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Positive, Intentional Supports for Students With ADHD

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Positive, Intentional Supports for Students With ADHD

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An educator with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder shares simple strategies for supporting students with this learning difference.

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An educator with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder shares simple strategies for supporting students with this learning difference.

monkeybusinessimages / iStock

When I was growing up, I often heard family members, teachers, relatives, and even friends imply or say outright that I was lazy. Many said things teasingly, but others would admonish in frustration or judgment. As a child and teenager, I worked hard to hide what I considered failures. I was ashamed that I couldn't keep up or get my work done on time and embarrassed when I lost homework or accidentally left things at home.

Now I know what I didn't then. I have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-ADHD. I was not, and still am not, lazy. I have a disorder that is very often overlooked or undiagnosed in children (and especially girls) that causes me to struggle with executive functioning and self-regulation skills such as self-motivation, time management, forgetfulness, difficulty sustaining attention and completing tasks, and difficulty planning.

Luckily, I tended to score high enough on tests that my ADHD didn't derail my academics. Unfortunately, fixing the damage to my self-esteem and self-image is still a work in progress.

As an educator, I've seen many students with diagnosed or suspected ADHD struggle academically due to the consequences of the disorder. What makes the struggle even harder is when teachers and other educators fail to intervene in positive, research-based ways to help.

Labels like "lazy" don't help anyone. These kinds of labels are, instead, character judgments that don't explain why students exhibit behaviors. What can help, instead, is getting to the root of the problem and building up the student's belief and confidence in themselves.

Getting to the Root of the Problem

Before applying a potentially harmful label to a student, analyze the specific behavior(s) the student displays. Do they avoid starting tasks? Is it mostly in one subject ( writing is a struggle for more than half of students with ADHD)? Do they start tasks but get easily frustrated and give up, or begin causing distractions? How long has the behavior been going on-weeks? months? years? Ask a lot of questions, and leave the emotion out of it. Be open to the possibility that there is more going on than you might think.

Another option is to do a 20-to-30-minute observation of the student when the behaviors usually occur. Using any observation form, such as this one from the Iris Center, or even a blank piece of paper, note the beginning time as well as the setting of the observation. Then, describe what the student does and says factually without making any assumptions about why.

If it's too hard to keep your emotions or opinions out of this process, try bringing in a colleague who doesn't know the student to give an unbiased observation. This is very similar to what many schools use for a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) in their Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). This kind of observation can also be beneficial for teachers trying to support students with behaviors that are preventing them from learning even if they don't qualify for their school's MTSS program.

Once you've clearly defined the behaviors, explore possible causes. Maslow theorized that all human behavior begins with a motivation to meet certain needs. Students, even neurodivergent students, are no different. However, the needs they're seeking to fulfill may be different than those of neurotypical students. Are there gaps in knowledge and skills that may be causing the student to avoid the unpleasant or embarrassing experience of admitting they don't know how to do something? Could they be acting out due to frustration or anxiety over their academic struggles?

ADHD, along with other learning differences, can often cause students to avoid nonpreferred tasks at all costs, leading to sometimes severe behaviors. The student's historical data can be very helpful at this point. Look for clues and trends in the student's scores in a variety of areas, starting with overall scores, and then dig deeper into individual domains, skills, and benchmarks. If you can identify specific areas of weakness, you can create a plan to address them.

Building Up Student Self-Esteem

One example of a behavior that teachers might mistake for laziness is students starting tasks but failing to sustain the attention needed to complete them. They also often misplace their work or forget to turn it in. Sometimes, the work may even be complete but just never left the backpack. If the root issue is ADHD, no amount of telling the student, "Remember to turn your work in" or "Don't forget to complete your homework," is going to fix the problem.

Dr. Russell Barkley advises that anyone wanting to help change the behavior of someone with ADHD must intervene at the point of performance-the immediate time when the behavior would typically be triggered. He lists clear steps to take to put guardrails in place for certain ADHD behaviors. For many students already struggling with low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression due to their ADHD or academic deficits stemming from their ADHD, however, it will take more than tips and strategies to overcome the issue. It will take building the student's belief in themselves as well as helping them develop an understanding of how their brain works (metacognition).

The first step to helping struggling students develop self-esteem is eliminating negative talk and questioning about why they forgot something or didn't do some task. Believe me, ADHD students don't know why, so continuing to ask only makes them feel worse about themselves than they already do.

Second, use sincere, positive praise to reinforce to students that you believe in them. Encouragement, not flattery, works wonders when sincere. Phrases such as "I know this is hard, but I also know you can do it" or "I know how hard it is for you to get started writing, but you have such wonderful ideas. Tell me your ideas out loud first" acknowledge the student's challenges while instilling in them the amazing belief that someone is on their side and just gets it. For some ADHD students, it might be the first time a teacher has talked to them with empathy rather than exasperation or frustration.

When moving on to completing larger projects or tasks that span multiple days or weeks, work with the students to break down the task into steps with specific due dates and check-ins. To build motivation to complete each step, have them think of a way to reward themselves after completing each step. Teachers can start these conversations like this: "This is a big project that will take a lot of time to complete. I know I can get overwhelmed when I have something big to do. What helps me is to make a plan to do little parts, one at a time. We could make a checklist too."

The key to overcoming any challenge with ADHD students is to be sincere in your empathy as well as in your belief that the student can succeed. Communicate this belief to the student, and then make the student your partner in crafting a solution, showing them that you truly value their input.

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Positive, Intentional Supports for Students With ADHD

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An educator with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder shares simple strategies for supporting students with this learning difference.

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8 Brain Breaks to Spark Joy and Help Young Students Concentrate

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8 Brain Breaks to Spark Joy and Help Young Students Concentrate

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Theater games make fun brain breaks that also foster valuable executive function skills.

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Early Childhood Education

Theater games make fun brain breaks that also foster valuable executive function skills.

Picture this: You are transitioning to a new lesson, and suddenly your class is full of bouncing legs and restless bodies. Chatter abounds, and fidget toys appear from nowhere. It's time to take a brain break.

However, finding the ideal activity that's simple and hits the reset button can be a challenge. For some variety, you may want to consider theater games. There are a slew of exercises that actors use to refocus, build community, and stimulate their energy that work well during transitions or whenever kids need to refocus.

While they can certainly help students concentrate, there are other benefits to these exercises: mindfulness, executive function skills, growth mindset, social and emotional learning, and especially fun, depending on the game. Gholdy Muhammad, professor and author of Unearthing Joy, notes that we can find joy in the classroom "when we create learning experiences that encourage students to have fun and problem solve, with their voices (and perspectives) centered." These brain breaks provide just such an opportunity.

8 Fun Brain Breaks to Help Students Focus

1. Silent circles of sameness. In this activity, students stand at the perimeter of the room, and you pose a statement to the class. Students who agree with the statement move to the center, while the rest stay at the edges. Debate topics such as "Zoos should not exist" or "Unicorns are superior to dragons" work well. You can also tie in themes from books ("Wilbur is brave." "Wonka is kind.").

Or use it as a way for the class to get to know each other ("I have a sibling." "I speak more than one language."). For extra movement, start your statements with " Jump into the circle if..." and keep changing up the verb (Spin! Hop! Run! Wiggle!). This activity gets kids connecting with each other, fostering fun and community in the classroom.

2. Mirror game. The mirror game is a classic acting exercise developed by the pioneer of theater games, Viola Spolin. Working in pairs, one student is the leader, who initiates movements, and the other is the reflection, who copies their motions. The moves could be abstract and dancelike or realistic, such as brushing teeth or making breakfast. The leader keeps their movements slow so as to not leave their reflection behind.

Additionally, students can make facial expressions showing emotions like anger, fear, and joy. The partners can switch roles after about a minute. Scientists have studied the mirror neurons in the brain and regard them as the seat of empathy. As students see their own selves reflected, it brings increased feelings of connectedness and belonging.

3. Laugh like a ___. Brainstorm a list of animals, creatures, or characters. Cue this game with a phrase like "Drop everything and laugh like a ___." It can be fun to do a few in rapid succession (for example, "Drop everything and laugh like a monkey... like a whale... like a giraffe"). Science shows that laughter releases endorphins in the brain, so what better way to reset than that?

4. Feather balance. Ask students to balance a feather on the palm of their hand. This helps them practice mindfulness as they focus on the feather, moving to keep it upright. Growth mindset is also at work in this game.

Carol Dweck, author of the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, says, "No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment." While some students might say, "I can't do it!" you can introduce the magic word yet into the conversation and then apply it to more academic topics later.

5. Boom chicka boom. This vibrant chant can get repeated in any style imaginable. Play around with different themes from books: "Big Bad Wolf style" or "Lorax style." You can also tie in units of study, using animals or professions in the community. To get the body involved, encourage gestures that get repeated too. Model a few versions, and then pass the baton for the students to lead.

6. Human knot. Students circle up and hold the hand of someone next to them, and then with their other hand take the hand of someone who is not next to them. They then have to untangle themselves without letting go of anyone's hand and find their way back into a big circle. This full-body exercise builds teamwork and trust. Encourage "voices off" for an extra challenge.

7. "Down by the Bay." The classic song by singer Raffi is a lovely way to get music, rhyming, and even acting into the mix. You can sing it in its original form and then encourage new verses from your students. Ask students to fill in the blank for the lyric "Did you ever see a ___" and then come up with a new rhyme to finish the verse.

This game benefits early readers, since studies show that rhyming builds literacy skills. Students can embody the rhyme, moving across the room or in their seats, as if they were a "shark trying to visit a park" or a "T. rex escaping a hex!," which adds an imaginative and kinesthetic element to the brain booster.

8. Who started the motion? One student steps outside the room. Another is selected to be the motion captain; they start a repeatable gesture (like clapping and snapping in rhythm, tapping their head and then their feet, etc.) and then switch to another one. Meanwhile, the class copies these gestures. The other student comes back into the room and observes the motions, even as they change, and tries to guess who is the captain. In this exercise, students develop their power of observation and collaboration as they move in sync.

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8 Brain Breaks to Spark Joy and Help Young Students Concentrate

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When young students take a brain break, their focus improves, and these activities also foster valuable skills like executive function.

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Guiding Students in Special Education to Generate Ideas for Writing

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Guiding Students in Special Education to Generate Ideas for Writing

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When students are stuck, breaking the brainstorming stage down into separate steps can help them get started writing.

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When students are stuck, breaking the brainstorming stage down into separate steps can help them get started writing.

James Steinberg / The iSpot

Most students don't have too much trouble following the traditional steps of the writing process: brainstorm, outline, and draft, then revise and edit. Some students, though, get stuck in the brainstorming phase. As a special educator, I have encountered the "stuck" student many times. When we treat brainstorming as an opportunity for skill building, students can feel more confident developing ideas for writing.

Standard brainstorming strategies

Writing requires many skills to work together at the same time: idea generation, hand strength and stamina, letter formation, spelling, sentence composition, grammar, editing, proofreading, and so forth. If any of those skills is weak, it makes writing significantly harder. Many students who struggle with writing have not had sufficient practice building each foundational skill to a point where they readily access it when performing more complex skills in the classroom. In other cases, a student's disability may impair some aspect of their learning, be it fine motor or cognitive. They learn to master skills when instruction and practice is broken into small pieces.

Many of my interactions with students looked something like this:

Teacher: In Charlotte's Web, a major theme is friendship. You are going to write a paragraph that shows how the characters were good friends and helped each other.

Student:(Sitting, not working.)

Teacher: Sally, can I help you get started?

Student: I don't have any ideas.

Teacher: Let's brainstorm together using your graphic organizer.

Teacher: OK. Try on your own, and I'll check back with you in a couple of minutes.

Student: No ideas! No ideas! (Runs out of the classroom.)

If student behavior is viewed as some type of communication, this example shows that a learner is likely communicating that they don't have a skill required or are not able to access this skill at this time.

Brainstorming as skill building

By breaking a skill into small parts and allowing your students to practice those parts until they become automatic and effortless, an instructor can decrease a student's frustration level and remove a significant barrier to their thinking. It's the same in any skilled performance-basketball players practice shooting and passing, cellists repeat musical scales, and chefs practice different styles of chopping. Skill-building exercises can help students become more confident and competent at any skill, including writing.

Rather than push students to use a graphic organizer or other standard brainstorming tool to help them generate their ideas, I began to use a skill-building process that has students first name things related to a topic and then generate a list of ways those things demonstrate the topic:

Teacher: Sally, in this story our characters are Charlotte, Fern, Wilbur, and Mr. Zuckerman. Tell me ways that they helped each other.

Student: Uh, I don't know.

Teacher: I'll start. In one chapter, Charlotte spun words in her web to help Wilbur. Now you try. How else did they help each other?

Student: Uh, Fern saves Wilbur from her father.

Teacher: Exactly. Now, tell me ways that Templeton helped someone.

Student: Templeton found words in the newspaper for Charlotte to spin in her web.

Teacher: Great! What about Wilbur?

Student: Wilbur watched over Charlotte's egg sac.

Teacher: Yes! You've got so many good ideas for writing.

Students who first generate ideas about a topic-access what they know about it-more easily write their outlines and drafts for the bigger-picture assignment. For Sally, brainstorming was too overwhelming as an initial step, so we started off by namingexamples. I gave Sally a topic-name ways characters in Charlotte's Web helped one another-she named examples of things(characters),and we generated a list of waysthose characters helped one another.

Implementing Brainstorming as Skill Building
Step 1. Introduce the student to the exercise.
This "naming" strategy is easy to implement with individual students or in groups. These are steps to get you started.

Teacher: You're going to be writing down ideas.
Step 2. Select a topic for practice.
For this step, you will need a sheet of paper, small whiteboard, or blank document on your computer. If your student hates writing by hand or is a slow typist, do the writing for them or use dictation. Remember, we're trying to remove barriers to generating ideas, such as slow handwriting and hesitation around spelling.

Teacher: Name things that can get ruined (phone, cake, backpack, etc.).
Step 3. Revisit the list to describe each item.
You or your student will write a list of items that can get ruined. If a student struggles to generate these examples, take turns: You go first, then prompt them to go. If that doesn't work, start off by identifying and writing down a few items around the room that can get ruined.

Teacher: Now we are going to write some ways that each item on your list can get ruined.
Step 4. Use the descriptions to write a paragraph.
Next to each item, you or the student will record a few ways it can get ruined. As an example, for a bike, the student might list the following: It could get a flat tire, the chain could fall off. Again, if your student has trouble at this point, state an idea and see if they can come up with the next one.

Teacher: Pick one of these items to write about.
Step 5. Continue daily practice with new topics.
With the items and examples in place, the student can start to write a basic paragraph about a prompt like "Write about a time when something you cared about got ruined and how you felt about it." If the student gets stuck at this point, encourage them to use a simple structure: Introduce the topic, give examples of ways that items can get ruined, and describe a time when something like this happened to you. At first, focus on the quality of your students' ideas and descriptions, and not their handwriting, sentence construction, or vocabulary. The goal here is to spark an interest in writing. You can push for perfect prose later.

Students who struggle to brainstorm need daily practice with this exercise. Each day, provide a new topic and ask them to work in pairs or small groups to generate ideas and descriptions. Your topics should be relevant to your students' daily lives (there are pre-made lists of such prompts available online). As your class adjusts, you can add a timer and make idea generation a class-wide game ("You have two minutes to come up with ideas of what can make someone happy"). This is a powerful intervention to help all students get started with their writing.

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Guiding Students in Special Education to Generate Ideas for Writing

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When students are stuck, breaking the brainstorming stage down into separate steps can help them get started writing.

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A Guide to Equity and Antiracism for Educators

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A Guide to Equity and Antiracism for Educators

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Teachers shaken by recent events and wondering how to work for change in our society and schools can start with these lesson plans, videos, and other resources.

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Teachers shaken by recent events and wondering how to work for change in our society and schools can start with these lesson plans, videos, and other resources.

John Minchillo / Associated Press

Protesting the killing of George Floyd, a crowd gathers for a rally at Cadman Plaza Park in New York City on June 4, 2020.

"I'm a White educator, where do I start?"

"How can I help?"

"What if I get it wrong?"

Recent events have shaken me to my core, and the nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd suggest that people across the country are similarly shaken. These are dark times, but if there's anything that seems like a glimmer of light to me at the moment, it's the fact that so many teachers are reflecting on how to fight racism:

For me, a Black educator and mother to a Black 16-year-old who has reached the appearance if not the legal age of manhood, these questions stir hope. Folks who don't look like me are embracing the idea that the fight for equity has to be everyone's fight. But fighting racism is a big job, and when the fires of outrage cool, we teachers will be confronted with the reality of planning deadlines, testing schedules, and another hundred things that are all in a day's work. The difficult work of equity may become just another item on a desk crowded with to-do lists.

What Can Teachers Do?

The answer, an old joke: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time, of course-and achieving equity is no different. Take small bites that can have big impact and don't worry about getting it wrong sometimes, as you inevitably will. If you keep going, you can do something that brings about change.

Reading: Even if you only have 10 minutes, you can learn something to help you create a more equitable classroom. Websites like Teaching Tolerance, the NEA's EdJustice, and KQED's Mindshift feature resources for lesson planning as well as lessons for you as a teacher. Teaching Tolerance is the perfect place to start, whether you want to use bias-free language to teach tolerance through reading with young learners or plan a social action campaign with high school students.

In addition to a rich collection of K-12 classroom resources, the website features self-guided PD, on-demand webinars, and podcasts that may enable you to earn a certificate-check with your administration first. Those can easily be broken up into small chunks of time. And note that many of the site's feature articles list recommended actions at the bottom.

If your goal is to understand the Black community better, sites designed for Black audiences like The Root, The Undefeated, and Huffington Post's Black Voices are good places to start. These non-mainstream media outlets feature content by minority and minority-supporting journalists. You'll find content on topics not covered in mainstream media, like coverage of historically Black colleges and universities, news about Black brands and influencers, and stories like this one on MIT's first Black female student body president in its 159-year history. If you're teaching Black children who are generally inundated by media that does not reflect them, these are priceless ways you can enrich your current events and show-and-tell circles.

Watching: You can improve your cultural competence and learn about Black Lives Matter by watching " 4 Black Lives Matter Myths Debunked" on YouTube, which will answer quite a few questions on social justice issues, probably including some you didn't even know you had. And if you want help in having real discussions on complex issues with young children, the YouTube show LivingRoomProtest will lead you through conversations on being Black, politics, pride, and even death and the afterlife-try the episode " Education Is a Human Right " for starters.

If you want entertainment with a cultural component, Netflix has a host of shows that cater to a Black audience, as well as original content that regularly features diverse character lineups. Hulu has not only a small curated selection of Black Stories but also six seasons of the binge-worthy, socially conscious Black-ish and its spin-off prequel Mixed-ish. While Black-ish might be a little campy, it tackles real issues surrounding racism, bias, and social justice issues that arise within the Black community.

Taking action: For the civic-minded, the Kellogg Foundation has put together a website that lets you create your own personal plan to support, donate, or volunteer in the way you find most relevant. This site can help you focus your attention on one or two civic tasks with broader impact.

Social action is also a great way to involve students, which multiplies your impact. You can teach students how to write emails or letters by asking them to write to your local government in favor of policy changes banning the eight most deadly policing strategies listed at 8 Can't Wait, which has ideas on how to call or email your government yourself-there's a script you can use or adapt.

Looking within: Finally, and perhaps most importantly, take inventory of your feelings. It's normal to be most comfortable around people who are like you. It's just not good when that makes you and those like you an "us" and those who aren't like you a "them." Use a journal to sort through your personal feelings on racism or read books that provide perspective on systemic inequities and bias. These long-haul strategies will produce change in you while you take more immediate action in other ways.

The devastating events of the last days have left me shaken. I have felt anger, fear, grief-so many emotions. But I have also felt buoyed by the great outpouring of support from my less melanated colleagues who want to listen, learn, and find out how to do better. So many of them are already doing amazing things with diverse students. This piece is dedicated to them. They give me hope that this time, we will fight racism together and bring about lasting change.

Don't stop now. How do you eat an elephant? One small bite at a time.

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A Guide to Equity and Antiracism for Educators

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Teachers shaken by recent events and wondering how to work for change in our society and schools can start with these lesson plans, videos, and other resources. John Minchillo / Associated Press Protesting the killing of George Floyd, a crowd gathers for a rally at Cadman Plaza Park in New York City on June 4, 2020.

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7 Ways to Support Executive Function in Your Classroom

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7 Ways to Support Executive Function in Your Classroom

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How to design your classroom environment and materials to support a wide range of executive function skills, from managing distractions to boosting planning skills.

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Our understanding of executive functions is due, at least in part, to a tragic accident.

In 1848, Phineas Gage was working on a blast crew, preparing the bed of the Rutland & Burlington Railroad in Vermont. As he placed explosive gunpowder in a hole, it brushed against a 3-foot-long iron bar, causing an explosion and scattering high-velocity projectiles. The iron bar pierced Gage's skull, destroying a portion at the front of his brain-what we now call the prefrontal cortex, the seat of executive function skills like working memory, planning, organizing, and attention. Gage lived but abandoned his future plans, his doctors noted, rarely thought about the consequences of his actions, and could no longer hold a steady job.

"Today, it is well understood that the prefrontal cortex of the brain controls the organization of behavior, including emotions and inhibitions," researchers explain in a 2020 study. Prior to Gage's case, the frontal lobes were considered "silent structures, without function and unrelated to human behavior."

Inside classrooms, executive function skills-the ability to follow instructions, focus while managing distractions, and flexibly plan for academic projects, according to Harvard's Center on the Developing Child-are the very underpinning of academic success. In a large-scale study involving over 11,000 students, researchers discovered that young students with executive function problems were 10 times more likely to struggle academically as they got older. "Deficits in executive function," the researchers concluded, "increased kindergarten children's risk of experiencing repeated mathematics, reading, and science difficulties across elementary school." Other research suggests that "executive functions account for more than two times more variation in final grades than does IQ, even in college."

Creating a classroom environment that supports students' executive function skills requires a thoughtful approach-no matter the grade level. Distractions and disorganization can hide inside classroom and lesson design, and adjustments to both little and big details can dramatically improve outcomes.

The Clarity Problem

To reduce cognitive load-the demands placed on a student's working memory- aim for clarity in handouts, classroom instructions, presentations, and lectures.

The best lectures are "well organized, clearly presented, and reduce unnecessary mental load," explains psychology professor William Cerbin in a 2018 study. Break longer lectures into smaller, more manageable chunks, and be sure to build in periodic breaks to help students catch up, ask questions, and consolidate their learning, Cerbin's review of the research suggests.

Student feedback can be a powerful antidote to confusing materials-what feels like a clear lesson to you may be a jumble to your students. Create simple surveys asking questions like "Was there anything that was confusing to you?" or "What was the hardest part of the lesson?" to see what's working well or needs to be changed, researchers explain in a 2019 study.

Scattered Young Minds

Organizing increasingly complicated academic and social calendars doesn't come naturally to kids, but successfully teaching them to "learn how to learn" can dramatically improve academic performance, according to a 2020 study.

Skills like making priority lists and creating and updating digital schedules should be taught the way we teach traditional subjects, say the renowned psychology professors and researchers Angela Duckworth and Ethan Kross. For younger students, create and sustain routines for entering, transitioning, and leaving the classroom. Use visual aids-displayed in prominent areas-to remind students of expected behaviors. A 2023 study, for example, found that the use of a color wheel to signal to students when it's time to listen to the teacher, work independently or in groups, or transition between activities reduced the number of times the teacher had to repeat instructions by 75 percent. Taken together, these approaches reduce the number of factors that kids need to manage and clear the way for better learning.

For older kids, make organizational tactics an integral part of the curriculum so that the "skills or the habits will be rewarded" and teens will be more "receptive and eager" to learn them, according to Duckworth. For example, consider maintaining a yearlong classroom calendar of due dates, and have students periodically work together to map out study plans in small groups. Teachers at King Middle School in Portland, Maine, actively model how to prioritize tasks and manage their schedules in front of the classroom, and then invite students to do the same. "In eighth grade there's a ton of different deadlines and work to manage," says ELA teacher Catherine Paul. "So, we do the ABC priority list in order to help them."

Scaffolding for Learning Differences

Since 75 percent of students with a learning disability spend most of their day in mainstream classrooms, it's likely that you'll have to make accommodations.

Designing a Clutter-Free Learning Space

A well-designed classroom doesn't just showcase learning materials-it also supports the development of a range of executive function skills. Students should be in an environment that's free from distractions or overstimulation. One often-overlooked source, researchers suggest, are classroom walls, which should be "designed to provide a lively sense to the classroom, but without becoming chaotic in feel," a 2015 study recommends. "As a rule of thumb, 20 to 50 percent of the available wall space should be kept clear."

Avoid the clutter while showcasing student work and academically relevant visual aids such as anchor charts and maps. To guard against the slow creep of accumulation, make it a rule to remove older material as you add new items to your displays. Also consider how environmental features -such as uneven or glaring light, noise, excessive heat, or poor ventilation-can impair cognitive performance when students are trying to focus.

Don't Forget Your Virtual Classroom

Your online working spaces should be as clearly signposted and well-organized as your physical ones.

Streamline your digital classroom's navigation, create a single hub or page for crucial daily activities, and think through how online communications, documents, and assignments are organized. "Establish clear routines and expectations in your Learning Management System (LMS) early on," writes science teacher Ian Kelleher-incorporate some time to practice submitting assignments, for example, and stick to your routines so the tools become second nature for students. A well-designed LMS can be "a pillar of certainty in an ever-changing school landscape," helping students plan, be organized, and stay on task.

Managing a Finite Resource

If you've played the classic Simon memory game-where players are tasked with repeating a series of lights on a colorful disc-you know that there's a finite limit to the span of colors a person can remember: typically around seven (dropping down to between four and six for young children).

When presenting students with new information, consider how unfamiliarity and difficulty may be contributing to cognitive load. One 2019 study found that when students understood less than 59 percent of the key terms in a lesson experience, it "compromised" comprehension, arguing for simple vocabulary prep before kids wrestle with the core material.

The Problem With Testing

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7 Ways to Support Executive Function in Your Classroom

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How to design your classroom environment and materials to support a wide range of executive function skills, from managing distractions to boosting planning skills.

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4 Brain Breaks for Different Classroom Needs

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4 Brain Breaks for Different Classroom Needs

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These brain breaks are designed to serve different purposes, and selecting the right one at the right time can yield positive results.

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These brain breaks are designed to serve different purposes, and selecting the right one at the right time can yield positive results.

The science behind brain breaks is clear. We know that incorporating brain breaks into academic routines yields benefits for students of all ages. CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, includes brain breaks in their three signature practices. Throughout my career, I have used brain breaks with great success with my second- and third-grade students as well as with college students and adults in professional development workshops.

As I reflect deeply about the brain breaks I use, I categorize them based on the result I hope to achieve with them. Brain breaks can energize students or help them to relax. They can also spark creativity and connection.

4 Targeted Brain Breaks

1. Energizing brain breaks. I use these when I sense that we need to increase energy in the classroom and spark joy. They include activity videos such as those you can find on UJU's YouTube channel, which was created by a group of teachers. They are fun and require movement. For younger elementary students, movement videos tied to questions and games such as Would You Rather? or Which One? are especially powerful. Videos are also available in Spanish.

For older students and adults, I love to set up a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament. I have done this with great success with up to several hundred adults. Participants find a partner to play Rock, Paper, Scissors with and then trail the winner, cheering for them until it's down to just two people in the room. This game is almost universally known and is a crowd pleaser. At professional development sessions, having a small prize for the winner is also fun.

Another brain break I like for all ages is one I call Walk the Room. In this break, I play upbeat music and ask students or adults to walk the room racetrack style while chatting with a friend or contemplating by themselves. I define the path for participants and tell them they can talk about whatever they want, or they can just walk quietly.

This type of brain break is useful after morning meetings in classrooms where we typically have been sitting for a while, after lunch when sluggishness can set in, or when we've been working on an academic task for 30 minutes or longer and just need to increase energy and clear space in our brains for what's next.

2. Creative brain breaks. I use these when we have been working hard on a concept and need some time, space, and sensory input to make something on our own. My favorite examples of this type of brain break are creating with small cans of Play-Doh for five minutes, building something with Legos for five minutes, and building structures with small wooden blocks similar to those used to play Jenga.

Students and adults have a choice in what they are making and how it comes together. This small bit of agency can go a long way toward regulation and resetting brains for the rest of the class or day. I also love having students work on a 24-piece puzzle. The task of having to think and work toward an end product activates neurons in the brain. A puzzle can fire up a growth mindset and provide a challenge.

3. Soothing brain breaks. There are times when more mindful, slower-paced brain breaks work best. I offer choices with calm activities when students arrive in the morning, after an energetic or fast-paced activity, and quite simply when we need to calm ourselves to be successful in our next activity.

Examples include journaling, mindful coloring, yoga activities available on YouTube, box breathing, and working on dot-to-dot puzzles with hundreds of numbers. Each requires focus and is relatively quiet. I love to play lo-fi beats music in the background while we work on these things, which adds to a calm ambience in the classroom and helps students regulate while they can see how much time they have. Three to five minutes works very well. The Pomodoro Music Timer YouTube channel has lots of videos you can use for this purpose.

4. Connection brain breaks. A connected and safe classroom community supports academic and social success. Throughout the year, we can build connections through rituals and activities where we share ourselves with others. This can include articulating our hopes and dreams, fears, goals, and what's important to us. We can share our customs, traditions, and family practices.

Brain breaks that focus on these goals can provide that time. A very popular brain break is to ask a quick opinion question, such as "What's better, tacos or pizza, and why?" Would You Rather? and Four Corners are always great options.

I love to do a quick-chat brain break in my classroom. We do this each day after lunch to move and foster connection. I put up a slide with a quick question, and students find a partner to chat with for one minute. When I ring the chime, they find a new partner and do the same. We do this for five rounds. It gets us moving, talking, and connecting and takes just five minutes. It's a perfect transition between activities. You can see one of my slides below. I put a picture of my dog Bella in it for fun.

Brain breaks are a necessary and enjoyable element of any learning environment. They work best when we plan them to meet our learners' needs at different times of day and in different situations. When we are flexible and attuned to our students, we can take advantage of the best type of brain break for the moment.

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4 Brain Breaks for Different Classroom Needs

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These brain breaks are designed to serve different purposes, and selecting the right one at the right time can yield positive results.

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17 Fun Games to Get World Language Learners Talking

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17 Fun Games to Get World Language Learners Talking

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When learning a new language, speaking in front of peers can be daunting. These games can help alleviate pressure and lower the stakes for students.

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But even when students are offered opportunities to speak in the classroom, a room full of tweens and teens who were chattering away in the halls moments before will often fall completely silent.

Games and playful activities are a great way to alleviate pressure, lower the stakes, and infuse joy and levity into what may be an anxiety-inducing process for some. Here is a list of 17 games to play with more advanced world language students (and, in some cases, even ELL students) that can help them use the new language they're studying.
© George Lucas Educational Foundation
Sketch and Guess: Educator Fatima Belouahi secretly assigns each of her ninth-grade students a vocabulary term. She likes to tailor her choices where possible toward terms that may spark some interest, like free speech. Students draw a representation of their term, then walk around the room challenging classmates to identify what they've drawn. It has all the fun of Pictionary but with added academic benefits backed by research: When students draw information they're learning, it can increase recall by nearly double.

Never Have I Ever: This classic game, often played at sleepovers, can take on a new life in the classroom. Kids start by holding five fingers in the air (use fewer if you're short on time). Going around the room, each student will share something they've never done. For example, "Never have I ever traveled to another country." All students who have traveled to another country put their finger down, then share a brief story related to that experience, writes Gantenhammer. Then the cycle restarts. Once a student has put down all of their fingers, they're out.

Affirmative/Negative: Write a series of questions on the board that you might normally answer with a simple yes or no, like "Do you know how to make pancakes?," "Can you ride a bike?," or "Will you be taking the bus home from school today?" Next, let the class know that they cannot respond with yes or no, and that shaking their head or nodding doesn't count either. Go around the room, asking each student to find a way to answer your question, and see what they come up with. (Sourced from Making English Fun.)

Who's Telling the Truth?: On their own piece of paper, each student will write down their name and three facts about themselves that none of their classmates know. Choose three students to come to the front of the room, and choose one of the student's facts to read aloud. Next, the investigation commences.

"All three claim that the fact is theirs, and the class then proceeds to question them in an attempt to determine who is telling the truth and who is lying," Gantenhammer writes. Each student can pose one question to only one of the three students, then the class has to collaborate to figure out who is telling the truth.

Draw It Back to Me: In pairs, while one student covers their eyes with their hands, the other will draw a picture on a piece of paper. Simple imagery is ideal, like a flower or some fruit. Next, the artist will try to describe what the other student must now draw an exact replica of, but without showing the original sketch.

A student might instruct their partner to draw a strawberry cut into three pieces or a flower with five petals and a stem, but will the petals be the right shape? Will the stem be the right length? Should the flower be small, medium, or large? At the end, the pair can compare and contrast, discussing what they might've intentionally said instead to produce identical images and practicing their ability to be descriptive in their target language in the process. (Sourced from Making English Fun.)

Pick-a-Trait: This game works best a ways into the year when students have gotten to know each other, writes educator Susan Verner for Busy Teacher.In a hat or small bag, collect a bunch of slips of paper each listing a character trait like happy, funny, brave, and loyal. Have each student pick a trait out of the bag, select a student they think possesses that trait, and give an example of why. Students not only get to practice speaking but also can build stronger relationships with each other.

Guess The Secret Word: Start by assigning random topics and unrelated secret words to each student. For example, the topic could be "My favorite hobby" and the secret word could be "Pineapple." The students' mission? To stealthily embed their random word within a speech they'll deliver to their peers without raising any suspicions as to what the word may be. The rest of the class become detectives, Gantenhammer writes, listening intently and then guessing the hidden piece of vocabulary.

The 5-Second Rule: This is a classic game of word association that will keep your class on their toes, writes Ewa Stoklosa, English language teaching content manager at ESL Brains. After receiving a category-like subjects in school or modes of transportation-a student has five seconds to brainstorm and shout out three related things that fall under that category. If they succeed, and the class decides their answers fit the category, they get a point. You can divide the class in half or into small groups, then see who gets the most points before a timer runs out.

Castaways: Each student starts by drawing an item-anything from an umbrella or a pizza to a bouquet of flowers. Encourage students to get creative, writes Gantenhammer. Collect the drawings, then pass them back out, ensuring that no student receives their own.

Next, tell the class that they are no longer students but castaways on a deserted island. On top of that, only half of them will be able to survive. All they have to their name is what is drawn on the piece of paper in front of them. Each student now has to justify their survival to their fellow islanders based on their item.

Can You Guess Who?: Compile the names of famous historical figures or celebrities in a hat. One student draws a name; then, with a partner, in small groups, or as a whole class, they'll answer yes or no questions that help their peers guess their identity.

A fun riff on this activity starts with students putting a Post-it note on their forehead with a vocabulary word or tidbit of information on it-like an animal or a profession. Ensure that students cannot see what is written on their Post-it. Students then walk around the room asking questions of their classmates to find out who or what they are. (Sourced from Making English Fun.)

True or False: Randomly assign students to share a true story, or a completely fabricated story, with their classmates. One by one, they'll take their place as storytellers, and afterward, classmates vote to determine their tale's legitimacy. Gantenhammer suggests letting students question the storyteller for clues to extend the activity.

A Shared Story: Collaborative storytelling is a great way to help students practice speaking, listening, and building off the contributions of others, according to educators from Grand Canyon University. You can start the story off with a single line, have a student start, or even employ ChatGPT for a little inspiration. For example: At the stroke of midnight, a talking cat appeared outside Tim's window, inviting him to a magical party that only animals knew about. From there, each student takes a turn adding another line to the story.

Coffeepot: This game is perfect for a class that needs a bit of extra practice with their grammar. Randomly select a student and assign them a verb, like dance. To guess the word, the class builds a body of clues based on questions they ask using the word coffeepot as a placeholder for the secret verb. For example, If it were raining outside, would you still coffeepot? Where are some places that are perfect locations to coffeepot? Are any celebrities good at coffeepotting?

"The verbs that work best in this game are those that refer to what people (or animals) do and that are intransitive (e.g., it is fairly easy to guess the verb swim but not necessarily the verb use)," writes Stoklosa.

Impromptu Improv: After brainstorming a bunch of different prompts for an interaction-like a host of a game show instructing a contestant or a detective interrogating a suspect-write them all down on slips of paper and put them into a hat. In pairs or small groups, have students pick out a scenario and play out the roles.

The activity could stop there, but in Belouahi's classroom, students coauthor a script for the role-play, use arts and craft materials to make props, and film their scenes on their cell phones. The final product is seen only by the students and Belouahi, which alleviates some pressure and empowers students to take more risks as they grapple with vocabulary in unexpected ways.

Four Corners: At the 2022 Elementary and Secondary Education Act Conference (ESEA), Title 1 Academic Language Coach Amy Gilliam and her colleagues shared a variety of oral language protocols and collaboration activities that can help increase engagement. Four Corners is one of them.

This activity works best in a classroom where there's room for students to freely walk back and forth. Designate each corner of the room with a letter: A, B, C, and D. Next, ask a multiple choice question, and have students walk to the corner of the room that reflects which answer they think is correct. With their fellow classmates who chose the same answer, the small groups will discuss why they think they're right. Offer a little help by way of sentence starters where needed. In a whole class discussion, students can chime in and defend their decision before you reveal the correct answer.
© George Lucas Educational Foundation
Fortune Teller: Paper fortune tellers might be a nostalgic throwback for some students, but in this game they're a quick way to spark deep and engaging conversations. The outermost flaps will be marked with colors, then numbers, while the innermost flaps conceal a question that students will discuss in the target language. During a lesson on social media and cancel culture, Belouahi's students answered questions like "What is cancel culture?" and "How can someone behave badly online?"

In pairs, one student operates the fortune teller while the other student chooses a color and spells it aloud ("Green, G-R-E-E-N"), then a number ("Four, F-O-U-R"). They choose one more number, which determines the flap to lift and reveals the question that the pair will discuss. For free customizable templates, search online with the keywords "editable fortune teller template."

First One, Then Many: Pass out index cards to each student in the class with an image, vocabulary word, or short phrase on them. Ask students to form small groups with peers who have a card connected to theirs. For example, a card with the word cow, another with a picture of a milk carton, and one with a picture of grass may form a group. The newly formed group should collaborate to come up with an explanation for why their cards are all linked and defend it to the teacher. (Sourced from Amy Gilliam, Angie Jones, Lara Randby, and Denise Zawada.)

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17 Fun Games to Get World Language Learners Talking

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When learning a new language, speaking in front of peers can be daunting. These games can help alleviate pressure and lower the stakes for students.

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Consider these strategies to foster students’ social and emotional learning and help support their mental health.

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Consider these strategies to foster students’ social and emotional learning and help support their mental health.

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Using Virtual Field Trips and Game-Based Lessons to Support an Inclusive Classroom

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Using Virtual Field Trips and Game-Based Lessons to Support an Inclusive Classroom

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Teachers can acknowledge and celebrate their diverse classrooms by providing a variety of learning experiences.

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Using Virtual Field Trips and Game-Based Lessons to Support an Inclusive Classroom

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Teachers can acknowledge and celebrate their diverse classrooms by providing a variety of learning experiences.

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11 Picture Books on Notable Women for Young Students

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11 Picture Books on Notable Women for Young Students

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These engaging books feature influential women in different fields who exemplify perseverance, creativity, and strength of character.

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11 Picture Books on Notable Women for Young Students

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These engaging books feature influential women in different fields who exemplify perseverance, creativity, and strength of character.

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“The only way to undo racism is to consistently identify and describe it—and then dismantle it,” writes professor Ibram X. Kendi. This is the essence of antiracism: the action that must follow both emotional and intellectual awareness of racism. Explore what an antiracist society might look like, how we can play an active role in building it, and what being an antiracist in your own context might mean.

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The difference between being "not racist" and antiracist | Ibram X. Kendi

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The difference between being "not racist" and antiracist | Ibram X. Kendi

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There is no such thing as being "not racist," says author and historian Ibram X. Kendi. In this vital conversation, he defines the transformative concept of antiracism to help us more clearly recognize, take responsibility for and reject prejudices in our public policies, workplaces and personal beliefs. Learn how you can actively use this awareness to uproot injustice and inequality in the world -- and replace it with love.

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The difference between being "not racist" and antiracist | Ibram X. Kendi