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Stress Management for Teachers Online


Course Outline


Course Description

The purpose of this course is for teachers to enhance student performance by minimizing the negative effects of stress in the classroom. Teachers learn an operational definition of stress, study the major research findings on the nature of stress, learn the major theories explaining its impact upon teaching and learning, and conduct a thorough assessment of stress factors operating in their classrooms. This knowledge is then integrated by applying strategies to identify and address specific sources of stress that undermine effective teaching and learning in the classrooms. In addition, teachers identify specific students experiencing debilitating stress and take actions to address these problems and help the student restore personal equilibrium and enhance their performance.

Curriculum Design & Time Requirements

Stress Management is a 13 week 3 credit graduate level or sixty hour professional development course taught online. Modules 1 through 8 will be completed one per week. Modules 9 and 10 will be completed over a five-week period so students will have time to revise and complete the final integration project.

Hardware & Computer Skill Requirements

Students may use either a Macintosh computer or a PC with Windows 2000 or higher. Students should possess basic word processing skills and have internet access with an active e-mail account. Students also are expected to have a basic knowledge of how to use a Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Safari, Mozilla Firefox etc.

Course Materials

Text: Building Resilience to Stress by R. Hayman Kite. The text and course materials will be provided for all students. In addition, selected Web resources will be read and reviewed.

Final Integration Project
Participants will conduct an assessment of stress factors in their classrooms, design a stress management plan, implement that plan, and report their experiences.

Session Outline

Session 1: The Nature Stress
Contents:
  1. An Operational Definition Of Stress
  2. Four Theories Of Stress - Person: Environmental Fit Model; Demand: Control Model; Effort: Reward Model; Fight: Flight Model
  3. Stress, Survival Instincts And Brain Development
  4. Psychosomatic Theory Of Stress
  5. Eustress And Distress

Session 2: Sources of Stress
Contents:
  1. Mind-Body Dichotomy
  2. Psycho Cybernetics And Stress
  3. Areas Of Freedom
  4. Job Content
  5. Work Organization
  6. Lack Of Feedback
  7. Uncertainty
  8. Up The Down Staircase
  9. Social Isolation
  10. Bad Press
  11. Fight - Flight Revisited

Session 3: Assessing Stress
Contents:
  1. Identification Of Stress Indicators
  2. Self-Assessment
  3. Student Assessment (Classroom And Individual)
  4. Prototype Questionnaire
  5. Analyzing Results
  6. Student Performance In Terms Of Measured Stress Level
  7. Student Health In Terms Of Measured Stress Level
  8. Teacher Health In Terms Of Measured Stress Level

Session 4: Stress Reduction Strategies For Students
Contents:
  1. Prevention (Use Cognitive Behavioral Strategies)
  2. Timely Reaction (After Assessment)
  3. Rehabilitation (Enhancing Well-Being)
  4. Changing Perceived Context
  5. Changing Expectations (Demand Control Model)
  6. Realistic Problem Assessment
  7. Matching Strategy With Assessment

Session 5: Stress Reduction Strategies For Teachers
Contents:
  1. Whole School Stress Management Action-Plan
  2. Prevent, Reduce And Change Organizational Stressors
  3. School Stress Review
  4. Stress Management Training For Educators
  5. Improving Job Satisfaction (Implementing Whole School Stress Management Action-Plan)
  6. Effective Dialogue

Session 6: Stress and Learning
Contents:
  1. Typical Blocks To Learning - Fear; Threat; Anxiety
  2. The Neurochemical System Of Memory
  3. The Casual Relationship Between Fear And Anxiety
  4. Carl Roger's Explanation Of Perception Of Learning
  5. Presentation: Review Of Research Findings On Stress And Learning

Session 7: Stress and Teaching
Contents:
  1. The Gordon Method: Who Owns The Problem?
  2. Evaluation, Critical Judgment And Stress
  3. Acceptance And Stress
  4. Action As A Function Of Choice
  5. Meditation, Relaxation And Stress Reduction
  6. Creativity And Stress
  7. Teaching In An Age Of Terrorism
  8. Eustress And Teaching
  9. No Stress - No Learning

Session 8: Effective Dialogue: A Means Of Reducing Student Stress
Contents:
  1. Dialogue Defined (Quotation From Friere)
  2. Dialogue As A Human Need
  3. Time Management - Fractionalizing Ourselves Into Incompetence
  4. The Process Of Interpersonal Communication
  5. Listening Skill And Practice
  6. Self-Disclosure Skill And Practice

Session 9: School As A Source Of Stress For Students
Contents:
  1. The Four Social Groups in Schools:
    • Academic Culture
    • Elite Culture
    • Adapted Youth Culture
    • Isolates
  2. Social Rejection As A Cause Of Student Stress
  3. Teenage Maturation
  4. Competition; Sorting; Status; Performance; Testing; Life; Decisions

Session 10: Synthesis
Contents:
  1. The Sources Of Stress
  2. Assessment Of Stress
  3. Strategies To Reduce Stress
  4. Coordinating Whole School Stress Management
  5. Back-Home Action-Plan
  6. Measuring Improved Student Performance (In Stress Free Context)
  7. Long-Term Considerations

Grading

  Assignment Points   Grading Scale  
  Forum Participation  30      100 – 93 A
  Reading & Reviews  30       92 – 85 B
  Final Integration Project  40       84 – 77 C
  Total Points  100    


Student Requirements

1. Participation: Participation in all Forum activities and dialogue with colleagues.
2. Reading Assignments: Students will complete all assigned reading in the textbook, Web sites, and research articles or best practices and answer questions in the appropriate Forum thread.
3. Culminating Activity: Final Integration Project: Participants will conduct an assessment of stress factors in their classrooms, design a stress management plan, implement that plan, and report their experiences.

Bibliography

  • Black, Jill M., "Writing Your Human Prescription: A Stress Management Teaching Strategy," American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, Vol. 9 No. 4, July/August pages 258-260
  • DeFrank, Richard S. and Stroup, Christine A. "Teacher Stress and health: Examination of a Model," Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Vol. 33, No. 1, pages 99-109 (1989)
  • Dombrowski, Alice, M., "Preventing Diseases With Stress Management in Elementary Schools," Journal of School Health, Vol. 69, No. 3, March (1999)
  • Ediger, Marlow, "Improving the School Culture," Education, Vol. 118, No. 1, pages 36-40, Fall (1997)
  • Guglielme, Sergio R. and Tatrow, Kristin, "Occupational Stress, Burnout, and Health in Teachers: A Methodological and Theoretical Analysis," Review of Educational Research, Vol. 68, No. 1, pages 61-69 Spring (1998)
  • Hancock, Dawson R., "Effects of Test Anxiety and Evaluative Threat on Students' Achievement and Motivation," The Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 94, No. 5, June (2001)
  • Hancock, Dawson R., "Encouraging Teachers to Remain in the Profession: A Model for Stress Reduction" The Educational Forum, Vol. 63, No. 2, Fall (1998)
  • Hart, Peter M., "Teacher Quality of Work Life: Integrating Work Experiences," Psychological Distress and Morale. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology Vol. 67 pages 109-132 (1994)
  • Jenkins, Susan and Calhoun, James F., "Teacher Stress: Issues and Intervention," Psychology in the School, Vol. 28, January 1991, pages 60-70
  • Natvig, Gerd K., Et Al., "School Related Stress and Psychosomatic Symptoms Among School Adolescents," Journal of School Health, Vol. 69, No. 9 pages 362-368, Nov. (1999)
  • Nyklicek, A.J., Vingerhoets, J.M., Van Heck, G.L., "Hypertension and Appraisal of Physical and Psychological Stressors," Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Vol. 50 pages 237-244 (2001)
  • Osterman, Karen F., "Students Need for Belonging in the School Community," Review of Educational Research, Vol. 70, No. 3, pages 323-367, Fall (2000)
  • Reglin, Gary, Reitzammer, Anne, "Dealing with the Stress of Teachers," Education, Vol. 118, No. 4, Summer (1998)
  • Rist, Ray C., "Student Social Class and Teacher Expectations: The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy in Ghetto Education," Harmond Educational Review, Vol. 40, No. 3, pages 257-301, August (1970), reprinted in Vol. 70, No. 3 (2000)
  • Sims, Randi L., "Teaching Stress Management in an Online Format," Journal of Education for Business, Vol. 74, No. 2 Nov./Dec. (1998)

Online Resources

  1. The Nature of Stress
    2.   A. http://jade.ccccd.edu/ladams/stress/nature.htm
      B. http://www.voicegirlproductions.com/soberano/stressrelief.htm
       
    1. An operational definition of stress:
     
      a. http://jade.ccccd.edu/ladams/stress/nature.htm ** Cross Reference
    2. Four Theories Of Stress - Person: Environment fit model. Demand: Control model. Effort: Reward model. Fight: Flight model.
     
      a. http://mentalhelp.net/psyhelp/chap5/chap5e.htm
    3. Stress, Survival Instincts And Brain evelopment:
     
      a. http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/cenear/980525/sur.html
    4. Psychosomatic Theory Of Stress:
     
      a. http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/cenear/980525/sur.html
    5. Eustress And Distress:
     
      a. http://www.yorku.ca/cdc/lsp/stress/sld001.htm

  2. Sources of Stress (Stressors)
    3.   A. http://www.twilightbridge.com/stress/complete/3bpossiblesources.htm
      B. http://www.gre.ac.uk/~eduweb/interest/h&s/stress2a.htm
       
    1. Mind-Body Dichotomy:
     
      a. http://www.holisticmed.8k.com/concept.html
    2. Psycho-Cybernetics And Stress:
     
      a. http://www.keydynamic.demon.co.uk/Training-needs.html
    3. Illness And Stress:
     
      a. http://www.stressillness.com
    4. The Temporal Relationship Between Cognition And Emotion:
     
      a. http://eeglab.uni-trier.de/research/project_anterior_asymmetry.php
    5. Fight - Flight Revisited:
     
      a. http://www.healthyplace.com/communities/anxiety/paems/newsletter/flight_fight.htm

  3. Stress and Learning
    4.   A. http://www.superlearning.com
      B. ttp://www.bcparent.com/health/stress.htm
       
    1. Typical Blocks To Learning - Fear; Threat; Anxiety:
     
      a. http://www.psychresearch.com/disc.learning.html
    2. The Neurochemical System Of Memory:
     
      a. http://www.cerebral.org/Maps/msg00028.html
    3. The Casual Relationship Between Fear And Anxiety:
     
      a. http://www.centerforconsciousliving.com/nf_anxiety.html
    4. Carl Rogers Explanation Of Perception And Learning:
     
      a. http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/rogers.html
    5. Presentation: Review Of Research Findings On Stress And Learning:
     
      a. http://www.designshare.com/Research/BrainBasedLearn98.htm
    6. Learning In An Age Of Terrorism:
     
      a. http://7-12educators.about.com/blterrorismhandout.htm

  4. Stress and Teaching
    5.   A. http://www.gre.ac.uk/~eduweb/interest/h&s/stress2a.htm * Cross-Reference
      B. http://www.dmu.ac.uk/News/Releases/0111012.html
       
    1. The Gordon Method: Who Owns The Problem?
     
      a. http://www.gordontraining.com/familypage.asp?ID=96&RID=95
    2. Evaluation, Critical Judgment And Stress:
     
      a. http://www.webhealth.co.uk/Health_Guider/HG_Cope_With_Criticism?hg_cope_with_criticism.html
    3. Acceptance And Stress:
     
      a. http://manytruths.com/accept.htm
    4. Action As A Function Of Choice:
     
      a. http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/rogers.html
    5. Meditation, Relaxation And Stress Reduction:
     
      a. http://www.meditatenow.com/stress.htm
    6. Creativity And Stress:
     
      a. http://www.state.de.us/dhss/dph/creative.htm
    7. Teaching In An Age Of Terrorism:
     
      a. http://7-12educators.about.com/library/weekly/aa091101a.htm

Course Authors

Dr. Hayman Kite and Mr. Ken Miller

Hayman Kite has over 40 years experience as an educator at all levels. He has been a classroom teacher, building principal, district administrator, and college professor. He retired as Dean of the School of Education at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida in 1987. Since then he has been a Senior Associate at the Teacher Education Institute, where he has written numerous courses and provided key consulting services. During the past 20 years, he has taught TEI graduate courses to more than 2,000 teachers in eight different states. He has been a consultant to numerous education organizations including the National Science Foundation. He is a certified Baldridge evaluator. He manages stress by living on the side of a mountain in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Ken Miller was president of the Teacher Education Institute (TEI) between 1981-2006, which he founded in 1981. Since then, more than 100,000 classroom teachers have taken a TEI graduate course. He began his career as an educator as a social studies teacher at Highland Park High School in Highland Park, Illinois, where he taught from 1967-1973 and was selected teacher of the year in 1972. From 1973-1980, he worked for Dr. Thomas Gordon at Effectiveness Training, Inc. in Solana Beach, California. During that time, he wrote the Teacher Effectiveness Training (TET) course, which has since been translated into more than 10 languages and taught to teachers throughout the world. Ken has been a consultant to numerous school districts throughout the United States and Europe, and he has written leadership development programs for some of the nation's leading corporations.

Student Academic Integrity

Participants guarantee that all academic class work is original. Any academic dishonesty or plagiarism (to take ideas, writings, etc. from another and offer them as one's own), is a violation of student academic behavior standards as outlined by our partnering colleges and universities and is subject to academic disciplinary action.

Register

To register to take TEI's Stress Management for Teachers Online course, go to the Course Registration page.