Ideas that incorporate Security

Routine - establish classroom norms and routines in concert with students that promote predictability

Teachers can engage students in developing classroom rules that focus on safety, respect, and responsibility while ensuring that these rules align with schoolwide policies. Classroom rules, along with a lesson agenda and a visual timer, can be posted as reminders for students. Visual reminders are particularly helpful for transitioning between activities, which can be challenging for students returning to face-to-face learning.

During remote learning, students have had control over the amount of time that they spent focused on the task at hand. This may be shorter or longer than normal classroom timing. Give students support in building up to extended periods of focus, or navigating interruptions to their thinking through by using visual timers and reminders.

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.

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.

Set specific, realistic goals for each lesson and explain how learning will be assessed. When students know ahead of time how they are going to be assessed, they are more likely to be successful. For example, if students are receiving instruction in two-digit multiplication, they can be informed that following the lesson they will be asked to complete 15 problems on their own. Thus, students will know that they need to prepare to solve the problems independently.