.
Modeling in the English Classroom
Many students at different levels suffer from anxiety, which makes them feel scared at the moment to speak in front of the class, interact, give their opinions, or ask a teacher for help. In some cases, students with anxiety don’t know what to say or how to act in particular situations, but if they see the teacher doing the proposed activity, they can learn what to expect.
When teachers model a task, they provide a clear example that helps students understand what to do, making them feel more prepared and less afraid of making mistakes.
For anxious students, even simple tasks can be overwhelming. Modeling helps by showing them how to handle challenges and offers teachers strategies to support them effectively.
Oral expression activities in which the teacher models the task, providing structure and reducing student uncertainty.
Role-plays or dialogues in which interactions are pre-recorded to guide students in tone, expression, and participation.
Classroom behaviors in which positive behaviors are consistently modeled to promote a supportive and respectful environment.
Group work in which expectations for collaboration and communication are demonstrated to foster effective teamwork.
Diferenciated Instruction
Students have diverse learning needs, and some may require more support than others. Differentiated instruction addresses this by adapting teaching methods to meet individual needs, helping all students stay engaged, feel confident, and succeed.
Differentiated instruction involves using flexible strategies, choices, and support to help all students access learning in ways that suit them, promoting equity by meeting diverse needs. (Shaddock et al., 2007)
Below are some key strategies for applying differentiated instruction in the classroom:
Flexible grouping: Groups change based on learning styles, interests, or skills for purposeful collaboration.
Choice boards: Students select activities, fostering ownership of learning and expression.
Tiered assignments: Tasks vary in complexity to match student readiness and challenge appropriately.
Learning stations: Different skill-focused areas allow varied, hands-on engagement.
Formative assessments: Used to guide instruction and adapt lessons to students’ needs.
Setting Up a Peaceful Classroom Climate
An essential aspect to consider when starting a new class period is to know what kind of students professors are going to work with. In this way, we can make the accommodation needed and adapt everything we can to ensure learners’ comfort in the classroom. (Shaddock et al., 2007)
The following considerations may be helpful:
Setting up rules for the class that make every student respect it. Teaching students how to self-manage their behavior during the class and instill in their minds a sense of civility.
Helping learners comprehend the importance of school. Playing some relaxing music during lessons promoting a better and peaceful convivence between classmates
Pupils who suffer from anxiety disorders normally feel frightened, threatened, and uneasy in situations that are not usually the cause of such feelings. That is why a different setting is considered vital in the learning process.
Assisting Students’ Social Inclusion and Friendships
For learners of every age and stage in their lives, socialization is a crucial part of their lives, and school or high school is the setting where many social interactions happen. Being a student with anxiety is a wall that stops regular human social growth. . What a teacher can do is to act and interfere as an external agent, but not be either obvious or explicit. (Shaddock et al., 2007)
SUGGESTIONS TO ASSIST STUDENTS
Making learners feel they have a place in the classroom. Making learners feel welcomed and respected Being familiar with students by not just being their teacher but a model and friend to follow and listen to. Creating activities where the main objective is to talk and share experiences.
A crucial point is that group work is the best way they value socializing. If the teacher first sets a challenge for learners that can be completed by them by uniting their efforts. The outcome will be satisfactory, and the reward can be de pillar of the thinking of staying with people is not a disadvantage, it is a way to get more things and better opportunities.
REFERENCES REFERENCES
Ehmke, R. (2025, May 1). How does anxiety affect kids in school? Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/article/classroom-anxiety-inchildren/ Shaddock, A., Giorcelli, L., & Smith, S. (2007). Students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms A resource for teachers. https://inclusive.tki.org.nz/assets/inclusiveeducation/resourcedocuments/InclusiveClassroomTeacherResourceFinal1 .pdf