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Student Involvement in IEPs: Ten Tips to Help Middle School Students Get Started - Part 1

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Student Involvement in IEPs: Ten Tips to Help Middle School Students Get Started - Part 1

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Tips to help you help your middle school student begin the journey toward leading their own IEP meetings at the age of majority.

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By: Kelley Challen, Ed.M., CAS
Director of Transition Services; Transition Specialist, NESCA

Federal law requires that students with Individual Education Programs (IEPs) be invited to attend their transition IEP meetings. In Massachusetts, this means that students approaching the age of 14, often 8 th graders, should be invited to attend their IEP meetings to start the process of transition planning if this has not already begun. For many, the idea of a middle school student attending an IEP meeting, an activity that can often be intimidating and upsetting for parents, can initially be overwhelming. And historically research has indicated that when students do attend team meetings, they have the lowest level of satisfaction about their IEP meeting of any team member and they feel the least comfortable sharing their thoughts and suggestions in the meeting.[i] However, research across the country has also shown that students can learn skills to actively participate in their IEP meetings, especially when they are directly taught terminology, roles, and how to participate, and when team members expect student participation.[ii] Student participation in IEPs is not only important because it is federally mandated, it is also essential because the IEP is supposed to be based on the student's strengths, interests, preferences, and needs as well as the student's post-high school goals-and because it's the student's life! For those reasons, I am choosing to focus this blog (and some future blogs) on tips for helping middle school students to become involved in their IEP processes.

1. Explicitly learn about the IEP document and process-There are clear rules and vocabulary used to govern the IEP process. However, these are wholly unfamiliar and strange to anyone who has not participated in the process before (and even perplexing for those of us who have a lot of experience at team meetings). Therefore, one of the most critical ways to prepare a student to attend transition IEP meetings and to be a self-directed member of their IEP team is to equip them with knowledge of the vocabulary and rules that govern the process. One organization that has created useful materials for helping to teach students about the IEP process is imdetermined.org which has documents designed to assist students in understanding the IEP (https://imdetermined.org/resource/understanding-my-iep-differentiated/) and preparing for the IEP (https://imdetermined.org/resource/understanding-my-iep-differentiated/), but it may also be important to reference and simplify certain sections of the IEP Process Guide (https://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/iep/proguide.pdf). If students are not ready to review their entire IEP (which many students are not), it may be helpful just to think about the present levels of performance, strengths, or accommodations.

2. Talk about strengths-While it's critical that students be able to talk about their strengths and challenges, sometimes it's easiest to start with strengths. People can have all kinds of strengths, such as character strengths, social strengths, language strengths, academic strengths, technical strengths, extracurricular strengths, and more. For kids who have a hard time with open-ended questions, there are checklists that can be found or completed online, such as character strengths inventories, transferable skills checklists, and strengths worksheets. There are also activities that can be useful for documenting strengths over time, such as this Strengths Chain activity (https://www.understood.org/articles/en/strengths-chain-for-kids), keeping a running list or journal of strengths and accomplishments, or building a deck of strength cards. All students need help learning to describe their strengths, especially the first time. Some students may have a hard time identifying the strengths they see in themselves, but may have an easy time sharing what other people say about them or compliment them on. Talking about strengths is not a one-time activity. Make sure that you are talking about and referring to the student's strengths often while also highlighting how various members of the household or students in the class have different strengths and skills.

3. Talk about challenges!-While transition planning is a strengths-based process, an IEP is based on a student needing specialized instruction and related services because the student has a disability and would struggle to make effective progress in school or the general education curriculum without special education. If we are going to ask students to be actively involved in a process of goal-setting based principally on their having a disability and related challenges, it is critical that the student has the opportunity to talk about what is hard for them and what they want to get better at... in their own words. At the same time, it is important to normalize the fact that all people have challenges, learn different information at different rates, and need help (and tools) to function successfully. Ultimately, being able to use a diagnostic label and understand the impact of a diagnosis on functioning is important, but what is more important is being able to describe what is hard on a daily basis and what makes those difficult activities easier. For some students, it is helpful to read a book or watch a television show or movie with characters who face similar struggles and to label similarities between the youth and the character. Some of the same checklists mentioned for documenting strengths can be helpful for identifying areas of challenge or undeveloped skills. It may also be helpful to start filling in a worksheet similar to this one-pager (https://imdetermined.org/resource/one-pager/) or this self-awareness worksheet (https://www.understood.org/articles/en/download-self-awareness-worksheet-for-kids). Just as with strengths, it is important to talk about and refer to specific challenges that each person in the household or class faces.

4. Complete interest and preference inventories-Learning to engage in self-assessments and talk about those self-assessments is an important part of transition planning and IEP participation. There are so many fun interest and personality quizzes online that can be taken in minutes. Some examples include these personality tests from National Geographic Kids (https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/games/personality-quizzes), this free personality type explorer (https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test), or even the O*Net Career Interest Profiler (https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip). Have the student take the test-and take these tests yourself-and talk about how your results are similar or different and how well the student thinks the results of the assessment capture them. Think about whether there are strengths or challenges to add to their running lists or worksheets based on their experience taking these inventories.

5. Talk about the student's goals for after high school-Students have the right to input as much as possible into their postsecondary vision statement, no matter how realistic or unrealistic their input is. The only way that they can be prepared to provide input at a team meeting is if they have spent some time thinking and talking about their post-high school goals and learning about their choices and options. Just recently, my colleague Becki Lauzon wrote a blog with important discussion points for talking about post-high school goals with students, which can be found here. A robust transition planning process should include helping a student to have detailed goals for their future education or training, employment, independent living, and community engagement; however, initial discussions might just include ruling in or out things like obtaining a high school diploma, continuing learning after high school, having a paid job, driving a car, and living with other people. In middle school, the goal of talking with a student about their postsecondary vision is just to help the student learn to comfortably engage in those discussions and to find out where future work needs to be done in order to help the student build a more complete picture of their adult postsecondary life.

Every student is different and is able to engage in the process in different ways and at different times, but I hope that there is at least one tip in these blogs that is useful for you. Next month, I will be writing a second blog with more tips for engaging middle school students in the IEP process.
If you are interested in having your child work with Kelley Challen or another NESCA transition specialist to plan and prepare to be part of their IEP meeting, please fill out an intake for our transition consultation and planning services or our student coaching services today!
[i] http://www2.ku.edu/~tccop/files/Martins_Perspective.pdf

[ii] http://www2.ku.edu/~tccop/files/Martins_Perspective.pdf

About the Author
Kelley Challen, Ed.M., CAS, is NESCA's Director of Transition Services, overseeing planning, consultation, evaluation, coaching, case management, training and program development services. Ms. Challen also provides expert witness testimony in legal proceedings related to special education. She is also the Assistant Director of NESCA, working under Dr. Ann Helmus to support day-to-day operations of the practice. Ms. Challen began facilitating programs for children and adolescents with special needs in 2004. After receiving her Master's Degree and Certificate of Advanced Study in Risk and Prevention Counseling from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ms. Challen spent several years at the MGH Aspire Program where she founded an array of social, life and career skill development programs for teens and young adults with Asperger's Syndrome and related profiles. She additionally worked at the Northeast Arc as Program Director for the Spotlight Program, a drama-based social pragmatics program, serving youth with a wide range of diagnoses and collaborating with several school districts to design in-house social skills and transition programs. Ms. Challen is co-author of the chapter "Technologies to Support Interventions for Social- Emotional Intelligence, Self-Awareness, Personality Style, and Self-Regulation" for the book Technology Tools for Students with Autism. She is also a proud mother of two energetic boys, ages six and three. While Ms. Challen has special expertise in supporting students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, she provides support to individuals with a wide range of developmental and learning abilities, including students with complex medical needs.

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Student Involvement in IEPs: Ten Tips to Help Middle School Students Get Started - Part 1

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By: Kelley Challen, Ed.M., CAS Director of Transition Services; Transition Specialist, NESCA Federal law requires that students with Individual Education Programs (IEPs) be invited to attend their transition IEP meetings. In Massachusetts, this means that students approaching the age of 14, often 8 th graders, should be invited to attend their IEP meetings to start the process of transition planning if this has not already begun.

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Student Goal Setting and Reflection – Middle School

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Student Goal Setting and Reflection – Middle School

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Once your middle school student has set and accomplished their goal these journaling activities will allow them time and space to reflect on their experience and learning.

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Online Professional Development and Technical Assistance for 21st Century Community Learning Centers

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5 Tactics to Help Students Embrace Networking and Relationship-Building

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5 Tactics to Help Students Embrace Networking and Relationship-Building

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Items to assist your middle school student in relationship-building to assist in navigating their path from entitlement to eligibility programs.

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An article from

Experts suggest guiding students to identify and expand their network of relationships, or "social capital," so they can begin building professional pathways.

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5 tactics to help students embrace networking and relationship-building

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Experts suggest helping students identify and expand their relationship networks, or "social capital," so they can begin building professional pathways.

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Journaling allows your student to enjoy judgmentless introspection, work through tough questions and mindfully discuss their value and progress as they move through middle school and transition into high school.

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Deciding which classes to take. Starting at a new school. Learning a new skill. Between academics, social life, and home life, students can face any number of challenges during the school year that will require social, emotional, and cognitive skills to navigate.

That's where social and emotional learning (SEL) comes in.

According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework, SEL consists of five competencies:

Self-Awareness: recognizing one's emotions and their effect on behavior

Self-Management: regulating emotions, thoughts, and behaviors to achieve goals

Responsible Decision-Making: making good choices and evaluating consequences

Relationship Skills: developing positive relationships; resolving conflicts constructively

Social Awareness: empathizing with others and understanding their perspectives, including those from diverse backgrounds

By incorporating these elements of human development into the curriculum, SEL not only increases academic performance in students but also leads to improved behavior and attitudes towards themselves and others.

To introduce these concepts to your students, Shaped is providing SEL writing prompts and journal prompts for your elementary, middle, or high school class. Included below is also a selection of free hyperlinked prompts from Writable. Follow the links to find further SEL writing ideas for your class. By answering prompts that explore their emotions, confidence, and likes and dislikes, students can begin to understand themselves, and others, better.

Elementary School SEL Journal Prompts

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15 SEL Writing Prompts and Journal Prompts

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Deciding which classes to take. Starting at a new school. Learning a new skill. Between academics, social life, and home life, students can face any number of challenges during the school year that will require social, emotional, and cognitive skills to navigate. That's where social and emotional learning (SEL) comes in.

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Service Learning Opportunities in State Parks

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Service Learning Opportunities in State Parks

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What is Service-Learning?

The Education Commission of the States, in their report, Learning That Lasts: How Service-Learning Can Become an Integral Part of Schools, States and Communities, defines service-learning as "a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities."

Successful service-learning programs are built around a core of standards as outlined by the National Youth Leadership Council and the National Service-Learning Cooperative.

Meaningful Service - Students engage in service-learning programs that are relevant and valuable to both participants and those being served.

Link to Curriculum - Service-learning is an integral part of the learning process, with direct ties to academic studies and content standards.

Reflection - Service-learning activities should provide opportunities for students to process their learning, and evaluate the effectiveness and success of the program.

Diversity - Through service-learning programs, students encounter, and gain appreciation for a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives.

Youth Voice - Students are active partners in service-learning programs, with a voice in planning, implementing, and evaluating service activities.

Partnerships - Service-learning builds partnerships between young people and the broader community that can last beyond the initial service experience.

Progress Monitoring - The progress and achievements of service-learning programs are shared with policymakers, education leaders, and others, to help sustain program support and high quality standards.

Duration and Intensity - Service-learning works best when it is conducted across sufficient periods of time, so as to fulfill project goals and the needs of those being served.

Service-Learning in State Parks Primary, secondary, and college students participate in service-learning activities that meet important State Park needs and issues. Students develop their service activities in collaboration with teachers, community partners, and park staff. Service-learning activities have a clear connection to the California State academic content standards and to the California Career Technical Education (CTE) standards. Many service-learning projects also correlate with science and history-social science components of the California Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI). Service-learning in State Parks includes activities such as researching and developing interpretive materials, creating exhibits, or assisting with preservation/conservation work or visitor programs.

Outlined below are some of the creative and rewarding service-learning opportunities available with California State Parks.

Life in the 1850s
William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park
The Life in the 1850s program is a service-learning partnership between California State Parks, the Red Bluff Union High School District, and the Ide Adobe Interpretive Association. The program offers students the opportunity to visit William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park and learn and teach about life in 1850s California. Students from Red Bluff and Salisbury Continuation High Schools attend over forty hours of training presented by State Parks staff. Additionally, one student from each high school sits on the Friends of Ide Adobe board. Participation in the program enables students to gain familiarity with the California State Parks system, learn leadership skills, and study the language, dress, and pioneer skills of the 1850s such as rope making, blacksmithing, cooking, and woodworking. Students research and develop their individual pioneer characters. Once trained, the high school docents, in period attire, teach Life in the 1850s programs to elementary school children. The programs continue every Tuesday and Thursday from mid-February through early June. Life in the 1850s aligns with the California State content standards for history-social science and English-language arts. The program also highlights career pathways outlined in CTE Industry Sectors such as Education, Tourism and Recreation, Manufacturing, and Fashion. At the conclusion of each program, student docents discuss what worked or did not work, problem solve, and share ideas for the next program. Life in the 1850s allows William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park to offer quality interpretive programming, while instilling a sense of stewardship in students who become dedicated members of the park's volunteer crew.

The Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Internship/Restoration Leadership Programs
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, Kenneth Hahn SRA
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook is a 58 acre ecological "island" in urban Los Angeles. Although crippled by past grading activities, and invasive plants, the park is transforming back to a native habitat. The Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Internship and Restoration Leadership Programs allow local high school students the opportunity to participate in the park's restoration efforts. These programs represent service-learning partnerships between California State Parks, Los Angeles Audubon Society and its funding partners, and Dorsey High School. The programs align with both EEI curriculum components and California State content standards for science, mathematics, and English-language arts. They also allow students to explore careers associated with the CTE Industry Sectors in Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Education. Students begin their training in the summer. Throughout the school year students assist staff by conducting much needed scientific research on native and invasive plants, and wildlife. They also aid in restoration of the area's Coastal Sage Scrub habitat, and mentor elementary students and other volunteers during restoration events. Students have an active voice in all aspects of the program including developing self-directed projects such as making paper out of invasive species, producing informational pamphlets on pollinators of the Baldwin Hills, and constructing nests out of man-made materials to aid in restoring the park's cactus wren population. Their time as Greenhouse Interns and Restoration Leaders leave students with a deeper understanding of the natural environment, and an appreciation for their own service to the park and the community.

( Information about the programs at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook provided by Kristen Perry, State Park Interpreter I, and Stacey Vigallon, Los Angeles Audubon Society)

Shasta Miners / Stellar Living History Docents
Shasta State Historic Park
Shasta State Historic Park partners with two local schools to provide service-learning opportunities that familiarize students with the park, and highlight early California history. Fourth through sixth grade students of Shasta Elementary School participate in the Shasta Miners program. Students serve as living history docents as well as facilitators for the park's school-age Gold Rush Game. The students have input as to which historic character they portray and which activities they will facilitate. Shasta Miners begin their docent studies in January and serve as Gold Rush Game facilitators with visiting school groups, every Thursday from mid-March to early June. The Stellar Living History Docents program offers a similar service-learning experience to sixth through twelfth grade students of Stellar Charter School. Stellar students serve as docents in the park's museum, guide tours through the cemetery, and assist with historic period crafts, games, and other activities. Like Shasta Miners, Stellar Living History students have a voice in developing their historic characters and choosing the activities for which they are responsible. The students begin their training in September. They volunteer at a park event in December and then work with visiting school groups every Friday from February through early June. Both the Shasta Miners and the Stellar Living History Docents programs address California content standards for mathematics and history-social science, as well as careers associated with the CTE standards.

( Information about Shasta Miners/Stellar Living History Docents programs provided by Lori Martin, Supervising Ranger)

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California State Parks, State of California

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Service-Learning Opportunities in State Parks

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California State Parks, State of California

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Service Learning Projects to Inspire Students

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Service Learning Projects to Inspire Students

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Tara brings passion and a deep understanding of service learning, rooted in years of experience, to her training. Her training builds bridges from theory to implementation while generously sharing her resources and knowledge to ensure our success. Tara works with the whole school (administration, teachers, students, and SL leaders) to build a sustainable program that is embedded in the curriculum and tied to the mission. She energized a faculty on a Friday afternoon, no easy feat, leaving them with a desire to learn more about SL and to become more involved. I cannot recommend Tara highly enough.

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10 creative service learning projects to inspire your students - Serve Learn

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Tara brings passion and a deep understanding of service learning, rooted in years of experience, to her training. Her training builds bridges from theory to implementation while generously sharing her resources and knowledge to ensure our success.

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A Parent's Guide on How to Help Teens with Conflict Resolution 

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A Parent's Guide on How to Help Teens with Conflict Resolution 

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A lot is going on during the teenage years, including puberty, mood changes, identity formation, increased socialization outside of the family, increased autonomy, etc. Teens' interactions with others become more complex, and conflict is inevitable. Teens must receive guidance on how to navigate conflict properly and effectively. Conflict comes up throughout life in all types of relationships, and learning how to deal with it early on allows teens to develop productive communication skills to have healthy relationships now and in the future. It is usual for teens to have some level of moodiness and impulsivity, as the part of their brain that helps to control their reactions and impulses has yet to develop fully. It makes it more likely that teens will react in maladaptive ways when conflict arises.

Remember that teens do not have the amount of life experience that adults do, so conflict with others at this age can feel like the end of the world. It is paramount to validate their feelings while helping them understand that disputes are normal. Teenagers typically have an external locus of control regarding conflict, meaning they blame external people or circumstances on their situation and do not see their part in it. It is beneficial to help teens take a realistic view of the situation and their potential part in it and help them understand that they can try to resolve the issue. Parents and caregivers should seek to guide their children through conflict rather than take over for them.
How to Help Teens with Conflict Resolution: Teach Communication/Conflict Resolution Styles
The communication styles include aggressive, passive, passive-aggressive, and assertive. People typically tend toward one communication style. However, their communication style may change depending on the setting or people. Damour (2019) mentions a helpful metaphor to teach these conflict resolution styles to teens: In conflict, the teen can either be a 'bulldozer,' a 'doormat,' a 'doormat- with- spikes,' or a 'pillar.' A 'bulldozer' runs over the person they are in conflict with, a 'doormat' gets run over by the person they are in dispute with, and a 'doormat-with-spikes' may appear to have been run over but then engages in passive-aggressive tactics that end up punishing the other person. The healthiest way to respond to conflict is to act as a 'pillar,' which assertively stands up for itself while remaining respectful. Discussing each type of response and allowing the teen to provide examples can help further their understanding. In today's world, playing out conflict online is a 'doormat-with-spikes' or passive-aggressive approach. Handling conflict through text or social media rarely has a good outcome, as it often drags others into the drama, leaves room for misinterpretation, and leaves a permanent trail. For more guidance on teen social media use, please read this blog.

The 'pillar' approach is assertive, and the following guidelines will assist in helping your teen develop their ability to be strong-willed when in conflict:
Help Teens Understand and Express Their Feelings
It is key to help your teen recognize how the conflict makes them feel and why. When teens understand their emotions, it can help to explain their behaviors and actions. Recognizing their feelings allows them to express themselves to the other person they are in conflict with more clearly. When both people in an interaction can express their feelings, it fosters an understanding of what is going on and why each person may act the way they are.
Pause Before Reacting
Teens often tend to react immediately when presented with conflict. Help your teen recognize if they do tend to react impulsively. If so, help them learn to stop and wait before responding. Encourage them to pay attention to their thoughts and if they need to react, take a step back, pause, think it through, and then have a conversation. It is a natural feeling to want to hurt other people when we feel hurt. Teens might feel the need to bring in additional irrelevant information or bend the truth. However, they should understand that the satisfaction they get from saying these things will probably not last long, and reacting this way will only worsen matters. They should ask themselves if what they say will benefit the conversation. Encourage them to consider whether their conflict responses are accurate, necessary, and kind. If it is not valid, unnecessary or irrelevant to the discussion, and unkind- then it might be better not to say it at all.
"I" Statements
Blaming and attacking the other person will not help the situation, so teens need to learn to use "I" statements in conflict. Using "I" statements allows a person to express their feelings without blaming others, leading to more productive conversations. An example of an "I-statement" would be, "I feel upset when I am not invited to things because it feels that I am not wanted there," rather than putting the other person on the defensive by saying, "You're always leaving me out." A teen can use "I- statements" by identifying how they are feeling, describing the specific behavior causing that feeling, and describing the impact the behavior has on them.
Listening to Understand
When a disagreement happens, teens usually believe their point of view is right and often don't always listen to the other person's perspective. Hearing the other person's point of view and communicating an understanding of it will get your teen much further than just trying to "win" the argument. Challenge your teen to use their listening skills to find a neutral ground with the other person possibly. Additionally, encourage your teen to ask questions to the person they are in conflict with to understand their viewpoint better.
Perspective taking
Encourage your teen to put themself in the other person's shoes and imagine what they might be feeling and experiencing. Additionally, ask your teen to consider if the person they conflict with might have other things going on in their life which may be impacting their behavior. Helping your teen to take the perspective of the other person fosters empathy. When others are being mean, they often have much deeper things going on, which may have nothing to do with your child. Guide your child to understand this, so they do not take anything too personally. If your child seems to be the aggressor in the conflict, consider if they have anything more profound going on in their life that may be influencing their behavior.
Apologizing and Forgiveness
Through your guidance, teach your teen to recognize that both parties do not have to agree on everything to resolve conflict. In most conflicts, both parties have contributed in some way. Teens should learn to apologize when they do something worthy of an apology, and not just as a way to end the conflict. If they recognize that they did something hurtful, unkind, or mean and an apology is warranted, they should do so. Apologizing does not mean they are taking fault for the whole conflict, but rather their part.

On the other hand, teens should understand forgiveness. When we hold on to things, they tend to weigh us down, and forgiveness allows us to let go of some of the hurt that was caused and moves forward more healthily. Help your teen consider the benefits of forgiveness and what forgiveness might look like for them in their conflict. It is also essential to help teens recognize that if they continually forgive someone for doing the same hurtful actions over and over, the relationship probably needs to be reevaluated.
Identify What Needs to Change
After talking through the conflict, all parties involved should attempt to agree on what needs to change to repair and rebuild. All involved should work together to compromise and decide how to move forward. Discussing this is helpful as it puts expectations on those involved and refers back to them if needed.
Knowing when to walk away
Teens need to know that sometimes it is okay and necessary to walk away from relationships that are hurting them. There are some perfectly reasonable reasons for not wanting to continue with a friendship. For instance, if the friend is constantly talking negatively about others, if they are not trustworthy, or have broken your trust before. Also, if they do not work to change behaviors that have caused conflict in the past, if they are unreliable, or are not putting an equal amount of effort into the friendship. Sometimes, ending the friendship can be taking the easy way out. Although, if there have consistently been problems that have gone unchanged, and your teen has done their part in trying to repair it, and if the same level of effort is not returned, then it might make sense for them to step away from the friendship.

Conflict is normal; the earlier your child learns to assertively and effectively handle conflict, the better. Strong conflict resolution skills will contribute to your child becoming a better communicator, and they will have improved relationships and confidence in their ability to handle the ups and downs that occur in their relationships.

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How to Help Teens with Conflict Resolution - Gateway to Solutions

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A lot is going on during the teenage years, including puberty, mood changes, identity formation, increased socialization outside of the family, increased autonomy, etc. Teens' interactions with others become more complex, and conflict is inevitable. Teens must receive guidance on how to navigate conflict properly and effectively.

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Constructive Criticism Builds Resilient Teens 

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Constructive Criticism Builds Resilient Teens 

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Build Resilience by Providing Constructive Criticism

Few people enjoy receiving criticism, no matter how well intended it may be. No matter what you call it - constructive criticism, critique, feedback - these messages still tend to sting. But, learning to receive critiques is a part of life, and so is learning to give it.

Years ago, my husband won a scholarship to go to art college. He recalls the first semester as intense. All freshmen had to take a class called, 'Critique'. Each week, students had to bring a new work of art and listen as other students gave feedback about the piece. After the first semester, less than half the freshmen returned. To survive that experience, you had to be able to both give and accept feedback. The goal was to improve your work, but my husband recalls it as a very humbling experience. Perhaps this class is why my husband is so good at giving and receiving feedback to this day. (And he still creates art!)

What does an art class have to do with parenting adolescents and giving them feedback? A lot!

How to (and How not to) Give Feedback

Have you ever worn something your adolescent didn't like? If so, you likely were on the receiving end of some brutally honest feedback you never asked for. Their comments were most likely not intended to do you emotional harm, but rather to avoid being so embarrassed by you.

Our goal is to build young people's confidence and to nurture their independence and critical thinking skills - things that will serve them well in the future. So we should avoid saying things that tear them down, that are shaming, name-calling, blaming, or judgmental. These are roadblocks to good communication. They will shut down a young person and make it impossible for them to hear what we are trying to communicate.

Be Targeted and Specific With Feedback

The reality is that sometimes we do need to provide constructive criticism. When we do, our criticisms should be targeted and specific. For example. if your teen forgot to clean the dishes, say, "You forgot to do the dishes," rather than, "You are a slob." The first option lets your child know they controlled what happened and have the potential to make a different choice in the future. The second option implies they have a negative personality trait you think cannot be changed. If they think you really believe that about them, then why should they bother doing things differently in the future? Be mindful that adolescents are struggling to answer the most fundamental of questions, "Who am I?" You certainly don't want them to answer that question with negative labels they've heard from you ... or anyone.

Providing constructive criticism helps both you and your tween or teen to focus on a behavior and its consequences. It reinforces that they have the power and skills to address the issue.

Remember to provide constructive criticism when you are calm. When our emotions run high, we tend to be less accurate when delivering concerns. We may be more likely to resort to shaming, blaming, and other strategies that are less likely to achieve the desired result. When we remain targeted in our feedback and when we communicate in a calm manner, we help our children grow.

The goal is for our critiques to become a voice in our teens' heads, shaping their sense of right and wrong, of what is fair or unjust, and of how they want to contribute to the world around them.

The Long-lasting Meaning and Impact of Feedback

Offering feedback shapes our tweens and teens now. But, more importantly, how we provide this feedback makes a difference in how they see themselves, and how they will respond to constructive criticism, far into the future. It's like my husband's art class - he learned to give and receive feedback during his own adolescence and is a master at doing it now (although our tweens may not always agree).

The goal is for our critiques to become a voice in our teens' heads, shaping their sense of right and wrong, of what is fair or unjust, and of how they want to contribute to the world around them. We want that voice to be loud, clear, honest when it must be, but rooted in an understanding of all that is right and good about them.

Learning to give and especially to receive feedback and then incorporate it into our lives is critical for fitting into new environments. Success in the workplace is dependent on whether or not you can grow on the job by learning new skills and working with diverse team members. Whether or not you grow successfully in the workplace is directly related to whether or not you can comfortably hear and act on the feedback you receive.

The Key to Constructive Criticism: Place it in Context of Teen Strengths

When we criticize in constructive ways while our children are under our roofs, they learn that feedback is an opportunity for growth, rather than an attack on them personally. Ever met someone who takes every piece of feedback as a personal attack? It's hard to help them achieve what you know they are capable of achieving. Through our guidance, our young people can learn to hear feedback through a positive lens, and learn to incorporate it into their actions.

Above all, criticism should be given while recognizing and acknowledging your child's existing strengths. We can build their confidence in their ability to do something well, by suggesting they can apply existing skills to new situations. Consider these examples.

"I am concerned because you lied to us about where you went tonight and who you were with. I know that you can do better because I've seen you come to us concerned when your friend stole that pack of gum from the drugstore. I need you to remember how much you value honesty and apply it now."

Or

"You really need to work on setting and making deadlines. You need a lot more practice to get this right. I know you can do it if you set your mind to it. Remember there was a time you never thought you could learn to cook a meal for yourself. But look at you now. You worked hard and mastered enough meals that you've even cooked dinner for the family! Let me know how I can support you now."

Feedback that Builds Resilience

My husband has a knack for seeing what is inside of someone and presenting it to them in a way that inspires the greatness that is already there. I love going to functions at my children' school where the kids get to show off what they have been working on. At these events, my husband has a way of complimenting each artist and offering them suggestions for improvement. The kids love him. He has a way of doing it that communicates that he knows that they are trying to do well, he likes their approach, and has an idea for making it even better. His feedback is a special gift just for them. That is the sweet spot - providing our young people with feedback that is personalized and designed to inspire growth and confidence today and always.

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Constructive Criticism Builds Resilient Teens

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Providing and accepting constructive criticism isn't always easy. But when done in an effective way, it can teach and build resilience. Learn more.

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42 Goal Setting Activities for Students and Kids 

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42 Goal Setting Activities for Students and Kids 

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Do you remember when you learned how to set goals?

If you have trouble answering that question, you're not alone! Most of us don't spend much time thinking about how we set goals.

In fact, many of us don't even think of goal setting as a skill; rather, it's just something we do without reflecting on it much.

However, goal setting is a practice that operates on a set of specific skills-and luckily, these skills are relatively easy to teach.

As with most skills, it's best to start teaching goal setting early. Although parents are perhaps the best source of skill-building and development for their children, it's vital to have some goal setting material in the school curriculum as well. Learning how to set goals in school and seeing goal setting modeled by peers and teachers is a great way to encourage effective goal setting in children.

This article will explore why goal setting is a great addition to the curriculum from elementary school all the way up to college, and how it can best be incorporated.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Goal Achievement Exercises for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients create actionable goals and master techniques to create lasting behavior change.

A Look at Goal Setting in Education

Setting goals is a vital practice that can benefit anyone with a dream or a vision for their future. Young people who are just starting out on the grand journey of life are at a particularly opportune time to start building their goal setting skills-not only will these skills serve them throughout their lives, but building them now will help them mold their future into one that they desire.

Parents can encourage goal setting in their children-and absolutely should do so-but the importance of this skill justifies its inclusion in our schools' curriculum. The world of education is an excellent place to introduce children to goal setting, lay the foundations for effective goal setting, and begin to practice setting and striving towards personally meaningful goals.

Why is Goal Setting Important for Youth?

Not only will a curriculum that includes instruction in setting goals teach kids the mechanics and techniques of goal setting, but it will also give them early wins and help them develop belief in themselves. Anyone who has worked with children will recognize the importance of self-belief and self-confidence for early life development.

Further, research backs up the effectiveness of goal setting, both for the children themselves and for schools and systems overall (O'Neill, 2000). When teachers practice good goal setting, the benefits for their students are two-fold:

1. The students see effective goal setting modeled, and

2. The school itself is likely to become more effective at facilitating learning.

How Do Children Benefit from Goal Setting?

Aside from helping them believe in themselves and setting them up for success in school, goal setting also benefits children and students in many ways, including:

1. Improving self-image

2. Increasing awareness of one's strengths

3. Increasing awareness of one's weaknesses

4. Providing an experience of success

5. Facilitating effective visualization

6. Clarifying the path ahead

7. Encouraging prioritization

8. Defining reality and separating it from wishful thinking

9. Building responsibility for one's self

10. Improving decision making (Goucher College Office of Student Engagement, n.d.)

These are generic benefits of goal setting that anyone who engages in smart goal setting and striving can attain, but a few of them can be particularly effective for children; for example, the benefits of goal setting for youth include:

Provides direction, which most youths are either seeking or trying to nail down.

Helps children clarify what is important to them and focus on it.

Facilitates more effective decision making through better self-knowledge, direction, and focus.

Allows children to take a more active role in building their own future.

Acts as a powerful motivator by giving children something to hope for and aspire towards.

Gives children a positive experience of achievement and personal satisfaction when they reach a goal.

Assists children in finding a sense of purpose in their lives (The Peak Performance Center, n.d.).

Using Goal Setting Effectively with Kids and Teens: A Look at the Research

According to Education World, there are six key secrets to successful goal setting that you can communicate to your students:

1. Write clear and measurable goals.

2. Create a specific action plan for each goal.

3. Read your goals daily and visualize yourself accomplishing them.

4. Reflect on your progress to see if you are on target.

5. Revise your action plans if needed.

6. Celebrate your accomplishments.

The research on this topic provides some extra tips and tricks for maximizing the effectiveness of goal setting curricula:

Set upper and lower limits on students' goals to teach realistic goal setting (they can always be removed later).

Use games to teach goal setting in a context with low pressure and high engagement.

Hold one-on-one goal-setting conferences with students to give them individual attention and help them learn to assess goal difficulty (Schunk, 1990).

Encourage students to write down their goals rather than simply creating them and leaving them floating around their mind (Matthews, 2015).

Make extensive use of models (teachers and/or peers) in the classroom to show students how it works.

Teach effective goal setting strategies (like setting SMART goals) to increase the likelihood of success and provide feedback on student progress.

Provide direct instruction on goal setting and include instruction on self-evaluation.

Provide instruction on effective learning strategies in general, as students will need these broader skills to build their goal-setting abilities (Schunk, 2003).

How to Best Teach Goal Setting to Students

If you're looking for some concrete examples of the best ways to teach your students' goal setting, you've come to the right place. Read on for lesson plans, exercises, activities, and examples.

Examples of Goal Setting for Teachers

The Children's Center for Psychiatry, Psychology, and Related Services provide five great examples-one per each aspect of the SMART goal setting method -that teachers can use to teach their students about setting SMART goals:

A Lesson Plan for Teachers

There are tons of lesson plans available to help teachers incorporate goal-setting into their curriculum. Here is a popular and widely-used lesson plan outlined below.

Growth Mindset Goal Setting Lesson Plan

This lesson plan from Mindset Works is intended to meet one important objective: Students will (learn how to) set growth mindset learning goals.

The objective will be met through guiding students as they:

You'll need the following materials to implement this lesson plan:

Goal Setting Template (found here)

Assignment list(s) with scores

Recent rubrics (holistic or analytic) that have feedback from a teacher

Recent reports from benchmark tests

Examples of their own work that the student has produced over time

The lesson plan outlines three mini-lessons, each with their own activity:

1. Mini-Lesson 1: Setting a Goal
Activity 1: Goal Setting

2. Mini-Lesson 2: Creating an Action Plan
Activity 2: Action Planning

3. Mini-Lesson 3: Reflection on Progress
Activity 3: Reflecting

Click here to see this lesson plan and download it for your use in your classroom.

4 Goal Setting Worksheets and Templates (PDF)

Templates and worksheets are a must-have for teachers going over goal setting in the classroom. Use the four listed below to help your students learn about and practice effective goal setting.

1. Goal Execution Plan

The Goal Execution Plan template is an excellent resource for older students due to the considerations it includes and the level of detail.

It includes space for up to three goals, with six steps per goal, and provides the following columns for each step:

Goals and Action Steps

Date Start

Responsible (who is responsible for it)

Starting Metrics (metrics measure goal progress-this is the starting point for these measures)

Budget (if any)

Notes

Final Metrics (endpoint for the measures of goal progress)

Date End

You may not need all of these columns, but it's helpful to have prompts to think deeply about each goal. You can find the template here.

2. Student Goal Setting Worksheet

This worksheet is quick and simple, making it a great choice for young children.

The Student Goal Setting Worksheet has space for the student's name and the current date, then poses these five prompts:

1. I am good at...

2. I am bad at...

3. What I will improve?

4. How will I make these improvements?

5. If my plan doesn't work, what will I do?

Working through this activity will help them start thinking about what goal setting is as well as what direction they'd like to go with their goals.

You will likely need to walk your students through these prompts, so be prepared to provide assistance as needed. You can find the worksheet here.

3. Simple Goal Setting Worksheet

This is another simple worksheet-as the name implies-that can be used with younger or older students to help them figure out the basics of setting and working towards their goals.

The worksheet provides space for students to answer the following prompts:

If you use this worksheet with younger students, you might need to help guide them through it or provide examples, but older students should have no trouble completing it on their own.

You can find the worksheet at this link.

4. SMART Goal Setting Worksheet

If you want to focus your students on setting SMART goals, this worksheet is a great choice. It's a bit more involved than the previous worksheets, making it more suitable for high school students than younger students.

Here's the gist of the worksheet:

1. What is the goal?

2. Why is the goal important?

3. SMART goal checklist:

1. S - Specific - Is the goal clearly written, with no ambivalence? Is it clear who needs to accomplish the goal, and any support they might expect?

2. M - Measurable - Does the goal answer the questions of how many, how much, and/or how often?

3. A - Achievable - Can you get the support needed to achieve the goal by the target date? Do you have all the resources needed to achieve the goal? Are the results expected realistic?

4. R - Relevant - Does the goal make a difference in your career? Is it going to make an improvement in your personal life? Is it going to significantly make a difference to your business/academic career?

5. T - Time-Bound - Does the goal state a clear and specific completion date?

4. List potential problems that might keep you from completing your goal.

5. Goal Completion Date.

At the bottom of the worksheet, there is space to list up to 7 action items and determine when they need to be completed by.

Click here to see this worksheet and download it for your classroom.

2 PPTs to use in the Classroom

If you want some ready-made positive psychology PowerPoint presentations (PPTs) that you can use in your classroom or as templates for putting your own unique spin on goal setting, these slideshows are a good place to start:

A Look at Goal Setting in Elementary and Middle School

Goal setting is a bit trickier in elementary and middle school than in high school. Younger children generally need a bit more guidance and supervision when setting and striving towards goals, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a shot!

Use the games, worksheets, and activities below to teach goal setting to your elementary and middle school students.

5 Games and Worksheets for Elementary Students (PDF)

1. Pressure Cooker

This game is a great way to get your elementary students to use their critical thinking skills.

It was designed to:

It takes only 15 to 20 minutes to play, keeping it within the attention span of the average elementary school student. You can have up to seven players.

Here's what you'll need to play:

A long rope (around 7 meters)

One numbered spot marker per player

A stopwatch

Here's how the game works:

In advance, lay a long rope on the floor/ground to form a large circle.

Collect and number as many spot markers as you have people in your group.

Randomly distribute the numbered spot markers inside the circle.

Ask each person to stand on top of one of the spot markers.

When ready, instruct each individual to move to and touch every other spot in the ascending order of the numbers.

For example, the person standing on spot #8 will move to 9, 10, 11 and 12 (presuming there are 12 people in the group,) before moving

to 1, 2, 3 through to 8.

As soon as an individual has touched all of the spot-markers and returns to their own, they will exit the circle.

Challenge your group to perform this task as accurately and as fast as possible.

Furthermore, challenge your group to solve this problem without stepping outside of the (roped) circle or touching any other person in the process (touching elsewhere within the circle is permitted.)

Encourage your group to make as many attempts as possible within a specified time period, aiming to improve their performance with each attempt.

Allow ample time for planning and problem-solving.

Click here to download the activity sheet and see popular variations on the game.

2. Cat on Yer Head

This silly game was designed to work with crowds and can accommodate medium to large groups.

The benefits of this game include:

It only takes 2 to 5 minutes to play, making it an excellent warm-up game. All you'll need to play is some balloons and a stopwatch to keep track of time.

To play the game, follow these instructions:

1. Choose or invite two volunteers seated in opposing corners of the room.

2. Nominate one of these people to be the Cat, and the other person to be the Mouse.

3. Announce that the Cat and the Mouse will soon move positions very quickly.

4. To help identify where the Cat (or Mouse) is at any time, they must say the word "CAT" (or "MOUSE") loudly over and over.

5. The Cat and Mouse move whenever the person with it taps any person close to them on the shoulder.

6. Practice this calling and tapping movement for 5 to 10 seconds to gauge understanding.

7. Remind your group that both the Cat and the Mouse can be moved around the audience in any direction, at any time.

8. Announce that the Cat has 30 seconds to catch (tag) the person with the Mouse.

9. When ready, call "GO."

10. If the Cat catches the Mouse before the time expires, the Cat wins.

11. If the Mouse survives for 30 seconds, the Mouse wins.

12. Play several rounds and/or try a variation.

If you'd like to give this game a shot with your students, click here for the full game description and more information.

3. Longest Shadow

This is a quick problem-solving game that requires nothing but the sun! It's good for up to 7 players and only takes 5 to 10 minutes to play.

Why would you choose the Longest Shadow?

1. It's simple to set up.

2. It inspires creativity.

3. It fosters collaboration.

4. It requires no props!

Here's how the game works:

1. Invite your group outside on a bright, sunny day within a wide open space.

2. Challenge your group to work together to position themselves in a manner that casts the longest shadow possible.

3. Each group starts with their shadow touching a common starting line.

4. To heighten the challenge and govern fair-play:

1. The shadow must be one continuous line (i.e., all shadows must be connected); and

2. Only bodies may be used to cast a shadow (i.e., no clothing or other props).

5. Allow the group to have as many attempts as possible within 10 minutes.

6. Measure and record the longest shadow.

To see the full game description and learn about popular variations of this game, click here.

4. Paper Holding

This fun and easy game is great for small groups and facilitates team-building.

You might want to try this game if you're looking for something that:

1. Is an innovative challenge.

2. Fosters cooperation.

3. Inspires creativity.

4. Is very playful and fun!

It takes only 5 to 10 minutes to play and all you need is some paper.

Follow these steps to play the Paper Holding game:

1. Form into teams of three to five people.

2. By way of demonstration, ask two people from a team to volunteer and hold one sheet of paper between the palms of one of their hands.

3. Each team is challenged to assist two of their group members to hold as many pieces of paper
off the ground by using only their bodies.

4. To guide fair play, announce that:

1. Only one sheet of paper can be affixed between any two body parts.

2. No adhesives can be used to hold paper to one's body.

3. Folding the paper is not permitted.

4. Each sheet of paper must be in contact with both team members.

5. No two sheets of paper can be touching.

5. Distribute sheets of paper to each team, and announce "GO."

6. Allow up to 10 minutes and survey the results.

If you want to play this game with your students, you can find more information by clicking here.

Click here to see more games you can use to help students learn about and practice goal setting and goal striving.

5. My Goals Worksheet

It's not as fun as the games described above, but this worksheet is a great way for your students to practice identifying and planning for their goals.

It only requires them to set two goals and gives them ample room to write them down (although they may need your help with this).

After they have identified two goals, they answer the following prompts for each of them:

This goal is important because...

Steps I'll take to reach this goal are...

It's simple, easy, and won't take more than 10 minutes or so, making it an excellent addition to the goal-setting curriculum either before or after one of the games above.

You can find the worksheet here.

8 Goal Setting Activities for Middle School Students (Incl. Worksheets)

If you're a teacher of middle schoolers (or anyone else that interacts with several middle schoolers on a regular basis), these activities and worksheets will provide you with plenty of options for adding goal-setting into the curriculum.

1. Make a Family Bucket List

Making a bucket list is a great way to set goals, and this activity involves the whole family in the goal-setting practice. It's a great way to both model goal setting and encourage your children to practice it themselves, all at once.

Here's how to do it:

Get your family together and collect a piece of paper and some markers.

As a family, brainstorm a list of accomplishments, experiences, or achievement goals that you want to work towards as a family over the next year.

At the end of the year, look back over your list and see what you've accomplished. Celebrate the goals you accomplished as a family.

Encourage your children to use online tools like Trello or Evernote to help create this bucket list and/or to create one for themselves.

2. Draw a Wheel of Fortune

The wheel of fortune is a fun way to introduce goal setting in different areas of life. It will show your children that you don't need to keep your goals limited to school or work, you can set goals in all life domains.

Follow these steps to create and use a wheel of fortune:

1. Draw a circle and divide it into even segments (like you're cutting a pizza into slices).

2. On each segment, write one of the important life domains; for example, you might write "Family," "Friends," "School/Work," "Hobbies," "Health," and "Fun."

3. For each domain, have your child write out the goals she would like to accomplish. Make sure she keeps the goals to a specific timeline (e.g., a month, 3 months, a year).

Make sure to help her keep track of her progress throughout the timeline you chose.

3. Create a Vision Board

Vision boards are a great way to plan out your goals, especially the big ones that are especially meaningful to you. Helping your children or students create a vision board will challenge them, get them thinking about what is most important to them, and encourage them to stay motivated in striving towards their goals.

Here's how to create an effective vision board:

Gather some old magazines (you can also draw pictures, use newspapers, print out some pictures, etc.) and have your students cut out some pictures that represent their hopes and dreams for the future.

Help your students arrange the pictures on a piece of cardboard and use glue to secure them in place. You can also provide glitter, stickers, ribbons, markers, and anything else they might like to decorate their vision board with.

Ask your students to describe what each picture represents and how he or she plans to work toward that goal. If your class is too large or you have some shy students, ask them to write it down instead of sharing it out to the group.

Send them home with their vision board or hang it somewhere in the classroom if there's space for all of them.

4. Play 3 Stars and a Wish

This is a fun and easy game that you can play with your students or your children to help them start thinking about their goals.

It's a simple activity with simple rules:

1. Ask your students or children to come up with three "stars," or things that they do well. The sky is the limit for this activity-the thing they're good at can be anything from a subject in school to a quality that makes him or her a good friend.

2. Now that they have their three stars, tell them to come up with a "wish" to complement their stars; the wish should be something that the children need to work on or would like to get better at. Again, they are only limited by their imagination. They can pick any goal, as long as it is meaningful and important to them.

This activity will not only help them come up with important goals, but it will also help them develop the self-belief they need to succeed.

5. Ask Fun Questions

Asking questions is a great way to get your children or students thinking about what is important to them, what they'd like to achieve or accomplish, and how they can get there.

There are tons of fun questions out there, but here are a couple of examples to get you started:

Ask your students "What would you do if you won the lottery?" or "If you had a superpower, how would you use it?"

Listen to their answers and encourage them to be detailed.

Discuss how they can take their fate into their own hands by making a plan to achieve the hopes, goals, and dreams they identified in their answers.

Continue the discussion as often as you can to make sure they are still thinking about their long-term goals and actively planning ways to reach them.

6. Interest Maps

Interest maps are best for older students, so you may want to save this for upper middle school or junior high students.

Here's how to help your children or students create an interest map:

1. Ask your students to think about what they like to do. Do they like art? Science? Writing? Sports? Have them think about all of their interests and favorite things to do, and write them down.

2. Help them look through their list of interests and see if they can find any patterns; for example, maybe most of their interests involve helping other people or being outside.

3. Have them create an interest map by creating a web of circles and filling them in with their interests in a way that makes sense (e.g., similar interests by one another).

4. Based on their interest map, assist them in creating goals that are relevant and meaningful to them.

This activity will help your students learn more about themselves, which is a vital prerequisite to setting good goals.

7. New Year Reflections and Resolutions

Middle-school-age children will likely have a grasp of the ritual that is setting New Year's resolutions. They will also be at an age where they are demonstrating more agency and preferences in regards to their studies and extracurricular activities.

Making a ritual out of setting New Year's resolutions not only serves as a great opportunity to set goals, but it provides an opportunity to encourage children to reflect on the challenges and triumphs of the previous year, fostering gratitude and a sense of accomplishment.

To facilitate this activity, ask your child to reflect on some of the following questions:

What are you most proud of having achieved in the past year?

What do you think you could have done better in the past year?

What's something you felt particularly passionate about in the past year?

What new goal would you like to accomplish in the new year?

What's a behavior you'd like to stop in the new year?

What's a behavior you'd like to start doing in the new year?

What's something new you'd like to try in the new year?

This is a great exercise to do together as a family. This way, you as the adult can also describe your reflections and set new goals in your personal or professional life. This will allow you to set an example for your kids, who may wish to set goals regarding their schooling, sports, or other extracurricular activities.

For a range of useful worksheets to help your child set goals for the new year, take a look at the templates available at Charts4Kids.com.

8. My Goals Worksheet

This worksheet is an effective tool for encouraging children to think more about their goals and plan on how to meet them.

At the top of the worksheet, there is a box for them to identify their goal and a box to note the target date for completion of their goal.

Next, they are asked to identify three actions that will allow them to reach their goal. These should be relevant and realistic actions that will lead them to completing their goal by their target date.

At the bottom, there is space to explain how they will know they've reached their goal (e.g., what will it look like when they achieve their goal, what the outcome will be). Plus, they are prompted to come up with two things that will help them stick to working towards their goal (e.g., an encouraging friend, a motivating thought).

To see this worksheet or download it for use in your classroom, click here.

Goal Setting for High School Students

At the high school level, goal setting gets a bit easier to teach, but not necessarily easier to learn and implement for the students! High school brings with it all kinds of distractions that can make setting good goals a challenge.

5 Activities and Worksheets for High School Students (PDF)

Use the activities and worksheets described below to help your older students navigate effective goal setting.

1. Smarties Warm-Up Activity

You can use this activity to get students warmed up and ready to think about goal setting. All you'll need is two rolls of Smarties candies (or a similar round, stackable candy) per student and 5 minutes.

The students' task is to stack as many Smarties as they can in one vertical column in one minute-but they can only use one hand. Before they begin, have them set a goal for themselves by estimating the number of Smarties they think they'll be able to stack.

Start the timer and have the students start stacking! Once the timer hits one minute, instruct your students to stop stacking and count up their candy.

Next, you'll guide them through the scoring guidelines:

The Smarties must be standing 5 seconds after the time ends to count.

If the goal is NOT reached, each candy stacked is worth 5 points.

If the goal IS reached, each candy stacked is worth 10 points up to the goal, and 5 points for each additional candy stacked over the goal.

For example, say a student sets a goal of 15 Smarties stacked.

If the student stacked 10 Smarties, they would score 5 points per candy for a total of 50 points.

If the student stacked 15 Smarties, they would score 10 points per candy for a total of 150 points.

If the student stacked 18 Smarties, they would score 10 points per candy up to 15 (150 points) and 5 points per candy up to 18 (15 points) for a total of 165 points.

Have the students calculate their score then determine who stacked the most candies and who had the highest score-due to the scoring, this may not be the same person. Discuss any unusual approaches students used, if any.

See more activities and a full lesson plan on setting goals with high schoolers here.

2. Action for Goals Worksheet

This worksheet is a great reminder for students that setting goals on its own won't get you anywhere-you need to set mini goals and identify action steps on the way to your larger goal.

The worksheet provides an example of a larger goal and the mini goals and action steps that will lead to it:

Overall Goal: I will learn to play a musical instrument proficiently in 5 years.

1. I will determine which instrument I would like to play.

2. I will find a tutor/teacher and begin taking lessons weekly.

3. I will practice daily for 60 minutes.

Using this as a template, students are given the space to write down four goals and come up with 3 mini goals or action steps per goal and provided with these instructions: " In each box below, state a goal that is important to you and then identify the mini goals/action statements needed."

Completing this worksheet will help your students get in the right frame of mind for goal setting and goal striving, and keep them cognizant of the effort required to actually meet their goals after setting them.

You can find this worksheet at this link.

3. My Goals Worksheet

The My Goals worksheet is a good way to help your students figure out what their goals are and refine them into ones that are relevant, meaningful, and motivating.

Here's how it works:

There are 4 boxes on the worksheet:

Healthy Living

Finance

Friendships

Work or School

These boxes surround one oval marked "Me."

Students are instructed to "Describe your needs in each of the following categories below; from those needs, determine what good goal statements would be. In the middle box, describe yourself."

Good goal setting requires healthy reflection and an understanding of who we are and what we want, which this activity is sure to help your students build upon.

View, download, or print the My Goals worksheet by clicking here.

4. Rate Yourself Worksheet

Another great activity to try before setting goals is to rate yourself on your need for goal setting in each life domain-in other words, to determine how much you are in need of improvement in each area.

This worksheet provides you with an easy way to get your students to rate themselves in 12 different life domains. The instructions at the top state:

" Before setting goals for yourself, determine where the need is by completing the scale below. Once completed, prioritize them from greatest to least need."

The scale given to students for their use in rating is as follows:

1. Very Dissatisfied

2. Somewhat Dissatisfied

3. Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied

4. Somewhat Satisfied

5. Very Satisfied

The 12 domains listed for students to rate their need are:

1. Money

2. Family Relationships

3. Friends and Relationships

4. Fitness

5. Diet

6. Career or School

7. Social Life

8. Spirituality

9. Sense of Belonging

10. Hobbies / Sports

11. Knowledge

12. Other

To use this worksheet with your high schoolers, follow this link.

5. Goal Setting: Learning from the Past

It's also important to think about your past goals and taking inventory of what went well, what didn't, and any other lessons learned. This worksheet can guide your students through that process.

It opens with an explanation of why it's an important practice:

"Before setting new goals, it's important to look back to previous goals you have set and learn from them. Analyze why you reached those goals or why you didn't reach those goals."

Next, the worksheet presents several questions and prompts to help the user think it through:

Be ready to help your students with useful prompts or examples in case they need help, and discuss their answers with them after they've completed the activity.

Click here to see this worksheet.

Goal Setting for College Students

By the time students reach college, they are generally at least somewhat familiar with goal setting techniques and have a minimum level of competence in setting effective goals; however, that doesn't mean they have no work left to do!

Goal setting and striving are made up of a set of skills that can be increased and enhanced throughout life-there is no maximum level of skill one can have in setting good goals.

9 Activities and Games for College Students

The activities and games described here can help you give your college students the push they need to further develop their goal-setting skills.

Goal Setting for the First-Time College Student

This is a great activity for new college students, as it shows them the importance of setting good goals and planning to achieve them.

Here's how to get your new students thinking critically about their goals:

1. Ask them to answer the questions in this activity as profoundly and honestly as they can.

2. Instruct them to think of at least categories of life goals:

1. Relationships with other people (family, friends, work relationships)

2. Work or career goals

3. Other personal achievement activity goals (hobbies, travel, athletics, etc.)

3. Have them take a few moments to visualize what their life would be like if it was perfect.

4. Hand out six 3 x 5 index cards to each student and have them number them 1 through 6.

5. Allow one minute for Part 1:
On the first card, have your students answer this prompt: "How do you want to spend the rest of your life? Make a list of activities and goals for the rest of your life."

6. Allow one minute for Part 2:
On the second card, have them answer this prompt: "What do you want to do the next 5 to 10 years? Again, list activities and goals."

7. Allow one minute for Part 3:
On the third card, have them answer this prompt: "If you had six months to live, how would you spend it? List activities and goals."

8. Allow one minute for Part 4:
Have them go over the first three cards and add or delete any item that has come to mind since the beginning of the exercise.

9. Allow one minute for Part 5:
Card 4, line 1: Have your students select the goal or activity from card one that they most desire to achieve and write it there.

10. Allow one minute for Part 6:
Card 4, line 2: Have your students select the goal or activity from card two that they most desire to achieve and write it there.

11. Allow one minute for Part 7:
Card 4, line 3: Have your students select the goal or activity from card three that they most desire to achieve and write it there.

12. Allow three minutes for Part 8:
On card 6, have your students write as many things as they could do in the next 7 days to further the goals they wrote down on card 4. This part isn't about feasibility, but creativity and comprehensiveness, so tell them not to worry about how possible or likely these things are yet.

13. Allow one minute for Part 9:
Instruct your students to scratch out any item on card 5 that they don't actually intend to do or think they can't do.

14. Allow one minute for Part 10:
Have your students choose three items from card 5 that they will do in the next 7 days and write them down on card 6.

To further the goal-setting practice, you can share the worksheet at the end of this activity with your students.

It poses 8 prompts for students to answer:

1. My long-range goals to complete in the next 2-3 years are:

2. Steps I need to take to achieve these (long-range) goals are:

3. My mid-range goals to complete in the next 1 year are:

4. Steps I need to take to achieve these (mid-range) goals are:

5. My short-range goals to complete by the first day of the semester are:

6. Steps I need to take to achieve these (short-range) goals are:

7. My immediate goals for the next month are:

8. Steps I need to take to achieve these (immediate) goals are:

To see this activity and the worksheet attached to it, click here.

8 Activities to Think About Goal Setting

This list of activities to help students think about goal setting comes from the Supporting Transition and Education through Planning and Partnerships (STEPP) Program, a program designed to help students with learning disabilities succeed in college. It's not just helpful for students with learning disabilities though-the activities can be helpful for anyone who wants to improve their goal setting skills.

The activities include:

1. Thinking About You - What qualities do you like most about yourself? What qualities would you like to improve?

2. Thinking About Others - What qualities do you admire in others (i.e., qualities you see in specific people, and/or those you admire in general)?

3. Values - Identify your top 5 values. What is most important to you? Why?

4. Strengths vs. Weaknesses - What are you good at? What is difficult for you?

5. Likes vs. Dislikes - Identify things you strongly like and dislike (e.g., places, activities, classes, foods, events, people, etc.). Why do you like/dislike these?

6. Super-You - Imagine you are a superhero? What would your superpower be? What would your "kryptonite" (vulnerability) be?

7. Back to the Future - Picture yourself 5 years from today and consider where you would like to be, who you would like to be with, and what you would like to be doing. Then ask the same questions for 10, 20, and even 50 years down the road.

8. Pushing Up Daisies - Imagine that you have passed away at the age of 100, and someone close to you is about to give the eulogy at your memorial service. What do you most want them to say about you?

These 8 activities will give your students a great head start on thinking about their goals and how they plan to reach them.

Click here to see these 8 activities and other helpful tips and tricks on goal setting for college students.

Recommended Books on the Topic

To learn more about goal setting for children and students, check out these six popular books on the subject:

My Happy Place: A Children's Self-Reflection and Personal Growth Journal with Creative Exercises, Fun Activities, Inspirational Quotes, Gratitude, Dreaming, Goal Setting, Coloring In, and Much More - Sheleen Lepar and Helene Pam (Amazon)

Future Lady Boss: Goal Setting Journal - Suzie Luv (Amazon)

Student Achievement Goal Setting: Using Data to Improve Teaching and Learning - Leslie Grant and James Stronge (Amazon)

Every Kid's Guide to Goals: How to Choose, Set, and Achieve Goals That Matter to You - Karleen Tauszik (Amazon)

Levi's Great & Wonderful Life: A Child's Story About Overcoming Fears, Setting Goals, & Achieving Success Through Visualization - Brandon Vannoy (Amazon)

My Simple Book of Goals: Goal-Setting Journal for Youth - Alicia Hadley (Amazon)

Then we have an additional article where we take an in-depth look at the best goal-setting books.

3 Recommended Videos

If you don't have time to read a full book at the moment but want a little more knowledge about goal setting for children, give these four videos a try:

Setting Goals - McMasterUTV

CashVille Kidz Episode 11: Goal & Goal Setting - CashVilleKidz

Goal Setting Growth Mindset - Michelle Turner

A Take-Home Message

In this piece, we described goal setting for children, explained why it's important, and provided some resources to help you teach your children or students about goal setting.

I hope you found this piece helpful and that you have some ideas about how to encourage successful goal setting and striving in your children or students.

What are your thoughts on goal setting for children? Does it need to be approached in a different way than goal setting for adults? How do you think it's best to get started? Let us know in the comments section!

Thanks for reading, and happy goal setting!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don't forget to download our three Goal Achievement Exercises for free.

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42 Goal Setting Activities for Students & Kids (+ PDF)

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Learning how to set goals in school and role model the right behaviors that can encourage effective goal setting by students and kids.

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5 ways to help teens build a sense of self-worth

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5 ways to help teens build a sense of self-worth

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No one wants to hang out with me. I'm a failure at school. All my other friends seem happy. What's wrong with me?
These kinds of negative thoughts are becoming more common in our homes and schools. Teens are experiencing increased anxiety, and studies indicate that college students in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States are becoming more perfectionistic over time, measuring themselves against unrealistic standards.

Why is this happening? We can't say for sure-but we do know there are steps teens can take to improve their mental health.

A 2018 study of early adolescents suggests that self-concept (your perception of self) plays a central role in emotional well-being. According to the study, a supportive classroom environment and positive social relationships also affect teen well-being-but the impact is indirect. Positive self-concept seems to be the key variable in the well-being equation. If a student feels good about herself, then she may be more likely to connect with others and benefit from the supports provided at school.

So, how can we influence how students think about themselves? This may feel like a very tall order; yet there is a lot of research out there that provides some clues for supporting the teens in your life. Here are five ways to help tweens and teens move toward a more positive self-concept.

1. Get physical

Although you may have heard this before, kids really can benefit from regular exercise (especially when their tendency is to sit in front of a screen). A recent review of 38 international studies indicates that physical activity alone can improve self-esteem and self-concept in children and adolescents.

Apparently, the exercise setting also matters. Students who participated in supervised activities in schools or gymnasiums reported more significant growth in self-esteem than those who exercised at home and in other settings.

Adolescents' self-concept is most strongly linked to their sense of physical attractiveness and body image, an area where many people struggle. So, encourage more regular exercise programs during and after school, and support team sports, strength training, running, yoga, and swimming-not just for their effects on the body but on the mind, as well. Getting out and engaging in some form of exercise can make us feel stronger, healthier, and more empowered.

2. Focus on self-compassion (not self-esteem)

Because self-esteem is a global evaluation of your overall worth, it has its dangers. What am I achieving? Am I good enough? How do I compare with my peers?

What would happen if we could stop judging ourselves? Researcher Kristen Neff claims that self-compassion-treating yourself with kindness, openness, and acceptance-is a healthy alternative to the incessant striving and performance orientation often tied up with self-esteem.

In her study of adolescents and young adults, she found that participants with higher self-compassion demonstrated greater well-being. Why? They were okay with their flaws, acknowledged that they struggled just like those around them ("Everybody makes mistakes; you are not alone"), and treated themselves with the same kindness they would extend to a friend ("It's okay; you did your best").

Participants with higher self-compassion demonstrated greater well-being. Why? They were okay with their flaws, acknowledged that they struggled just like those around them ("Everybody makes mistakes; you are not alone"), and treated themselves with the same kindness they would extend to a friend

If you are interested in specific techniques and strategies for enhancing self-compassion in teens, take a look at the work of psychologist Karen Bluth. She recently developed a program called Making Friends with Yourself. Youth participating in this eight-week program reported greater resilience, less depression, and less stress at the end of it. However, if there isn't a program near you, consider sharing this self-compassion workbook with the teens in your life.

3. Avoid social comparison

When we focus on self-esteem, we tend to get caught up in comparing ourselves to others. Teens, in particular, often sense an " imaginary audience " (i.e., "Everyone is looking at me!") and can become highly sensitized to who they are relative to everyone around them.

Instagram and other social media platforms don't necessarily help. Some research suggests an association between social media and depression, anxiety, loneliness, and FoMO (fear of missing out) among teens. Their posts may not rack up the number of "likes" that their friends' posts do, or they may feel excluded when they see pictures of classmates happily spending time together without them.

A new app for teen girls called Maverick may be a healthier option than Snapchat or Instagram. On this social media platform, teens can connect with role models (called "Catalysts") and explore their creativity (such as designing their own superhero or choosing a personal mantra). Of course, there is always the option of taking a break from social media, as well.

Regardless of what teens choose to do online, many of our schools are also structured for social comparison. Grading, labeling, and tracking practices (grouping students based on their academic performance) don't necessarily honor the stops, starts, and inevitable mistakes that are a natural part of the learning process.

Here are some school-based alternatives designed to reduce social comparison:

Don't make grades public.

Provide opportunities to revise and redo assignments.

Avoid ability grouping as much as possible.

Focus on individual growth and improvement.

Acknowledge students' small successes.

4. Capitalize on specific skills

If you keep your eye out for teens' talents and interests, you can support them in cultivating their strengths. Your son may think he is a terrible athlete, but he lights up when he works on school science projects. Then there's that quiet, disheveled ninth-grade girl who sits in the back of your class. She may feel socially awkward, but she wows you with her poetry.

Researcher Susan Harter has studied adolescent self-esteem and self-concept for years. She claims that self-concept is domain-specific. Our overall self-esteem or sense of worth tends to be rooted in eight distinct areas: athletic competence, scholastic competence, behavioral conduct, social acceptance, close friendship, romantic appeal, job satisfaction, and physical attractiveness.

Talk to the teens in your life. What are their personal values and priorities? Share surveys with them like the VIA (which identifies character strengths like bravery, honesty, and leadership) or have them take a multiple intelligences quiz. Celebrate their talents and tailor activities and instruction around their abilities as much as possible.

It may not be easy to shift teens' global sense of self-worth, but we can certainly highlight and encourage areas of interest and particular skill sets so that they feel more confident, capable, and inspired.

5. Help others (especially strangers)

Finally, when teens reach out to others, they are more likely to feel better about themselves. A 2017 study of 681 U.S. adolescents (ages 11-14) examined their kind and helpful behavior over a four-year period. Researchers found that adolescents who were kind and helpful in general had higher self-esteem, but those who directed their generosity toward strangers (not friends and family) tended to grow in self-esteem.

Last Friday, I joined my daughter and her peers during the "action" phase of their " Change the World" project. Their social studies teacher, Tim Owens, tasked the eighth graders with choosing a sustainability issue, researching the problem and possible solutions, planning action, and implementing the action.

These middle schoolers spent a full day canvasing their neighborhoods to advocate for policies that protected people they don't know, like local refugees and homeless youth-as well as animals used for product testing. I've never seen my daughter and her friends more energized, confident, and engaged with their community.

As adults, we can actively support service learning projects in our schools and our teens' interests in advocacy and civil engagement. Adolescents around the world can also work remotely with non-profit organizations like DoSomething, "a digital platform promoting offline action" in 131 countries. On this site, young people can choose a cause, the amount of time they want to commit to it, and the type of help they would like to provide (e.g., face-to-face, improving a space, making something, sharing something, etc.)

When teens regularly contribute to a larger cause, they learn to think beyond themselves, which may ultimately help them to be more positive, empowered, and purposeful.

As many teens struggle with anxiety and perfectionism, our urge may be to jump in and fix their problems, whatever we perceive them to be. But a better approach, one that will hopefully help reverse these worrying trends, is to cheer them on as they develop the mental habits and strengths that will support them throughout their lives.
This article originally appeared on Greater Good, the online magazine of UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, one of Mindful's partners. View the original article.

Teens Are Better Off When Parents Practice Self-Compassion (Study)

School's Out for the Summer. Why Aren't Teens More Chill?

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Five Ways to Help Teens Build a Sense of Self-Worth

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Teens are experiencing increased levels of anxiety and perfectionism. Encouraging them to develop their strengths and see beyond themselves can help boost their self-esteem.

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Print-Friendly Version Helping Students Participate in the IEP Meeting
Students who have not participated in their IEP meetings often view the IEP process with fear or mistrust. They may not see how the goals relate to their needs. Students who participate in the IEP process are generally more committed to working on the IEP goals.
Steps in Preparing a Student to Participate Appropriately in the IEP Process

1. Explain what the process is and obtain a commitment from the student to participate.

2. Describe an IEP meeting, demonstrate how to participate, and role play with the student.

3. Help the student do a self-inventory and plan for the conference similar to the way parents and teachers do. The student could fill out a simple form.

Have the student list:

Learning strengths (list as many as possible)

Learning weaknesses (If there are a lot, help him/her prioritize and list the most important ones)

List goals and interests

School

non-school

long-range plans

How do I learn best? (listening, reading, or doing)

What kind of group is best for me? (large, small)

What kinds of tests are best for me? (oral, written, un-timed)

What kinds of study materials are best for me? (written, taped)

What kinds of aids help me? (tape recorder, computer, calculator, friend taking notes for me, "buddy")

Learning instructional preferences

As part of the inventory for a secondary student, you could use a chart (sample follows) listing goals she is willing to work on in each class or deficit area.
Sample of Student Inventory Preparation:

Teach the student how to share his information from the inventory appropriately. Teaching the SHARE process is one method of helping students who need this skill.

The SHARE process:

S - Sit up straight

H - Have a positive attitude

A - Active listening

R - Relax

E - Eye contact

1. Have the student practice sharing the material. (If this is done in a classroom situation, the students could do this as a group first and give each other feedback).

2. Obtain a commitment from the teacher and others attending the IEP to help the student participate actively. Some suggestions for encouraging student participation are to:

Establish the purpose and goals of the meeting.

Ask the student relevant questions, such as:

What would you identify as your strengths and weaknesses?

What skills do you want to improve?

What are your goals for school?

What are your career or vocational interests?

What ways do you learn best?

What types of tests are best for you?

Listen and attentively take notes.

Give the student plenty of time to think and respond. This is crucial.

Use the information he provides.

Encourage questions and discussion.

Summarize the student's goals and plans.

Keep eye contact with the student. (Teachers usually tend to look at and talk to the parent which is discouraging to the student.)

Follow up with the student after the IEP. Help the student evaluate his/her participation.

List at least three things the student did well.

List one or two things the student needs to improve.

These techniques can be used either in a classroom situation or with an individual student. Research shows that when a student participates in his or her IEP, he or she likes it and feels it is important. The student will bring up most of the real concerns, and you can add the rest. The student is usually quite accurate. In addition, the teacher gains insight into how the student thinks about his or her studies. Parents also learn about their students as they self-advocate.

An added benefit of a student participating in the IEP is the building of self-esteem and commitment because the student feels like a partner in the process.
This material is based on notes from a lecture by Candace S. Bos and is used with permission. Student Participation in the IEP Meeting - Tips

Consider when and how to appropriately involve your child in the IEP process. Help the child develop confidence and become comfortable talking about his or her disability and needs. Teach your child to identify what is helpful, including accommodations. Involving the student at a young age can help him or her learn self-advocacy as well as goal setting and planning skills.

Consider having non-verbal students participate in the IEP meeting by providing written information about themselves, their needs and goals. For example, some nonverbal students have successfully led their own IEP meetings by creating and using a Power Point presentation. This activity could be included as an IEP goal to teach self advocacy.

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Student Participation in the IEP - Utah Parent Center

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Print-Friendly Version Helping Students Participate in the IEP Meeting Students who have not participated in their IEP meetings often view the IEP process with fear or mistrust. They may not...

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Activities to Teach About Disabilities

What better day than today to publish this post! Today is the first day of Developmental Disabilities Awareness month.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963

We're not quite there yet, are we? As far as teaching non-disabled children about their disabled peers?

According to the US Department of Education, 15-20% of our school children have IEPs. Why are we not teaching kids about disabilities on a regular basis? We owe it to our kids, both the non-disabled and disabled ones.

They have to learn how to interact, how to live and work together. This is their future.

Get the list: 25 Amazing Inclusion Books for Kids

Disability Awareness Month Activities

March and April are here. Disabilities Awareness Month and Autism Awareness Month. Both are great months and great conversation starters to start to share with the rest of the world how great our kids are.

Teaching kids about disabilities isn't that hard. It is important that we engage the actual disabled people in explaining disabilities to students. They should be the ones to determine the message conveyed.

Disability Awareness in Schools

I am proud to say that I approached my non-disabled child's preschool and asked her to include this in the upcoming months. Teaching preschoolers about disabilities is an opportunity not to be missed. Create understanding now when kids are young to avoid bullying and fear later. We met, we chatted online, and they are doing it!

His school does a bunch of MLK Day activities, and about people who are different from you. And, in February they do a whole thing on love and friendships and it will be discussed then. She (the preschool director) then shared with me a book she found in their library that they are going to use, and the whole thing inspired this post. {note, this post is frequently updated, he's not in preschool anymore!}

So here you go, not only do you approach your school or church or scout troop and say "I'd like to encourage you to teach kids about kids with disabilities, and I will help if you'd like" but now you have some resources to send to them as well.

Note, this is about teaching inclusion and teaching acceptance, and tolerance. This is not a teaching strategy for an inclusive classroom. This is to answer questions that kids may have about other kids who are different.

Understanding is the first step and it's OK for kids to be curious.
Amazon.com Widgets
So here you go, I combed the web and found many printables and downloads, and websites for you to use. I did not create any of these, merely sharing them.

Teaching Kids about Disabilities

When readers find this post, I am often asked about disability awareness activities for adults. Definitely needed! I hear you. But I was unable to find any disability awareness activities for adults, so you may want to adapt these to an older audience. I know it is very needed in the workplace.

1. Disability Awareness Packet (note: This packet is good, but it contains some outdated language and concepts. It contains the phrase "mental retardation" because that is the language used then. Adapt to modern philosophy as appropriate)

2. Learning About Disabilities- from Teaching Tolerance; different disability lesson plans for different age groups.

3. Disability Awareness Tips from the Huffington Post

4. Hasbro recently came out with some pretty cool stuff to teach empathy to kids

Teaching youth to share and accept each other's differences is part of building an inclusive culture that shields students with disabilities from bullying.
https://onlinegrad.baylor.edu/resources/teaching-children-disabilities-inclusion/

Disability Awareness Lesson Plans

Disability awareness in schools is starting to become more common, but there are limited resources out there. I am working with a few other moms and teachers to develop a disability awareness curriculum . When it is complete, I will definitely share.

Until then, here are some special needs lesson plans and activities that you can use and adapt for your classroom or setting.

This video is a bit dry, but it's all I could find. He has some good thoughts and ideas.

Even if your own child's teacher or troop leader won't do this, don't get discouraged. If you have non-disabled siblings in the home or nieces/nephews, the opportunity will present itself and you can use these tips then.

How to Teach Kids about Disabilities

As appropriate, let children be curious. Children are always learning, even if you are not consciously teaching them. So let's make sure they get the right information.

Focus on your (disabled) child's strengths. And what they like; find common ground with the other kids. Create understanding.

Allow them a safe place to ask questions. So they don't create fear-based hate later on. Allow open conversations in your own, invite them.

Disabilities Awareness Month Activities

Disability Awareness Activities are great to do in schools. However, real change begins at home.

Just yesterday, my family was at Longwood Gardens and I noticed several toddlers and preschoolers starting at Kevin. Teaching preschoolers about disabilities is important too!

Explaining disabilities to students at home can go a long way to improving a school's climate.

1. Move past awareness and into acceptance. I'm updating this post for 2015 and this one is going to the top! Let's move past awareness...is there anyone who is not aware that autism exists, or that there are children and adults living with either disease or disability? We don't just want you aware....we want to be accepted and included. And inclusion means contributing! Not just passively watching, participating.

2. Make an effort to change your vocabulary. It's not a matter of being overly PC. It's about being sensitive and respecting children. I'm not just talking about the R-word, though that is the next thing on the list. There are other phrases that also get said that are really cringe-worthy if you are a parent. Think about phrases like "they said she might only ever be a vegetable" or "they say she has the capacity of a 2-year-old" (and the child is 15). Now imagine what it would feel like if you were that person or parent! You know what, ask. Most special needs parents would rather open up the communication instead of having you guessing about what to say.

3. Take the pledge. Spread the Word to End the Word has an online pledge and other information to read and share. This is not an item up for discussion anymore. Plain and simple, it's not OK to say it. Don't try to justify it, just take it out of your vocabulary.

4. Offer to run an awareness program at a Sunday school class, scout troop, or other related groups. I did this with my son's preschool director. She actually helped me with some of the resources and they are going to do it as a unit at the preschool. How cool is that? Literally, hundreds of preschoolers in our community will be made aware of others' differences, which is just so awesome. You can make this happen in your community too.

5. Amazon.com Widgets Reach out to a special needs mom. This can be a very isolating life sometimes. I get tired of only talking about IEPs and medical appointments and would love to just talk about normal stuff or shop for an afternoon.

6. Make an effort to reach out to a neighborhood family or one you see at church and try to include them. Our kids don't often get invited to birthday parties and play dates. Our kids often lack the skills to make friends but would very much enjoy being around typical children even if the play doesn't look like normal play.

7. Add bullying and differences to your dinner table conversation. Bullying seems to be on everyone's radar these days so bring it to your dinner table conversation. Are your kids seeing other kids (who are different) being made fun of? Encourage them to reach out and be a friend, be a hero. Sometimes all it takes to end a pattern of bullying is for one strong person to stand up and say something. Encourage your child to be that person.

8. Support a charity and not necessarily just money! There are many ways you can support a cause. Of course, monetary donations are always welcome but it's not just money. You can sometimes collect bottle caps, Box Tops for Education, run a 5k or 10k that supports a charity, use a search engine (like GoodSearch) that supports a charity...even Amazon now has Amazon Smile which supports charities when you shop on Amazon.

9. Remember that everyone is better for this. There are many studies that show that children who are aware of the differences of others, who do participate in inclusive classrooms and extra-curricular activities, and who are the friend instead of the bully....they are better at life. Everyone, not just the child with disabilities but the typical child too, does better academically, and psychologically and scores better on overall happiness tests as compared to those who do not make the effort. Inclusion works, it really does!

10. Be You! Not everything you do is related to disabilities. Bust through those stereotypes and get out there, and show your community that your family is just like theirs most of the time. Being a positive role model and advocate is one of the most useful things you can do.

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25 Disability Awareness Activities for Kids of all Ages

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How to teach non-disabled children about their peers with disabilities: Awesome assortment Disability Awareness Activities and Lesson Plans for Kids.

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20 Self Esteem Activities for Middle School

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20 Self Esteem Activities for Middle School

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20 Self-Esteem Activities for Middle School - Teaching Expertise

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The middle school years can be difficult for most students. Self-confidence is often related to one's desire to "fit in" and belong. Middle schoolers want

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CliftonStrengths Test - Free Alternative To Gallup's StrengthsFinder

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Take the CliftonStrengths test alternative. It is a free alternative to Gallup's Clifton strengths test (formerly the StrengthsFinder test)

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Service learning projects have become an important part of school culture, and for good reason. These activities get kids involved in their communities, developing empathy and a sense of generosity.

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Service learning projects have become an important part of school culture, and for good reason. These activities get kids involved in their communities, developing empathy and a sense of generosity. We've got project ideas that are ideal for kids of all ages, whether they're working on their own, as a class, or with their families. Take a look and get inspired!

New to service learning projects? Start here.

Discover volunteer opportunities

Volunteering lies at the heart of many service learning projects, and the activities are pretty much endless. Check out our whole list of 50 volunteer opportunities for kids here. These are some of our favorites:

Guide Dogs for the Blind: Train or foster guide dogs or help with administrative tasks. Puppy raisers can be any age, whether you're 9 or 90. No prior experience is necessary!

Habitat for Humanity: The Habitat Youth Programs instill a love of volunteering from an early age by providing a variety of volunteer opportunities for those as young as 5.

Project Linus: Make security blankets for children in hospitals. Perfect for crafty kids!

Take the 30 Days of Service Challenge

This challenge not only brings service learning to the forefront of every day, it also exposes kids to a variety of service activities. After they complete the challenge, encourage them to try adding one or more of these activities to their schedule on a regular basis going forward. Learn about the 30 Days of Service Challenge here.

Support a park

Start by taking a field trip to a nearby local, state, or national park. Explore what it has to offer, but also consider what it needs to be even better. More picnic tables? Better interpretive signs? Inclusive playground equipment? A general litter cleanup? Students can propose these ideas to park officials and come up with ways to make them happen!

Run a food drive

Food insecurity remains a major issue in our country, and organizing a food drive is a classic service learning project. Visit Feeding America to find organizations that need your help.

Serve at a food pantry

Many kids can't imagine what it's like not knowing where your next meal will come from. Help develop their sense of empathy by volunteering at food pantries or soup kitchens. Make it a regular activity so they can form bonds with the local community members. FoodPantries.org has a list of places that welcome volunteers.

Start a school recycling program

Source: PepsiCo Recycle Rally

Go green! Get all the resources you need to set up and run a stellar school recycling program here. Already have one? Encourage students to find ways to make it even more effective.

Create a school or community garden

Even when food insecurity isn't an issue, healthy eating often is. Junk food is often cheaper than healthy food, and many people don't have ready access to a place to grow their own fruits and veggies. A school or community garden lets kids dig their hands into the soil and help provide some much-needed fresh produce for others. The USDA has some tips here to help you get started.

Beautify your school

Does your school have a graffiti, trash, or vandalism problem? Even if it doesn't, we bet your hallways and grounds could be a little brighter and more welcoming. Give students a sense of ownership by having them paint murals, decorate the hallways, or spruce up the bathrooms.

Collaborate on community art

Take a look around your neighborhood and find a place that could use an injection of creativity. Then plan a project where students work with members of the community to make something beautiful! Check out our collection of fun collaborative art projects here.

Participate in citizen science

Citizen science projects are terrific service learning ideas! Plant a milkweed monarch waystation, start a pollinator garden to help bees, or help track the progress of migrating species. You'll find even more citizen science projects for kids here.

Host a St. Jude Trike-a-Thon

Source: St. Jude

Preschool and day-care children will learn about trike and riding-toy safety and the importance of helping others, all while having fun and earning prizes. Launched in 1983, St. Jude Trike-a-Thon fundraisers provide educators with a weeklong curriculum that includes a series of interactive lessons with two charming characters, Bikewell Bear and Pedals the Bunny. Educational materials-storybooks, videos, and coloring books-that support learning are also provided. All of this adds an educational bent to your big trike event and your efforts for St. Jude! Click here to find out more.

Walk for Water

Open students' eyes to what it means to live without easy access to clean water with a 5K like no other. Participants complete the race carrying a gallon of water, like so many people around the world must do multiple times each day. Learn about this incredible service learning project from H2O for Life here.

Take part in the St. Jude Math-a-Thon

The St. Jude Math-a-Thon is designed to work with your school's existing curriculum. Students raise money from friends and family and solve math problems in grade-specific Funbooks, developed by Scholastic. Students also learn how math plays an important role in the lifesaving work happening every day at St. Jude.

Hold a hygiene drive

Food isn't the only necessity that some people struggle to provide for their families. They also need soap, toothpaste, deodorant, period products, and other hygiene supplies. Work with local shelters to find out what they need, and hold a drive to collect those items. Or order a Soap Saves Lives Box and assemble kits to be distributed at local food pantries or other locations.

Socialize with senior citizens

Source: Star Tribune

Getting older can sometimes be lonely, especially for those in nursing homes and other senior facilities. There are lots of ways for kids to help, from sending letters and cards to spending time reading with or to a senior buddy. Find more ways for kids to volunteer with seniors here.

Knit for charity

Knitting helps kids build their manual dexterity and improves hand-eye coordination. Combine those benefits with charitable giving to create a fun, creative service learning project. Organizations like Hats 4 the Homeless and Warm Up America take your knitted goods and get them to those who need them. Find a whole list of knitting charities here.

Organize a book drive

Reading Is Fundamental believes that every kid deserves to learn how to read and to have books to enjoy. Team up with the organization to run a local book drive, and check out some of their other volunteer opportunities too. Books for Africa is another terrific organization that needs your book donations.

Provide translation services

Chances are, your school produces its communications in English alone. But it's likely that not everyone in your community speaks English fluently. Reach out to all members of your community by translating your school materials into other languages spoken locally. Kids in foreign language classes can do some of the work themselves, or they can seek out neighbors and friends who might be able to help.

Tutor or set up peer mentoring programs

Older kids helping younger kids-what a great way to build a sense of community! Pair students to create a buddy system, or organize a tutoring program run entirely by kids. Learn more about peer mentoring programs here.

Help a local animal shelter

Source: Animal Humane Society

Animal-loving kids will be thrilled to help local pets in need. Some shelters have minimum age requirements for volunteers, but they often desperately need supplies and toys that kids can help collect. Plus, their animals are always looking for good homes! Challenge your kids to come up with creative ways to match homeless pets with their forever families. Contact your local shelter, or visit the ASPCA's website for ideas.

Build Busy Boxes for hospitals

Sick kids who spend lots of time in the hospital welcome new ways to keep busy. That's where Busy Boxes come in! Run a drive to collect small toys, games, puzzles, and more. Then package them up (for even more fun, decorate the boxes!) and donate them to children's hospitals and other facilities that help sick kids. ( via That After School Life)

Start Meatless Mondays

Meatless Mondays aren't about promoting vegetarianism or veganism. They're simply a way to encourage us all to consider the impact eating meat has on the planet (it might surprise you!). Kids can try Meatless Mondays at home, plus work with their school cafeteria to offer meals without meat that day too. Learn about the Meatless Monday campaign here.

Welcome a refugee family

Thousands of people flee their homelands and seek asylum in the United States every year. Getting here is just one part of a long and often difficult journey. Communities can help refugees settle in and feel at home by working with Refugee Council USA. This is a wonderful project for students and parents to work on together.

Start an awareness campaign

Once kids find an issue near and dear to their hearts, they'll jump wholeheartedly into spreading the word. The great thing about awareness campaigns is that the topic can be just about anything: anti-bullying, healthy lifestyles, environmental issues, and on and on. Kids really get a chance to be creative with these campaigns, with something to build on everyone's strengths. Learn how to plan an awareness campaign here.

What are your go-to service learning projects? Come share your experiences and ask for advice in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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25+ Meaningful Service Learning Projects for Kids and Teens

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Inspire students to help their community when you make service learning projects part of the curriculum. Get lots of ideas here!

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Self-confidence activities offer another fun engaging way to build confidence and self-esteem in children.

Try these 9 self-confidence activities with your students to empower their sense of self-worth.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our FREE 5-Day Self Love Challenge for Kids (ages 5-11). These creative, science-based exercises will help your child train their brain to become more self-loving, confident, and capable of dealing with challenges and setbacks.

1. Letter to Yourself

Understanding and accepting yourself is key to developing self-esteem, as is the ability to reflect. Writing letters to themselves can help children build these essential skills.

Here are a few different letter-writing activities you can try with students:

Letter to your future self-- children should write a letter to their future self about what they would like to do and accomplish by the end of the school year. At the end of the year, return the letters to students so they can reflect on how far they've come. If they didn't fully reach their , celebrate their progress and talk about the lessons they've learned that will help them in the future.

Letter to your past self-- have your students write about the achievements they're proud of, the mistakes they've learned from, and what they can do differently going forward. If this letter brings up any negative feelings for your students, remind them it's not too late to make changes. Help them brainstorm steps they can take to create the positive changes they'd like to see.

Thank you letter to yourself- in this letter, they write a thank you letter to themselves about the qualities they're happy to have, the achievements they're proud of, and so on. An alternative to this activity is to have students write thank you letters to important people in their lives, as practicing gratitude boosts positive thinking and confidence. Older children may enjoy writing thank you letters to their classmates (and reading about why their classmates feel grateful for them too).

2. Transforming Negative Self-Talk Activity

In the column on the left, tell students to list situations or thoughts that trigger the negative self-talk they wrote in the middle column. For example, thoughts about being "dumb" or bad at school may be triggered by earning a bad grade or comparing their own performance in school to their peers.

3. Certificate of Recognition

Begin this activity by assigning each student a classmate to observe for a week. Students should not share who they are observing for the week. At the end of the week, students create a Certificate of Recognition celebrating their assigned classmate for something they've done during the week. It may be a kind or helpful act, actively participating in the class, etc.

The following week, tell students that, this time, they are observing themselves. At the end of the week, they'll make a Certificate of Recognition to celebrate something positive they've done. This activity trains the brain to look for the positive and celebrate even small achievements and accomplishments.

4. Gratitude Journal

Research shows people who practice gratitude tend to have higher self-esteem. Intentionally noticing the positive in others and in the world helps children notice the positive in themselves too.

Students can write in gratitude journals daily or weekly. There are a few different ways to approach this exercise:

Provide writing prompts, such as, "Something that made me smile today was __________," or, "Two people I was grateful for today were _____________ and __________ because _______________."

Simply ask students to list three things they felt grateful for each day or week.

Younger children can draw pictures of what they're grateful for and then discuss with partners or groups.

Have class-wide discussions about gratitude using gratitude journals at least 2-3 times a month. Consistently writing and talking about gratitude yields more positive thoughts and feelings, in turn increasing self-esteem.

Be sure to check out our Best Sellers Bundle PDF (ages 5-11). It includes our three most popular printable kits packed with science-based growth mindset activities, guides, and crafts for children. With over 50 pages, this kit will help your children or students understand they have the capacity to learn anything.

5. Goals Journal

Another type of positive confidence-building journal for students is a goals journal. Setting and achieving goals (or even making significant progress toward them) is a major confidence boost for children of all ages.
Each month, or each quarter of the school year, have students record one measurable achievable goal in their journal. Students should also write down how they will know when they've achieved their goal and what steps they'll need to take to get there. Finally, write down potential obstacles and a plan for what they will do if the obstacle arises.

At the end of each week, have students record their progress toward the goal. Do they need to make any adjustments to their plan? Is there anything they'll do differently next week? As a class, celebrate the progress toward the goals you've recorded.

Each time a student reaches their goal, lead a class-wide celebration. It can be something simple like having the student take a lap around the room and high-five their peers.

Don't forget to download our FREE 5-Day Self Love Challenge for Kids (ages 5-11) to help your child become more self-loving and confident!

6. Cooperative Board Games

Fun cooperative board games for the classroom include The Secret Door, Stone Soup, and Race to the Treasure! Or, keep it simple by having groups of students work together to build something specific with Lego bricks, categorize words as nouns/verbs/adjectives, classify animals into appropriate groups, etc.

7. Achievements Collage

8. "I Am" Activity

Ask students to draw a picture of themselves (or paste a photo) in the center of a sheet of paper or poster board. Around the picture, students write roles that define them (e.g., son/daughter, sibling, student, soccer player, friend, etc.).

In a wider circle around the picture and the roles, students write positive traits to describe themselves. This activity helps students reflect on their identity and self-image. It also gives them the opportunity to recognize their positive qualities.

Afterward, students share with a partner or group how each trait represents them. An additional option is to have their partners or group members add positive qualities they see in the student.

9. Random Act of Kindness

Being of service to others and spreading kindness is another way to build students' confidence. Encourage students to practice a random act of kindness each day for a week, then discuss the experience as a class.

Random acts of kindness may include completing a chore or task for someone without being asked, holding open a door, writing an encouraging note, sharing with others, or comforting someone who feels sad.

Along with these nine self-confidence activities, you may want to useconfidence quotes and self-confidence affirmations. Plus, read our recent post on what confidence is and how to build it in children and teens. Confidence is both vital and teachable and these resources will help your children's or students' confidence soar!

Are you looking for other resources to support your child's confidence and growth mindset journey? The Big Life Journal - Daily Edition (ages 6-11) is a science-based journal that helps children grow resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy. The daily activities inside the journal help your child focus on encouraging, self-loving thoughts and wire their brain for growth mindset, resilience, confidence, gratitude, kindness, and self-love.

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9 Self-Confidence Building Activities for Students

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Help your students learn about and build self-confidence and a growth mindset with these fun activities.

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Find Service Learning Opportunities for Middle School Students

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Find Service Learning Opportunities for Middle School Students

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Students often find service learning opportunities will reward them for their time with moments for experience and learning, where they are able to reflect upon their experiences of volunteering in their communities and learn from their experiences.

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The information presented is provided by the sponsoring nonprofit organizations. PGK is not responsible for the accuracy of the content provided, nor responsible in any way for the administration of the activities or volunteer opportunities listed. Please direct all questions or concerns to the sponsoring nonprofits.

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Self-Esteem Building Activities for Middle School Students

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Self-Esteem Building Activities for Middle School Students

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Activities to facilitate confidence in all K-12 students, with 6 middle school specific activities to assist your student in finding their own unique value.

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If students are suffering from low self-esteem, it can impact everything in their lives from socializing with others to dealing with academic challenges. It can decrease their desire to learn in the short term as well as throughout their entire lives. However, positive self-esteem can have the opposite effect. This is why as an educator, it is important to know how to help a student with low self-esteem develop into a more confident individual.

Importance of self-esteem in students

Because self-esteem and student achievement are directly related, educators would be remiss to underestimate the importance of self-esteem in students. Research has shown there is an appreciable positive relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement. Findings showed positive self-esteem is a factor in determining academic achievement in all students, regardless of gender. Students with high self-esteem generally scored higher in school.

If a caregiver or educator is unsure of how to increase self-esteem in struggling students, activities are a great way to start. Building self-esteem in students may not be something all teachers are familiar with, but an effective method is to use activities that are easy to follow.

Low self-esteem can present itself in a variety of ways, including a noticeable social withdrawal from others, self-criticism, signs of regression, or quitting easily. Exhibiting one or two signs of low self-esteem doesn't necessarily indicate a problem is present, however. The behavior may be attributed to mental illness or a negative outlook rather than a positive one.

Self-esteem issues in elementary and middle school students

It helps to know what to look for when trying to determine if students are experiencing low self-esteem.

Signs of low self-esteem issues in elementary and middle school students

There are numerous signs that may present themselves in students who may be experiencing low self-esteem, including:

Causes of low self-esteem issues in elementary and middle school students

Low self-esteem can arise in students early through everyday situations or troubling experiences. Causes of low self-esteem include:

How low self-esteem issues can affect elementary and middle school students

Years of low self-esteem can affect the developmental growth in young kids and attribute to struggles later on in life. Here are some ways low self-esteem could show up in a young person's life:

Self-esteem issues in high school students

With teenage years in full force and the oncoming phase of adulthood, it's understandable why high school students may experience low self-esteem.

Signs of low self-esteem issues in high school students

High school leads directly into college and/or the workforce, so if self-esteem is low during these four years, it could greatly affect a student's future. Here are a few main signs of low self-esteem to be aware of that could be present in high school students:

What causes low self-esteem issues in high school students

There can be several reasons why a high school student is struggling with low self-esteem. It can often seem to go hand in hand with being a teenager.

How low self-esteem issues can affect high school students

The effect of low self-esteem can inhibit a student's teenage years significantly. It may bring on:

Activities that boost self-esteem

Self-esteem activities can bolster a student's confidence over time. It takes more than just saying encouraging words to a student about how they should feel better about themselves. Through activities, the mind is rewired one exercise at a time and the student builds self-esteem, much like they would a muscle. As an educator, you have an opportunity to help students improve their self-esteem by leading them through these activities.

Self-esteem activities for elementary students

Listed below are six activities to use for elementary students to increase self-esteem. Whether led by a school counselor or another qualified professional, these self-esteem activities for elementary students can help improve their mental health.

1. "I am" activity

Have the student paste a little picture of themselves on a piece of paper. Around the picture, they are to write words positive words that describe them. Then ask them to write down positive words other people say about them. Afterward, the student can discuss how each one relates to them.

2. Their "wins so far in life" activity

The child is to list on a piece of paper everything they have succeeded at in life that they take great pride in. This will draw their attention to all of their existing achievements. To continue this activity, they can write down everything they would like to succeed at in life later on.

3. "I'm afraid to..." activity

Children are to write down things they are currently afraid to do. This might be trying out for a sports team, sleeping in the dark, or even taking their shirt off at the pool. Then review what would happen if they actually did these things. It can be helpful to bring a "so what" attitude to it. If they went out for the soccer team, what's the big deal if they are not the best on the team?

4. Trust activity

It is a big deal to a child's self-esteem when they realize someone trusts them enough to ask them to do something. Give the student a chore to accomplish every day. It may be as little as organizing the classroom library or as involved as tutoring another child in a subject.

5. "Positive rephrasing" activity

In this activity, the child rephrases his or her challenge statement into a positive statement. This may be something like changing "I have difficulty making friends" to "I am a great friend to those people I care about." Another example would be changing "I am bad at basketball" to "I try my hardest at all sports, and some I am better at than others."

6. Self-esteem games

Adults can raise a child's self-esteem by making it into a game. For instance, with just a pair of dice, a student can roll a number five and then have to say five good things about themselves. Another self-esteem game is having kids throw a ball to one another and asking them to say something positive about the person who catches it.

Self-esteem building activities for middle school students

Middle school is often the time when kids start separating into social groups. For some students, it's a great time. For others, not so much. Here are six self-esteem building activities for middle school students that facilitate confidence in kids.

1. "What are good traits to have?" activity

This activity involves asking middle school students to write down positive traits of students. After creating the list, the teacher and student discuss and analyze which ones they already possess and how they can add the other ones they don't.

2. "Good comes with the bad" activity

There is something to be said about finding the silver lining in the negatives in life. This activity helps students realize a negative can be turned into a positive. For instance, a student may have earned all Cs on their report card. The positive is they will study harder to achieve better grades this time around.

3. "Conducting interviews in the classroom" activity

Students with low self-esteem seem to think other kids don't have the same issues they are dealing with. This interview activity will allow them to see the uniqueness in all of us. Pair up students and have them interview one another about their lives. They should ask students about likes, dislikes, family issues, and happiest and saddest moments. At the very least, they will be able to communicate and socialize with others they may not have interacted with in any other situation.

4. "Write a letter to yourself in the past" activity

This activity will enable students to reflect on what they would change about the past in an effort to make the future better. As an example, a student may write she wishes she would have been nicer to her brother. The adult running this activity can point out it's not too late and she can change her ways.

5. "Things I would like to change in the future" activity

This activity is somewhat similar to the previous one, but focuses more on how to change the future in a positive manner. For instance, one thing a student may want to change is to try harder to befriend others. When a student realizes they are making needed changes, their self-esteem will rise. Note: It's important for the adult not to offer these changes. The student should come up with his/her own in this process.

6. The "write out the end goal" activity

This self-esteem activity is created to remind students it's not always about how they started out, but how they can improve things and work toward a goal. If they can create and work toward educational and social goals, they will start to feel better about themselves instead of constantly thinking of the negative.

Self-esteem activities for high school students

Is there a more difficult time for students than in their high school years? With hormonal changes and the pressure mounting up to achieve good grades and fit in socially, no wonder teenagers are battling low self-esteem. Rather than let them fall prey to shrinking confidence, here are six activities for increasing self-esteem in high school students.

1. "The things I like about me" activity

The teacher gives students an index card and has them list all of the things they like about themselves currently. This will show them maybe things are not all doom and gloom at the moment.

2. "How will I improve myself from here on out?" activity

On the back of the same index card, the student should list things they would like to improve about themselves. One side of the card is about their positives right now, and on the other side are things they want to improve. They should keep this card with them to remind them about who they are and who they want to be.

3. Class activity of "three things others like about you"

Each student in class is to anonymously write down three things they like about another student on an index card. At the end of the activity, each student will have 20 or more index cards with positivity on each one of them. This will shed light on the positive things others see in them, some of which they hadn't realized before!

4. "What's the worst and best that could happen?" activity

This activity takes place on an index card. Students with low self-esteem tend to not take chances in life. They may not ask out the person they have a crush on. They may not try out for the school play because it might be embarrassing. In this activity, the student writes out the worst thing that could happen if they do take that chance. On the other side of the index card, the students write down the best-case scenario for each opportunity. For instance, the person may agree to go out on a date with them, and this could start a real relationship. Or perhaps they will realize they love the theater and want to pursue it further. This activity will show them the risk is worth the reward.

5. "Daily goal setting for the week" activity

At the beginning of the week, have the students write down one thing they would like to accomplish each day. There is something magical that happens when goals are written down on paper for the world to see. The student's self-esteem will continue to rise as each goal is accepted and completed. Remind the students the goal should be measurable and attainable.

How GoGuardian can help you identify and assist students with low self-esteem

Sometimes low self-esteem can bring on thoughts of self-harm in a student. GoGuardian has created Beacon, a suicide prevention tool that can assist schools in determining which students may be at high risk. Created with assistance from mental health professionals, Beacon can alert school professionals when a student's online activity could raise concern about their mental health.
This blog was originally posted December 16, 2019 and updated February 6, 2024.

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Self Esteem in Elementary, Middle, & High School Students | GoGuardian

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Learn everything you need to know about building self-esteem in elementary, middle, and high school students.

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Teaching Your Child to Deal with Conflict – Connections Academy®

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Conflict is part of life. Students who master conflict resolution skills can turn negative social interactions into a constructive learning event.

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Setting S.M.A.R.T Goals in Middle School, High School, and Beyond

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Setting S.M.A.R.T Goals in Middle School, High School, and Beyond

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SMART Goal Setting in Middle School, High School and Beyond

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The SMART goal framework is an extremely effective tool for both students and adults. However, each person is unique, and so are their goal

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Planning Middle and High School Electives as Preparation for Graduation Requirements, Career Paths and College-Bound Requirements

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Planning Middle and High School Electives as Preparation for Graduation Requirements, Career Paths and College-Bound Requirements

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All California secondary education students should be aware of their graduation requirements and how their electives can support their futures, this state resource will assist families and guardians, and their students, in planning for the future after middle school.

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Beginning in the 1986-87 school year, California Education Code (EC) Section 51225.3 has specified a minimum set of courses to meet state requirements to graduate from high school and receive a diploma. The governing boards of local education agencies (LEAs) have the authority to supplement the state minimum requirements at the local level.

EC Section 51225.3 states that all pupils receiving a diploma of graduation from a California high school must have completed all of the following courses, while in grades nine to twelve, inclusive:

Unless otherwise specified, each course shall have a duration of one school year:

Three courses in English

Two courses in mathematics, including one year of Algebra I (EC Section 51224.5)

Two courses in science, including biological and physical sciences

Three courses in social studies, including United States history and geography; world history, culture, and geography; a one-semester course in American government and civics, and a one-semester course in economics

One course in visual or performing arts, world language, or commencing with the 2012-13 school year, career technical education. For the purpose of satisfying the minimum course requirement, a course in American Sign Language shall be deemed a course in foreign language

Two courses in physical education, unless the pupil has been exempted pursuant to the provisions of EC Section 51241

One semester of Ethnic Studies, commencing with pupils graduating in the 2029-30 school year (a course based on the model curriculum developed pursuant to Section 51226.7; an existing ethnic studies course; an ethnic studies course taught as part of a course that has been approved as meeting the A-G requirements; or a locally developed ethnic studies course approved by the governing board of the school district or charter school). Other coursework adopted by the local governing board of the LEA.

The local governing board of the LEA with the active involvement of parents, administrators, teachers, and pupils, shall adopt alternative means for pupils to complete the prescribed course of study, which may include:

Practical demonstration of skills and competencies

Supervised work experience or other outside school experience

Career technical education classes offered in high schools

Courses offered by regional occupational centers or programs

Interdisciplinary study

Independent study

Credit earned at a postsecondary institution

Requirements for graduation and specified alternative modes for completing the prescribed course of study shall be made available to pupils, parents, and the public.

Beginning January 1, 2010, students in foster care who transfer to a new school while in grades eleven or twelve may be able to graduate from high school without meeting the local graduation requirements that exceed the state minimum course requirements. In these cases, the district would need to conclude that the student would not reasonably be able to complete the additional local graduation requirements during the student's remaining time in high school. See the California Department of Education Foster Youth Resources webpage for additional information.

High School Graduation Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions regarding high school graduation requirements.

Courses Required for California Public University
The University of California and the California State University systems have established a uniform minimum set of courses required for admission as a freshman.

The entire California Education Code may be found in the California Law library.

Questions: High School Innovations and Initiatives Office | HSIIO@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0893

Last Reviewed: Monday, October 30, 2023

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State Minimum High School Graduation Requirements

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Minimum set of courses required for high school graduation.

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High School Elective Choices: Transition from Middle School

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High School Elective Choices: Transition from Middle School

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What electives does your 8th grader want to pursue in high school? Items to consider while planning.

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High school is a time when teens begin to find real independence from their parents, look toward the future and learn more about who they are as individuals and what they're passionate about.

Education experts say high school electives - classes students choose that allow them to explore beyond the core curriculum - are one way to help high schoolers figure out what matters to them.

Electives can help ease a student's schedule with a course they may enjoy, says Regine Muradian, a psychologist and coach who works with students on their learning and study skills. By offering students the time to focus on new and emerging passions and talents, they can also help point to future careers.

"Electives can also increase a student's desire to learn," Muradian says.

And having the opportunity to develop personal passions makes for a more meaningful and impactful education, says Cindy Chanin, founder of Rainbow EDU Consulting.

The Value of High School Electives

The number of electives students take varies by district and grade level, as do the courses offered. But the classes students choose can help communicate their unique academic journey, says Jenn Curtis, founder of FutureWise Consulting and co-author of "The Parent Compass."

"Electives relate and build upon an interest and underscore who the student is and what they are about," she says.

In the early high school years, "students don't always know what they want to do, which is natural, but this is a time for exploration," Curtis says. "In the later years, 11th and 12th grades, students start to home in on their interests, and electives can play a significant role in completing the picture of a student's academic story."

In some cases, electives can bolster a student's college application. Some students may use their elective slots to dive deeper into subjects beyond graduation requirements. As students begin thinking about college, they can fill those elective slots with honors and Advanced Placement classes in their particular field of interest. For example, students interested in going into the medical profession might take advanced biology or anatomy.

But honors or AP courses aren't the only electives that can build on a student's core skills. Classes in subjects like debate, photography, robotics, world languages, theater, speech, leadership or music can all enhance teens' high school education.

Parents' Role in Selecting Electives

Experts say parents should step back when it comes to selecting electives, and let their teen decide. "Electives provide students an invaluable opportunity to find their 'why' as it relates to their education," says Chanin, helping them develop the ability to build "an education that's happeningforthem instead of to them." Students need the freedom to figure out their interests and dive in.

Still, there are some ways parents can help their high schooler in the elective process:

Help figure out requirements. Rules around electives can vary by school and from year to year, so parents and high school counselors can step in to help students understand what's required.

Gather information together. Explore the course catalog with your teen, and find out what excites them or piques their interest. Have an open conversion and encourage your child to ask other students about their elective experiences.

Let your student lead the process. This is imperative, experts say. Students need to use electives to find out what they like and what they don't like. Electives allow for the exploration of intrinsic passions.

Sample High School Electives

Electives can cover courses in language arts, the visual and performing arts, music, foreign languages, STEM and more. Options will vary widely by school and district, but here are a few examples of the kinds of unique courses some top high schools are offering:

Whitney High School in Cerritos, California, offers ceramics, film and television production, digital art and communication design, symphonic band, and stage design.

Townsend Harris High School in Flushing, New York, has classes in broadcast media arts (TV-radio-stage), Japanese, pre-engineering-robotics, concert band and a workshop in artistic exploration.

The International School of Beaverton, in Oregon, offers psychology, self-taught literature, theory of knowledge, sculpture and STEM physics.

Sumner Academy of Arts and Science in Kansas City, Kansas, offers courses in competitive speech and debate, personal/professional skills, Shakespeare, composition and research, and human rights studies.

Signature School in Evansville, Indiana, offers ethnic studies, German, microeconomics and macroeconomics and a music theory seminar.

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These courses outside the core curriculum allow students to explore and develop their interests.

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Temple Grandin: Autism Support Through Choice

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Temple Grandin: Autism Support Through Choice

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Inclusion methods for families to consider for the transition to High School and how to support their students.

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Temple Grandin: Autism Support through Choice | Move to Include | PBS LearningMedia

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Stretching the comfort zone and exposure to different environments are key techniques for helping young children with autism to engage with the world around them. Temple Grandin talks about some of these strategies to help children with autism. Temple Grandin was nonverbal until the age of four.

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Communication Skills: Tips for Families and Guardians of Middle School Students

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Communication Skills: Tips for Families and Guardians of Middle School Students

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Tips for families and guardians to utilize to build better communication practice with their middle school students.

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Is the idea of communicating with your middle-schooler exhausting? This is a challenge for many families. Many middle-schoolers struggle to communicate well, which also makes it hard for them to socialize effectively. If this is the case for your child, try some of these tips to get started in turning the situation around.

1. Keep conversations going with your child.

Many middle-schoolers clam up around their parents. Kids who struggle with conversation, language, or speaking may be even more reluctant to communicate. Even if your child doesn't seem interested, try to talk together as much as possible. It takes practice for your child to be comfortable speaking to you, teachers, and friends.

Middle school schedules can get extremely busy. Try to catch up with your child when you're both finally home (or on the way home) together.

Encourage your child to describe how parts of the day were spent. Ask: What were the best and worst parts of school? Easiest and hardest? Did anything surprising happen? This helps with recall and sequencing, two key skills that can be difficult for kids who may struggle with communication.

3. Model good listening skills.

After your child is finished telling you something, repeat back part of what you just heard. Then follow up with a related question: "I know that you really studied for that social studies test but still found it tough. Do you think you'll do anything different next time?" Pay full attention while your child is talking. Demonstrate what good listening looks like, in addition to how it sounds.

4. Have practice conversations with your child.

Middle school is a time of "firsts" for most kids: first school dances, first sports banquets, confirmations, and more. All of these experiences have a social component. Anticipating what kinds of conversations may come up can help your child feel more confident and prepared.

Before each social event, practice with your child. Talk about what to say to other kids and when to say it. Take turns "playing" each person in the conversation so that your child can think through different scenarios, conversation topics, and responses.

5. Point out body language.

It can be tricky for kids to pick up on nonverbal cues, sometimes called body language. If your child struggles with communication, this can be especially hard. Try to find appropriate times when you can talk about how the people around you feel based on how they're acting. For example, "The man in the car next to us is singing and smiling. How do you think his day is going?" "How do you think the woman in that long line at the bank was feeling? How could you tell?"

6. Read together as much as possible.

Reading can help strengthen your child's decision-making and independent thinking skills. And both of these help with everyday communication. Consider letting your child choose a book that you both read (or listen to) and talk it through.

And don't think you need to give up your story-at-bedtime routine just because your baby isn't so little anymore: Many parents are surprised that their tween or teen still likes being read to. You may want to take turns reading. Try fantasy stories or classics from your own childhood, and don't worry about misread words. These approaches will make it fun for you - and for your child.

7. Enjoy movies, books, and shows together.

After finishing a book, movie, or even a live performance, replay the highlights: What did you each like and dislike about the plot? How about the characters? Did anything happen that your child didn't understand? This engages your child in the story, an important skill when talking with others.

As a bonus, this kind of sharing also promotes connection between you and your child. (For more bonding ideas, read on.)

Lots of classic games emphasize words and vocabulary. These games are great for kids who learn and think differently. Plus, when kids play games that focus on language skills, they may not be aware of how much interaction is going on with others because the game is so much fun.

Pictionary and charades ask players to draw or act out scenes while others guess what's happening. They help kids focus on the nonverbal cues of people around them. Scrabble and Boggle encourage kids to create and find words from a set of given letters. Apples to Apples gets kids pairing funny words and actions. Taboo and Buzzword encourage players to think about related words and ideas.

9. Ask for your child's opinion.

Communicating gets kids to reflect on their thoughts and emotions. Using "I think" or "I feel" statements is good practice for having successful conversations each day.

Practice that skill by asking your child to weigh in on daily decisions and voice feelings. You might seek an opinion on something at home, such as whether to remodel the family room.

10. Encourage your child to keep a journal or blog.

Keeping a diary or journal is a low-stress way to express thoughts and feelings. Writing about day-to-day activities allows tweens and teens to think through their ideas. It can also help them feel more prepared and confident when it's time to talk to others. The writing doesn't have to be polished. It can be just a phrase, a list of ideas, or even a drawing.

Your tween or teen may prefer to keep a private or public blog instead. Simple blogging tools, like Fanschool, WordPress, and Tumblr, allow for combining words, pictures, videos, and links.

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Communication Skills | 10 Tips for Helping Your Middle School Child

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Your middle-schooler with language and learning difficulties may need your help to build communication skills. Here are 10 tips to try.

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by Amie Thurber, Joe Bandy, and participants in the 2017-2018 Disability and Learning Learning Community at Vanderbilt University.

Cite this guide: Thurber, A., & Bandy, J. (2018). Creating Accessible Learning Environments. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [todaysdate] from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/creating-accessible-learning-environments/.

There are estimated to be 50 million people with disabilities in the U.S. today. Disabilities may be temporary, relapsing or remitting, or long-term. Although there are hundreds of distinct kinds of disabilities, we may group them into the following categories: physical disabilities, mental disabilities, and sensory disabilities. Disabilities are complex; they may be a source of stigma or shame and may also be a cherished part of a person's identity and the basis for meaningful community. The focus of this guide is creating inclusive and accessible higher education classrooms-beyond accommodation-for a range of students with disabilities

This guide is organized around the following sections:

Issues of accessibility in higher education have been shaped by ongoing theoretical debates. The most prominent perspectives are often described as the 'medical model' and the 'social model' of disability. Put simply, the medical model tends to focus on addressing the diagnoses of deficiencies and accommodations for a disabled individual, while the social model embraces disability as a difference and focuses on correcting systematic exclusions in institutions based in ableism-discrimination or prejudice against people with disabilities (for more, see Titchkosky, 2011). More recently, a third perspective, referred to as the 'cultural model,' has emerged. This model reframes disability as "a valuable form of human variation" (Hamraie, 2016, p. 260) The table below summarizes differences in the three perspectives:

Ultimately, these different perspectives on disability-as a problem, a difference, or valuable-inform the way questions of access are approached in higher education settings. Most colleges and universities function within a medical model of disability. Typically, to get an assistive technology or accommodation, disabled students must prove that they have a recently-diagnosed disability. These accommodations treat disability as a deviation from the norm. By contrast, if a university were to adopt a social or cultural perspective on disability, the goal would be to increase accessibility for all students, regardless of whether they have a formal diagnosis. The focus would be on accounting for human variation by design.

Person first or disability first language?

There are ongoing conversations and debates within Disability Studies and the Disability Rights Movement as to whether to use person first ("a person who is deaf") vs disability first language ("a Deaf person"). Both are responses to deficit-based views of disability. For some, person-first language is an important way to reclaim humanity. For others, the self-identification with disability culture is a meaningful counterpoint to stigmatizing disability. For a reflection on the debate related to person first/disability first language, see this blog post.

Further reading:

Titchkosky, Tanya. 2011. The Question of Access: Disability, Space, Meaning. University of Toronto Press.

Hamraie, A. (2016). Beyond Accommodation: Disability, Feminist Philosophy, and the Design of Everyday Academic Life. philoSOPHIA, 6(2), 259-271.

Linton, S. (1998). Disability studies/not disability studies. Disability & Society, 13(4), 525-539.

Miles, A. L., Nishida, A., & Forber-Pratt, A. J. (2017). An open letter to White disability studies and ableist institutions of higher education. Disability Studies Quarterly, 37(3).

Dunn, D. S., & Andrews, E. E. (2015). Person-first and identity-first language: Developing psychologists' cultural competence using disability language. American Psychologist, 70(3), 255.

The Disability Rights Movement

The Disability Rights Movement has shaped societal expectations regarding accessibility in higher education and the regulatory frameworks to which colleges and universities must comply.

Key historical moments in the Disability Rights Movement are highlighted below.

1940s-Disabled workers and veterans organize for recognition, access to the workplace

1950s-60s- First university programs for disabled students are established at University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, University of California, Berkeley, and other campuses.

1968-The Architectural Barriers Act requires accessibility in federal buildings. It is not enforced.

1970s- The de-institutionalization movement calls for the integration of disabled people into public life and removal from institutional segregation.

1973- The first piece of federal legislation protecting people with disabilities was the Federal Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in federally funded programs, including colleges and universities. Seeks to enforce Architectural Barriers Act.

1975- The Education for All Handicapped Children Act-later renamed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)-guaranteed access to public K-12 education for children with disabilities.

Transitioning to college

Although the federal government
has enacted legislation promoting accessibility in both K-12 and higher educational settings, much of the access guaranteed in K-12 does not extend to college. Further, while in K-12 educational settings, the student may have had a teacher, parent, or guardian who advocated for services, whereas in college faculty and administrators expect that students will advocate for themselves. For a useful overview of the differences, see this website.

1975- The Education for All Handicapped Children Act-later renamed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)-guaranteed access to public K-12 education for children with disabilities.

1978- Disability activists stage successful "504 sit-ins" to demand compliance with federal disability rights laws after the Federal Rehabilitation Act is not enforced.

1990- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibiting discrimination on basis of disability in employment, public services, and public accommodation (including many areas of colleges and universities), with the goal of full participation of people with disabilities throughout society.

2008- In response to several Supreme Court cases that narrowly interpreted the ADA's definition of disability, Congress passed the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA). The purpose of the act is to ensure that the intended beneficiaries of ADA were being appropriately served by the law.

Disability rights and higher education

Today, three sets of laws regulate disability rights in higher education settings:

Title II of the ADA applies to public colleges that are operated by a state or local government.

Title III of the ADA applies to private colleges/universities/places of education.[2]

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act applies to places of education that receive federal funds.

These laws do not require colleges or universities to modify academic requirements considered essential to the curriculum, but they do set minimum expectations, including the following:

Note, what legally constitutes "meaningful access" may not be optimal access for a student. For example, a university may provide meaningful access to a blind student in a biology class by ensuring a readable version of the text is available. However, given the degree that biology relies on visual models, optimal access might include having tactile or 3-D versions of those models, something that may not readily be provided. Further, there is a high level of variability across institutions in the ways they meet these needs, as institutions are differently resourced and differentially prioritize accessibility. Some of the ways higher educational institutions may provide meaningful access include:

Provision of auxiliary aids or services (i.e. provision of a sign language interpreter or a screen reader).

Modification to nonessential academic requirements (i.e. allowing a student to complete an exam orally rather than in writing or have additional time to complete exams).

Reasonable adjustments to policies, procedures or practices (i.e., increasing number of allowable absences, exception to no-pet policy).

Ultimately, ensuring access is not simply an issue of legal compliance, but a reflection of an institution's commitment to creating educational settings in which all learners can participate, develop, and contribute.

For further reading, see:
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Though many disabilities are unreported, in 2018 there were more than 1000 Vanderbilt students who had registered over 100 different disabilities (out of ~12,000 students). Students with disabilities have several on-campus resources that may offer support.

VU Resources

Student Access Services: Provides disability services for qualified students. To determine eligibility, students apply for services through the Access Center. Specific documentation criteria and examples of common services can be found on the website.

Student Ability Alliance: A student-organized and student-led organization that discusses the importance of disability awareness.

Plant Operations: Responsible for facilities and grounds, Plant Operations is the office to which you may report accessibility concerns, such as:

inoperable automatic door openers

inoperable/missing audible crossings

debris/ice on sidewalks

Working with Students Enrolled through Next Steps

Vanderbilt University is home to Next Steps at Vanderbilt, a 4-year inclusive higher education program committed to providing students with intellectual disability inclusive, transformational postsecondary education in academics, social and career development, and independent living. Students enrolled through Next Steps complete course work with the assistance of academic tutors and customized "Independent Learning Agreement". To facilitate an authentic college and classroom environment for all, students enrolled through Next Steps are not accompanied by a peer mentor or staff member in the classroom. In addition to the information in this guide, instructors with students enrolled through Next Steps in their classes may benefit from some additional recommendations.

Hold High Expectations

Because college was not a viable option for students with intellectual disability until recent years, our students are eager learners with a high-degree of gratitude. Our students want to be a part of Vanderbilt University and a contributing member of a learning environment.

Our students are first and foremost full-time Vanderbilt students and just as other Vanderbilt students, we hold high expectations for our students in the classroom.

Students enrolled through Next Steps should be expected to participate in class discussions to the level that they are able, complete their assignments, come prepared and on time to class, and display appropriate college behaviors.

Look Forward to Reciprocal Benefits
Hosting a student enrolled through Next Steps is not only beneficial for the student, but equally valuable to his/her classmates. Traditional students are afforded the opportunity to work alongside students with diverse abilities and are exposed to different ways of thinking. Inclusive classrooms equip university students with more knowledge and experience working within a diverse and changing world.

Adopt Universal Design for Learning Approach

It is a myth that faculty have to provide extensive modifications because they have an inclusive classroom. However, much of what works well with students enrolled through Next Steps in the classroom, also will work well with traditionally enrolled Vanderbilt students. Refer to the section "Strategies for Creating Accessible Learning Environments" in this guide for details about UDL.

The main difference in an academic experience for students enrolled through Next Steps and their classmates comes down to the demonstration of knowledge. As a program, we work with our students, peer mentors, and faculty to develop a customized syllabus "Independent Learning Agreement". The student voice is essential in the development of these agreements.

We understand many courses offered at Vanderbilt are robust in nature with complex content being taught. Our students have support in grasping the main concepts of the course by partnering with academic tutors and following the customized "Independent Learning Agreement".

While our students do not receive traditional grades for their completion of a course, our program consistently evaluates and monitors students' progress to ensure students are meeting their program of study requirements for graduation.

Treat All Students Equal in the Classroom
Faculty should address any issues or challenges that arise just as they would for any other students enrolled in the classroom. It is important to note that our program is equipped to provide support to students and faculty to ensure a successful experience.

Disability History at Vanderbilt

Did you know...there are a number of significant people and initiatives connected to Vanderbilt University that have increased accessibility for people with disabilities?

Despite these accomplishments, Vanderbilt University-like many educational institutions-still has work to do to increase accessibility. For one student's reflection, see this 2017 editorial published in The Washington Post.
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Although Vanderbilt University encourages all students with disabilities who desire reasonable accommodations to seek services through Student Access Services, faculty have an essential role to play in making courses accessible and creating a climate of equity and inclusion. While individual needs are difficult to anticipate, there are many things professors can do to create inclusive and accessible environments for a wide diversity of learners. This guide reviews strategies in the following areas:

Most of the strategies highlighted in these sections reflect the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is an educational framework that emphasizes the use of flexible goals, methods, materials, and assessments in order to provide effective instruction to a diversity of learners. Rather than approaching accessibility as an afterthought or only on a case-by-case basis, UDL principles help instructors to design courses that address the needs of diverse learners from the start so that all students may benefit. For example, a note-taker is a common accommodation given to students with disabilities, however, in note-heavy classes, this may be beneficial to many students. Some instructors rotate the role of note-taker throughout the class as a way of creating a shared set of notes that all students can access.

Note, the strategies suggested in this guide are not exhaustive. For more recommendations, see:

Communication with Students

Creating open lines of communication with your students is essential. There are a variety of ways instructors can build a foundation for open communication:

Consider adding an "Inclusive Learning Statement" to your syllabus. Tulane University's Accessible Syllabus website offers the following example: "Your success in this class is important to me. We will all need accommodations because we all learn differently. If there are aspects of this course that prevent you from learning or exclude you, please let me know as soon as possible. Together we'll develop strategies to meet both your needs and the requirements of the course. I encourage you to visit the Office of Disability Services to determine how you could improve your learning as well. If you need official accommodations, you have a right to have these met. There are also a range of resources on campus, including the Writing Center, Tutoring Center, and Academic Advising Center." Reiterate your desire to help all students succeed by communicating a version of this statement aloud in the first week of class.
Note, the Accessible Syllabus website has many other helpful recommendations to create an accessible syllabus, including information on formatting, text, images, rhetoric, and other course policies.

When you receive notification from your campus disability services office that a student has requested accommodations in your course, reach out to the student individually, in private, to discuss how accommodations may work best for them. A student's disclosure of a disability is always voluntary and some students may feel nervous to disclose sensitive medical information to an instructor. Whether or not a student discloses details of their disability, you can discuss appropriate accommodations. In some cases, accommodations may be straight forward - such as providing an alternative testing location. Other situations may require ongoing brainstorming between the instructor and student. It can be helpful for an instructor to describe upcoming activities or assignments (particularly those not fully described in the syllabus) and ask the student what, if any, additional accommodations may be needed. As the course proceeds, it is helpful to check in with the student periodically. Not all needs can be anticipated in advance, and given the nature of some disabilities, needs may change over the course of a term. Ask the student, "How are the accommodations we have implemented working for you? Is there anything we should consider changing?"

When you make announcements in class, for example regarding changes in due dates or room locations, make sure to always send them in an email or online announcement as well.

Consider your course policies in the interest of creating an inclusive classroom environment. For example, do you have a no laptop policy in your classroom? If so, how might that negatively impact students with disabilities?

Physical learning spaces

Ensuring physical accessibility includes consideration of the building location, the classroom location (within a building), as well as the layout of the classroom, and classroom technologies (i.e. lighting, tables, seating, projection, white boards). When considering the physical accessibility of your class, keep in mind:

Changes in weather or campus activities can disproportionately impact students with mobility impairments. For example, sidewalks may be impassable due to snow or ice, piles of yard debris during landscaping, or equipment in place for a campus event. These may delay students or may present such a barrier that a student may need to participate remotely. As a best practice, if you notice an area that is inaccessible on campus (which also includes inoperable lifts, elevators, or audible crossings at crosswalks), let the plant operations department know immediately.

To the greatest extent possible, set up your classroom so that students with wheelchairs or service dogs have room to navigate into and around the class. For example, if the classroom is set up with workstations, consider leaving an open spot-without a chair-at multiple tables.

Engage your students in thinking about accessibility in your classroom. Some rooms may not have any moveable furniture, but present options in terms of lighting, sound, or size of text on presentation materials. Other rooms may be highly adaptable.

Moving classes at the last minute and changing classroom layouts can cause difficulty for a range of students, including those with mobility, sight, or hearing impairments, as well as people with anxiety. For example, students using guide dogs may spend up to a month before classes begin training their guide dog to navigate them to class, and to a particular seat within the class. Whenever possible, alert students in advance as to changes of location or room set up.

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Course materials

Ensuring accessibility of course materials includes consideration of 1) the course management system (i.e. Brightspace, Blackboard, etc.); 2) assigned reading materials, handouts, and presentations; and 3) audio or video used in class. Creating accessible materials takes time. It can necessitate learning new technologies and being creative when considering alternative ways to share information, and/or allow students to participate in class.

1. Course Management Systems

Many course management systems have built in accessibility features. For example, Brightspace (Desire2Learn) has screen reader accessibility features, keyboard-online navigation features, screen magnifiers, and design features to assist both students and instructors. To learn how to make your content more accessible to individuals who use screen readers or screen magnifiers, as well as individuals with colorblindness, click the "Check Accessibility" button in the bottom toolbar. This will provide you with warnings and ways to improve accessibility.

For those using other course management systems, please check with their helpdesk or campus consultants. Ultimately, it is an instructor's responsibility to get to know the accessibility features and limitations of their institution's course management system, and to take advantage of the tools that will allow their students to fully participate.

2. Course reading, handouts and presentation materials

It is important to make your syllabus and course materials available to students as soon as possible, so students who may need more time can begin accessing materials. The most common strategy for increasing accessibility of course texts (which include any assigned readings, presentations, and handouts) is providing versions that are readable, especially by screen readers. Most computers come equipped with a screen reader technology, which essentially converts printed text into auditory words to which the user can listen. For this technology to work, reading materials must be saved in a text file, such as a Word Document or Rich Text Format (RTF). Converting materials from PDF or PPT to readable text increases accessibility to a wide variety of learners, including people with learning disabilities, literacy difficulties, visual impairments, or people who multitask. You may find some readable text versions of your course materials are already available. In other cases, you may need to prepare them.

Importantly, text-reading-technology does have limitations. If there are graphics that are critical to the course materials (i.e. tables, graphs, or other images), you will need to find another way to share these with students who have sight impairments, for example by explaining figures in prose form, transferring the graphic onto a tactile surface, or creating a 3-D model of the figure.

Further reading: This 2018 special issue of Learned Publishing focuses on accessibility in publishing.

3. Audio & Video

Instructors increasingly utilize audio and video materials in class. Captions and descriptions are required by law (Section 508) to support students with disabilities, though as described below may benefit a wide range of learners. There are two types of technologies to increase accessibility to audio and video.

Converting audio (or audio portions of video) to text (e.g., closed captioning) can be done through computer-assisted-programs. Captioning video increases accessibility to a wide variety of learners, including people with learning disabilities, literacy difficulties, hearing impairments, or second language learners.

Creating audio descriptions of visual images is typically needs to be done by a person in real-time, or through use of a pre-recorded narrative. Audio descriptions of video increases accessibility to a wide variety of learners, including people with learning disabilities, literacy difficulties, and visual impairments.
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Classroom Climate

Students learn best when they feel respected, included, and that instructors are invested in their development. Students with disabilities can experience stigma, marginalization, and negative stereotypes from their peers and instructors. In Barbara Davis's Tools for Teaching, she explains that it is important for instructors to "become aware of any biases and stereotypes [they] may have absorbed...Your attitudes and values not only influence the attitudes and values of your students, but they can affect the way you teach, particularly your assumptions about students...which can lead to unequal learning outcomes for those in your classes" (2010, p. 58).

Strategies for creating an inclusive and welcoming classroom climate include:

Pay attention to your engagement with students. In courses where teacher/student ratio allows, endeavor to learn and use students' names. Use classroom engagement strategies that allow students to contribute in a variety of ways, for example, through online discussion boards, in-class discussions, and individual assignments.

Pay attention to and enable group interactions in the classroom. Use peer-to-peer engagement strategies that facilitate relationship-building, trust, and the creation of a learning community within the class.

Respond to microaggressions in the classroom. People with disabilities experience a multitude of everyday comments and behaviors that, while not intended to be hurtful, nonetheless can be stigmatizing, marginalizing, and/ or dehumanizing. Microaggressions ultimately communicate implicit assumptions and prejudices that can injure the targeted group, alienating them from their peers and the learning community faculty attempt to create. For instance, here are some microaggressions and the implicit biases they communicate:

"I don't know how you do it - I'd hate to be like you"

Your disability is not comprehensible
and is always a deficiency.

"You look so normal"

Your disability is not normal, and
you hide it well.

"You are so inspiring."

Your disability defines you;
you are deficient; and you are here for my inspiration.

It is important for instructors to be attentive to microaggressions in the classroom, to normalize inclusive and appropriate language, and to consider effective strategies for turning difficult dialogues into teachable moments.
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Out of Class Activities

Not all learning happens in the classroom. Does your course integrate lab work, field work, practicum placements, internships, service learning, or presentations in community based or academic settings? If so, it will be important to think about accessibility within these spaces as well. The Ohio State University's Composing Access website offers helpful guidelines for creating accessible events.

Conclusion

As Dr. Aimi Hamraie writes, "Meaningful access requires collective labor" (2016, p.266). The Center for Teaching is committed to partnering with students and instructors to increase accessibility of learning experiences at Vanderbilt University. Contact us for more information or assistance.
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[1] Each year, the Center for Teaching offers a number of topic-based Learning Communities intended for members of Vanderbilt's teaching community interested in meeting over time to develop deeper understandings and richer practices around particular teaching and learning topics. In 2017-18, the CFT was proud to host a year-long learning community on disability that explored principles of inclusive teaching, universal design for learning, instructional accommodations, as well as legal and cultural issues relevant to students and faculty with disabilities. This guide reflects a summary of the topics explored over the five-part series. This guide is an update to the Teaching Students with Disabilities guide developed by Danielle Picard.

[2] Note, ADA Title III offers an exception for "religious organizations or entities controlled by religious organizations, including places of worship." However, given that the Rehabilitation Act does not provide a religious exception, in practice the vast majority of higher education entities are regulated by one of these three sets of laws.

[3] For more on the problematic ways in which disabled people are regarded as inspiration, see Stella Young, " I'm not your inspiration, thank you very much." TED talk

This teaching guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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by Amie Thurber, Joe Bandy, and participants in the 2017-2018 Disability and Learning Learning Community at Vanderbilt University.1 Print Version Cite this guide: Thurber, A., & Bandy, J. (2018). Creating Accessible Learning Environments. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [todaysdate] from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/creating-accessible-learning-environments/. There are estimated to be 50 million people with disabilities in the...