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• Be aware of English learners’ needs. Avoid unnecessary reasons for students to have to speak in front of large groups of their peers. Working with a partner or in a small group might feel more comfortable at first. • Orchestrate study and process partners to support English learners. When students can get to know a partner, there will be less anxiety about speaking English aloud. Staying with the same study buddy will feel safer. • Notice student stress levels, and work in opportunities for some playful tasks or quiet downtime to reduce anxiety and fatigue. The brain loves novelty so playing a quick game of Charades or Four Corners can be energizing and a great distraction if stress levels are high. For Four Corners, label each corner as 1, 2, 3, 4 or A, B, C, D. Give students a choice prompt, and have them go to the corner that corresponds with their opinion or selection. • Be aware of students’ fears and stress levels around physical education tasks. Orchestrate ways for students to participate that support their abilities without embarrassing or humiliating them. Team selections can be devastating. Create random team selections or design teams ahead of time. Again, working in small groups or with a partner will feel less intimidating than participating all alone.
Social-Emotional Culture Body- and brain-friendly classrooms promote a healthy social-emotional culture. Social-emotional learning (SEL) refers to the process through which students learn and apply a set of social, emotional, and character skills that are necessary to succeed in school, in the workplace, in relationships, and ultimately as citizens. Further: Social-emotional learning, then, is the first step toward developing a positive school climate, which can lead to fewer behavior problems, stronger social-emotional health, and higher academic motivation and achievement, especially for those populations that are more likely to struggle in school. (Thorton, 2018)
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movement or sensory activities. Teachers can use them as a transition from one activity to another. Brain breaks take only a few minutes of time and give students a little break from what they’re doing to help their brains and bodies get energized and ready to return to learning. For example, at the start of the day, the teacher can incorporate some stretching; or to refocus after lunch, the teacher might play a game like Simon Says. There are lots of great free online resources to get started. Visit https://bit.ly/3gpZBFT for a brain breaks bank.
