Research shows that a highly stressed brain does not absorb or remember information, causing learning to essentially shut down. Today’s students are more stressed and anxious than ever, and classrooms have become tense places. Educators require knowledge and skills to facilitate and teach students stress-management techniques and find creative ways to embed them in the classroom culture and daily routines. Calming Student Stress is a synthesis of empirical-based mind-body practices that have been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, help students remain centered and focused, and connect with the learning and each other. Various methods, techniques, and strategies that draw from mindfulness, yoga, tai chi, breathwork, and visualization are clearly defined, situated within current research, and geared towards both elementary and secondary students. Suggestions on how to introduce mind-body practices to students, as well as administrators and parents, are also provided within this helpful guide.
"Calm college student stress with the 10 mindsets to authentic success and happiness ... in school and in the real world." The college student's step-by-step blueprint teaches you how to find 'campus calm' at any university and embrace the new paradigm of success characterized by joy, passion and purpose. You will discover how rewarding it is to: [ Manage college stress and still excel in demanding academic environments. [ Ditch your inner perfectionist and embrace lifelong learning. [ Tap your inner Picasso & be marketable to any employer no matter what your college major or degree. [ Eliminate confusion by looking inside for answers when the rest of the world is telling you that you should be headed down a different path. [ Use your unique strengths to transform your world on your own terms. [ Uncover the most important mindset shared by all happy, stress resistant people and learn why you can never be truly successful without it.
This book explores evidence-based practice in college science teaching. It is grounded in disciplinary education research by practicing scientists who have chosen to take Wieman’s (2014) challenge seriously, and to investigate claims about the efficacy of alternative strategies in college science teaching. In editing this book, we have chosen to showcase outstanding cases of exemplary practice supported by solid evidence, and to include practitioners who offer models of teaching and learning that meet the high standards of the scientific disciplines. Our intention is to let these distinguished scientists speak for themselves and to offer authentic guidance to those who seek models of excellence. Our primary audience consists of the thousands of dedicated faculty and graduate students who teach undergraduate science at community and technical colleges, 4-year liberal arts institutions, comprehensive regional campuses, and flagship research universities. In keeping with Wieman’s challenge, our primary focus has been on identifying classroom practices that encourage and support meaningful learning and conceptual understanding in the natural sciences. The content is structured as follows: after an Introduction based on Constructivist Learning Theory (Section I), the practices we explore are Eliciting Ideas and Encouraging Reflection (Section II); Using Clickers to Engage Students (Section III); Supporting Peer Interaction through Small Group Activities (Section IV); Restructuring Curriculum and Instruction (Section V); Rethinking the Physical Environment (Section VI); Enhancing Understanding with Technology (Section VII), and Assessing Understanding (Section VIII). The book’s final section (IX) is devoted to Professional Issues facing college and university faculty who choose to adopt active learning in their courses. The common feature underlying all of the strategies described in this book is their emphasis on actively engaging students who seek to make sense of natural objects and events. Many of the strategies we highlight emerge from a constructivist view of learning that has gained widespread acceptance in recent years. In this view, learners make sense of the world by forging connections between new ideas and those that are part of their existing knowledge base. For most students, that knowledge base is riddled with a host of naïve notions, misconceptions and alternative conceptions they have acquired throughout their lives. To a considerable extent, the job of the teacher is to coax out these ideas; to help students understand how their ideas differ from the scientifically accepted view; to assist as students restructure and reconcile their newly acquired knowledge; and to provide opportunities for students to evaluate what they have learned and apply it in novel circumstances. Clearly, this prescription demands far more than most college and university scientists have been prepared for.
College students are subject to a massive input of stresses which require successful and ever-changing coping strategies. These stresses include inside and outside pressures by the world to succeed, financial worries, concerns about uncertain futures, social problems and opportunities since college is often the meeting place for future mates, and homework and tests in multiple and complex subjects requiring preparation and focus with often conflicting priorities. Unsuccessful coping often results in anxiety, heavy drinking, depression and a host of other mental health problems. This new book presents new and important research in this important field.
Young people want to know how they can be successful and do so without being stressed. Adults in their lives want to help. The principles presented in this book provide students with powerful tools to help meet the challenges they face today. It also gives parents potent suggestions on how they can support their children to be successful academically and socially—with less stress. Being “educated” is more than academics. Educated students have learned success principles not taught in the typical classroom. Educated students are less prone to stress, and generally happier. This book will show youth how to be truly “educated”. Some of the “tips” in Student Success with Less Stress include: • Proven motivational and success principles. • Dynamic study strategies. • Mega-learning: What schools do not teach. • Memorizing made easy. • Classroom strategies for the extra edge. • Reducing stress and anxiety. • Overcoming roadblocks to achievement. • How to be a great leader. • How parents can support and respond. • Learning differences and how to access special education programs. • Maneuvering the college search and application process. • Paying for college. • Our education system (and students) at risk, and what can be done.
When children feel anxious, their bodies respond physically to a perceived threat. They need to feel a sense of safety before being able to figure out what to do next. Find Your Calm is a wonderfully accessible book that teaches children how to tap into their sense of safety when anxiety sends a false alarm, so they can find their calm.
The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.
This practical resource offers a much-needed introduction to the why, what, and how of supporting college students through mindfulness and stress-releasing strategies. Higher education professionals are in a unique position to support, coach, and teach strategies with students to manage anxiety and emotional distress and improve well-being. Drawing on experience from the disciplines of Mental Health, Counseling, and Student Affairs, the authors provide evidence-based practices and tangible techniques supported by the latest brain-based research and neuroscience. Full of tools that college students can use daily to assist with their relaxation, meditation, focus, and stress management, this book helps higher education professionals who are not trained mental health practitioners to effectively and confidently incorporate activities to support the whole student.
The tools you need to overcome everyday stress! Between trying to make the grade and finding a job in a market that continues to stagnate, there's more pressure than ever before to succeed. But the stress that comes from this pressure can also keep you from achieving your goals. College Stress Solutions teaches you how to use simple exercises to overcome your anxiety and find success while at school. From completing assignments on a tight deadline to dealing with classmates to thinking about your future, this book gives you the tools and advice you need to feel more calm, relaxed, and motivated each and every day. With these easy yet effective solutions, you'll conquer any social or academic demand that comes your way as you work toward your degree. Whether you're cramming for an exam or fighting with your roommate, you'll be able to move past your worries--and score the grades to prove it!
