03 May 5 Ways to Reduce Classroom Stress
The classroom can be a stressful environment sometimes, with both students and teachers feeling stressed at some points. Students may feel particularly stressed in the lead up to exams, or while covering a subject that they struggle with.
The impact of the pandemic has also added further stress into children’s lives over the last few years and there has been a 77% increase in children in the UK seeking treatment for severe mental health issues since 2019.
For teachers, the classroom can also be a stressful place if students are misbehaving or if there is a lot of pressure on them, such as around exams or when OFSTED visit. Therefore, finding ways to reduce classroom stress can be greatly beneficial to both students and teachers.
5 ways to reduce stress in the classroom
- Reduce visual clutter
Many teachers spend hours and hours creating classroom attractive displays and decorations to make their classroom feel more engaging and stimulating. However, studies show that highly decorated classes can cause students to be distracted, with students in heavily decorated classrooms performing worse in tests compared to those in less decorated classrooms.
- Add some fun to lessons
Even when you are conscious of how soon exams are and how much teaching you need to cover, making a short amount of time for a fun activity in lessons will give everyone in the room a little wellbeing boost. Adding more humour into lessons can also help to reduce stress in the classroom.
- Keep to a routine
When people know what to expect, they are not as anxious, so keeping to a routine each lesson will help students to relax and it will also help teachers to relax too. Changing things around too much will leave students wondering what is going to happen next and it is harder to focus.
- Reduce noise levels
Try to monitor classroom noise and keep it to a minimum as loud noise overstimulates students and they will get distracted from the task they are working on. The noisier a classroom, the more chaotic it will feel for students and teachers, so behaviour management techniques may be required in order to get the class to reduce noise levels.
- Be prepared and positive
Any teacher will tell you that the more preparation you do for lessons, the smoother the lesson will usually go, especially when you are in your first few years of teaching or are with a new class. Making sure that you are well prepared, from lesson planning through to getting enough sleep and making time for self-care outside of work is really important in starting lessons on the right track.
Trying to keep a positive mindset can also help you to feel less stressed. You might find some mindfulness exercises helpful if you get time during the school day to reset your frame of mind after a difficult class.
While teaching can have some stressful moments, learning how to reduce classroom stress will help keep the stress to a minimum. Teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs you can have, helping to shape students’ futures and providing them with valuable advice and guidance.
If you are looking for your next role in teaching, visit the Worldwide Education Recruitment website to see our latest vacancies.
