Addressing our needs
Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs pyramid. The bottom two levels reflect basic needs, the next two reflect psychological needs, and top reflects self-fulfillment needs.
Meeting Physiological Needs in the Classroom1. Water bottles and water breaks.
2. Focused attention practices: These practices, involving breathing, imagery and sound, last one and a half to two minutes as students close their eyes or focus on an object of attention, practising quieting their minds from the free-flowing thoughts that bombard our thinking every day.
3. Physical surroundings: These include room arrangements etc.
4. Food: Provide snacks and have the class designate times to grab some energy bites and continue working.
5. Music.
These elements contribute to brain-compatible learning by creating a physical environment that is inviting, warm and friendly!
Stability, Safety and Security, Freedom from Fear
1. Attitude: Sometimes it is enough to have a personal affirmation that creates feelings of safety and security. For example: "Right now in this moment I am safe. I am breathing, I am aware, awake and I can think and feel!"
2. Worry drop box: As you enter the room, drop a written concern in a box situated by the door. Research shows that writing out our concerns and worries frees up the working memory and relieves anxiety.
3. Pin-ups: The class assigns various students to physically post a compliment or affirmation each day. We all need to feel validated and often lose sight of our strengths and talents because the brain is wired with a negative bias. These pin-ups help us focus on positive experiences and behaviors instead of faults and mistakes.
4. Common experiences: Develop class guidelines together. Create a class blog. Invite outside speakers that promote service and safety: police officers, counsellors, former students who have risen above difficult situations, etc.
Belonging and Love
1. Classroom service project.
2. Partnered work.
3. Celebrations: Create special and celebratory days all year long: birthdays, VIP days, strength day, progress days, colorful days, etc.
4. Working together: Assign these roles within the class:
Listener
Recorder of feelings and thoughts
Small group of decision-makers
Student who "cares for" the teacher and other students
Designer of classroom arrangements
5. Community circle: For 3-10 minutes at the beginning and ending of class, share a time where empathy is defined, discussed and brought to life. You might also share movie clips, personal narratives, or a story to jumpstart the day.
6. Identity: A classroom theme, flag, song etc.
Achievement, Recognition and Respect of Mastery, Self-Esteem
For students to feel capable and successful, we must create an environment that lends itself to this type of mastery.
1. Expert Day: Students get to demonstrate personal expertise.
2. Career Day: Bring in college students and community members to share the possibilities of academic and professional success following school.
3. Display skills as a class: Create and design quizzes, assignments and instruction for students in other classes and grades.
Small goals I am mastering
1. Work completion 2. Dialogued about frustrations
3. Stayed focused on assignments
4. Showed respect and compassion for others
5. Regrouped and continued to work after a frustrating time
6. Helped another student or teacher
7. Contributed ideas and suggestions to a conversation
8. Used positive language in describing a need or desire
9. Self-reflected about my daily work and interactions
Self-Actualization and Self-fulfilment Needs
This is level of self-evaluation related to service. We begin to explore and model, designing, evaluating and analyzing information outside of our own basic needs, serving others. To become creative thinkers, we have to begin discovering the problem, not just coming up with a solution. In this tier, students become self-assessors and self- reflectors. They are able to see and understand how their actions, thoughts and feelings affect all lives.
Questions to Ask Myself
1. What is my purpose in life?
2. What are the challenges in reaching my purpose and the lives of others?
3. How can I serve the world?
4. Why is there conflict and war? What can I do? What can we do?
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