Dry mouth, butterflies in the stomach, and tight neck and shoulders signal an upcoming test for many students. They’ve studied and think they know the material, but it flies out of their brains as soon as they start the test. Sitting down to take the test is the last thing they want to do. Fear and worry activates the Amygdala, and they just want to run or hide.
How can we help them? The answer lies in calming both the mind and body, shutting down fear and worries. That opens up their thinking brains to retrieve the information and put it together on demand.
(1) Adding relaxing background music to the environment during the initial learning process can build associations of peaceful feelings with learning information.
(2) Playing the same music during the test can bring that comfortable feeling back, empowering them to think clearly and access the information they’ve learned.
(3) Relaxation techniques can be taught and rehearsed during classroom routines.
(4) www.heartmath.com has information on the Coherence Technique which has been found to be helpful to students dealing with Test Anxiety. A quick overview follows, but I recommend that you go directly to Heartmath for detailed pointers.
a. Heart Focus: Bring your attention to the area around your heart
b. Heart Breathing: Imagine your breath entering and leaving through your heart
c. Heart Feeling: Retrieve the feeling of care, compassion, love or appreciation, as you let your breath swirl throughout your body
(5) Just before the test, revisit these relaxation techniques, reminding students of the skills they’ve built earlier.
(6) Play the music
(7) Remind them to breathe. Too many of us forget to breathe when we’re stressed.
Many schools have seen remarkable results when they make Heartmath’s Emwave® technology available for students to learn and practice self-calming skills. Research is available through Heartmath website. Through practice, students learn what relaxed minds and bodies feel like and they are able to return to that physical state easily when they anticipate difficult situations. It also works for adults. The Emwave® hand held monitor won the “Last gadget standing” award at the recent national technology expo in Las Vegas. You can use the strategies without the technology, but Emwave ® adds the glitz kids love. Try it! I’ve used Heartmath’s earlier generation of the software and hardware since the early 90’s and am convinced that it’s helped me and others.
Sandi
© Sandra Sunquist Stanton MS, NCC, LPC, Connections of the Heart LLC
For additional articles and information, visit www.ourbrainbuddies.com or send an email sandi@ourbrainbuddies.com