Breaking the Silence

Group Reflection:

 

Junior high school students experience high levels of stress and anxiety. For one, their bodies are changing while their minds are challenged to produce more academically rigorous work. As the demands of school increase, so to do the pressures to fit in with peers. Junior high school students are very motivated to fit in with their peer groups, and in many ways these social motivations take precedence over all other considerations. At the same time, students are beginning to test the boundaries with their parents, teachers and other responsible adults. The sum total of these changes make for a very awkward and vulnerable time. Therefore, there is no better time to address mental health issues. As a group, we think this is a meaningful, authentic project that our future students will find valuable. The skills developed in this unit will provide a strong foundation of learning that is applicable beyond the classroom. 

 

Applying this Unit in the Classroom:

 

Traditional school schedules do not provide the time or place for this authentic learning to occur in only 30 days. In order for this unit to be successful in the classrooms of today it would span over the course of 2-3 months. Additionally, there is a lot of emphasis placed on health and physical education whereas the core subjects such Social Studies and Mathematics fascilitated but not focused. 

 

Note: This project brings many serious issues into the spotlight, and we realize that this content may be tough for some students to deal with. We would advise anyone interested in teaching this to have counselling experience (such as one of our group members) or have counsellors available for the entire duration of the unit.