When my students returned from winter break last month, our 3rd grade team promptly began a 5 week unit on fractions. These students were about to get a heavy, heavy dose of fractions. Creating fractions, partitioning them correctly, matching pictures to a fraction, creating a numberline, ordering fractions and comparing them. These standards are heavily tested and we expect them mastered by the end of our school year.
This year, I delved into the unit with a different approach than previous years.
My first year teaching third grade, half of my students complained about learning fractions. There were tears, unhappy expressions and explanations to parents about the rigor of the standards.
The second year, I had a few meltdowns in class and provided extra tutoring to those that needed it. The class slowly but steadily increased their mastery of the standards.
In my third, fourth and fifth years, I provided tutoring for students and firmly reminded them that they needed to persevere through hard things that took time learning. I provided rewards when major goals were met.
However, I still saw resistance to this unit, year after year.
I had my “aha” moment of truth when I asked my students why fractions gave them so much grief. “Because its so hard!”, my Caleb shouted. “It sucks having to learn hard things…..I dont feel so smart”, admitted Charlene.
It got me thinking about training my students to engage in positive self talk when they were working on standards that were difficult to master. I also wanted to train them to talk positively and support one another when they noticed another person struggling.
The day we started fractions, I had a class meeting with everyone on the carpet and informed them that they would be learning to talk kindly to themselves and one another. I told them that we were about to spend five weeks on learning fractions. “It will be difficult, and there will be days when you may not want to do it”, I began. “However, it is expected so that you can move onto the next grade level and master new standards.
I then began to share a story with them about how I had been as a young third grader learning fractions. I told them about how I was one of the worst students in class, mathematically. There were days when I cried and had anxiety about the subject. I had to have my parents help me out after school most of the time. I was yelled at for crying in class and did not have the best support system in school. I remember feeling the frustration my teachers had had with me, and I didnt want me students to see me that way. They all sat, listening, and the room grew quiet when I finished talking. Finally, Damien raised his hand and asked, “Did you have Tik Tok when you were little?”.
That can be a story for another day!
Every day during the fractions unit, I spent part of the morning with my class in positive self talk training. I noticed it made a major difference in how they approached everything in school.
One day, as we were working on fluency, I heard Simone groan and go, “I hate being a slow reader!”. Zeke immediately jumped in and said, “Its okay to feel that way Simone, but remember, you wont feel that way forever. You can do anything hard!”. Simone smiled and thanked him before going back to her work.
I myself had to follow my own training and tell myself to be more positive towards ME. One day, things were particularly rough, and Madison came up to me, hugged me, then ran back to her seat. Sometimes students know when YOU need a pat on the back as well! My training was showing success!
Now that fractions have ended, our classroom world started to feel a bit better. That is, until I read my calendar and saw that state testing was coming up at the end of the quarter.
Yikes. Time to amp up our positive self talk training.
Educators, what do you do to alleviate student stress when introducing difficult learning standards?
Rebecca Brinkman
Rebecca Brinkman is a third-grade teacher in Phoenix, Arizona. She has taught at the same school for her entire 15-year career. Her campus is a second home and it has a strong family feel to it. This is what draws her back every year. She is excited to begin her “Sweet 16th” year of teaching! She has taught 2nd grade for ten years and 3rd grade for five years. She has served as a team lead on her campus for six years. She earned a Masters in Education with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University, as well as a Masters in Reading. She also earned her Bachelor of Arts in Education from Arizona State University. Rebecca achieved National Board Certification in the fall of 2019 in Early to Middle Childhood Literacy. She is passionate about building relationships and creating magic in the classroom for her scholars. She credits her former speech teacher as her reason for becoming an educator. She profoundly impacted her attitude towards school and self-esteem as a young student; Rebecca realized she wanted to make that same impact on children by helping them realize their strengths and pushing through personal challenges. Her second biggest passion is travel! She can often be found planning her next big adventure. She also enjoys hiking, reading, storytelling with The Moth, volunteering and bucket listing. The quote that resonates most with her is, “The dream is free, but the hustle is sold separately.”