Anxiety is a growing problem in our world and is talked about more and more. I see it in my classroom, at my school, within my family, friends, and news. Anxiety doesn’t discriminate. Snow and McFadden (2017) found that anxiety rates are on the rise (link) and Horowitz and Graf (2019) found that 70% of today’s teens see anxiety and depression as major problems among their peers. Manassis (2012) explained that a small amount of children with anxiety are addressed by a doctor, so there is a clear role for schools to look at classroom-based interventions to improve academic success and well-being. I set out to find solutions for my students, with anxiety, talking or presenting in front of the class. An ill-structured problem, such as anxiety, requires consideration of multiple different variables at the same time and these variables will evolve over time.
The first application, to help students with anxiety disorders talk or present in front of a large group, is Virtual Speech. The Virtual Speech application is free and allows the students to use VR goggles to choose different environments to practice their speech or presentation. It also allows for speech analysis and feedback. This could be used to prepare for classroom presentations, interviews, graduation speeches, etc. A couple unique restraints would be that it is not usable without VR Goggles and the age level is primarily for older students. Calm is a mindfulness application that schools can use to build empathy skills, regulate their emotions, improve their ability to focus and more. The calm application can be used anywhere at any time. These two applications can work hand in hand to build confidence and a sense of calm for all students. Specifically, this will help students with anxiety create positive habits and increase mindfulness.
Resources:
Snow, K., & McFadden, C. (2017, December 11). What's happening to our kids? Depression, anxiety crisis deepening in U.S. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/generation-risk-america-s-youngest-facing-mental-health-crisis-n827836
Horowitz, J. M., Graf, N., Horowitz, J. M., & Graf, N. (2019, February 21). Most U.S. teens see anxiety, depression as major problems. Retrieved from https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2019/02/20/most-u-s-teens-see-anxiety-and-depression-as-a-major-problem-among-their-peers/
Manassis, K. (2012). Generalized anxiety disorder in the classroom. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 21(1), 93-103. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/10.1016/j.chc.2011.08.010
I really enjoyed this post! I too am a high school teacher with increasing concerns for all the students I see with anxiety. I picked an app similar to Calm and can definitely see the use of practicing calming techniques and mindfulness.
I am really interested in your VR solution. You say you already use VR in your classroom, which I think is awesome! Would be willing to share how you would implement the Virtual Speech in your classroom? Do you have a space set aside for it? Would you use it during lunch or after school for more privacy? Thank you for bringing this tool to my attention. I would love to share it with the English teachers at…