Stress Ball To The Rescue
If you're a college or university student, you probably know about the stress ball. If not, it's an object designed to help with stress and anxiety - it makes a nice squeeze when anxious people need to release some tension.
But I'm here to tell you there is more than one way to use your stress ball. It is not only a way to physically squeeze out stress, but it can also be used as a tool. A way to learn. And that's what I want to talk about today: using the stress ball as a learning tool in your engineering classes.
In my experience, engineering classes are tense places. If you're feeling tension or anxiety, don't wait for your grades to turn around before you do something about it - it could take a lot of time and unfortunately, many people don't have that kind of patience.
Managing Your Stress Now
If you're feeling stressed out by your classes, there are plenty things you can do right now that will help lessen the tension and make the semester go by more smoothly.
For me, I'm a firm believer in the concept of mindlessness. Get your students to relax, and they'll be less stressed as a result. But you don't necessarily have to sit back and do nothing - you can use your stress ball as a tool to help your students relieve tension in their brains and muscles.
What exactly can you do?
Have them take it home with them: If the stress ball doesn't already have a pocket on it, make one - thread some string through their clothes (in the pocket) so they can carry it around with them throughout the day.
As a classroom teacher, I'm always happy to see students take their stress balls home with them, because this means they're using it.
Use it in class: Often times the presence of a stress ball in the room is enough to put students at ease, allowing them to relax and focus on what's being taught.
On top of that, you can have it work as an object lesson : have students squeeze it when they have an answer ready, or use it to reward good behavior.
If you're a professor, you can also use the stress ball to your advantage :
Establish it as a prize for a good class session.
Give students an opportunity to do something they enjoy after they complete a particularly challenging assignment.
Give students who finish on time the chance to squeeze their stress ball during the last few minutes - if they don't finish on time, they can't squeeze it.
This is something that I've seen work in my classroom : sometimes one of my students will take longer than expected on an assignment - and even though I'm winding down the period, there's still tension because we're all hoping that he finishes before the bell rings. So suddenly, he squeezes his stress ball, which makes everyone smile...so we all relax, and the student finishes.
Engaging your students: In my experience, stress balls are great tools - but they can also be your best friend. They make a great conversation piece : it is the perfect accessory for a discussion on stress management.
One of my classmates recently used hers in a presentation on stress , and it was very effective - she used squeezing to demonstrate that you can use physical exercise to help manage stress :
Although students don't always know what I do with their balls in class, they DO notice when they get graded. Last quarter, I had one student whose stress ball got graded in class (good grades are good stress relief) - but he was nervous because he hadn't brought it in with him.
"What if I don't get a good grade?" he asked me, not knowing that I'd graded his work for him and given him a good score.
I told him that at the end of the period, I'd give him a hand squeeze and we'd both know how things had gone - it was great to see how happy his face was when he got his hand squeeze from me...and a few months later, I saw him on campus again. He seemed much more relaxed than before: the blue-colored ball had really helped him...and it was at that point that I knew I'd made the right choice.
If you want to get your class to use their stress balls, use them to practice and reinforce concepts in class :
Have students squeeze the ball when they have questions on the material.
Have them squeeze the ball when they can't remember a formula.
Have them squeeze the ball after a particularly challenging part of a problem is solved.
Engage your students in problem solving or other critical thinking : using your stressball as a tool for learning and critical thinking will be very effective, and will just as easily help relieve tension as it does improve academic success.
And of course, encourage your students to use their stress balls as often as possible, because studies have shown stress balls (and other fidget toys) can help improve concentration and focus.
How would you use your stress ball to improve student learning? Let us know in the comments below!
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References: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/time-for-a-fidget https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2787132/ http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/eddiebauer116478.html http://education-portal.com/?q=node/884 http://wonderlabsciencefunlabtoyshop.blogspot.com/2012_09_01_archive.html http://www.humanfactorsinstituteukorg.co m/_data//improving%20learning%20techniques_snow%20and%20rain_1.htm http://www.humanfactorsinstituteukorg.co m/_data//improving%20learning%20techniques_snow%20and%20rain_1.htm http://jmcmurray.com/social-worker-stress-ball/ https://www.bustle.com/articles/168900-the-science-behind-why-fidget-toys-increase-concentration https://blog.ted.
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