ABI Faculty Development Program Serving the needs of Asian American and Pacific Islander Students at BMCC and Hunter
Serving the needs of Asian American and Pacific Islander Students at BMCC and Hunter

Student Stress Level Monitoring

Class information

SPE 100 – Public Speaking

20 students

The class consists of 20 High School students. The high school is Dual Languages and Asian Studies. It is a highly competitive school, where all students take several languages, participate in sports and volunteer work. In addition they take college courses in BMCC College Now program.

My students begin their studies at 8 AM until 4 PM or 5PM and attend my class virtually from 6 PM to 7:30 PM two days a week. Students must present five speeches in the course. The speeches are Spontaneous, Informative, Persuasion, Demonstrated and Entertainment.

Project overview

At the beginning of each class students are asked, “What is your stress level on a scale from 1 to 10”. They are required to turn on the camera every time they are answering a question or asking a question. In the beginning of the semester students are reluctant to volunteer their stress level. I call on at least 5 to 10 students before the lecture or speech presentation begins. Whatever number on the scale of 1 to 10 a student shares, I ask if they are happy with that number and or what can they do to make that number lower. Also, we explore why the number is so high. This exchange will last a few minutes. As the semester proceeds, students begin to volunteer their answers and share personal information. This exercise becomes normalized to the point that if I forget to ask, “what is their stress level”, they will remind me.

Why did you select this project? How does it relate to identity and purpose?

Since I have a background in mental health, and we are in a mental health crisis since the pandemic; this exercise became more important and necessary. I developed this exercise teaching my Intro to Psychology course. The exercise makes the student feel empowered , to not only share how they feel but also be heard. I have taught in this school for six years, and it is culturally challenging for the students to share or be asks about their stress levels/mental health.

What advice do you have for other faculty who would like to implement a similar project?

One must be empathetic, supportive and prepared for students honesty. One should also have resources to refer students for help. Always thank students for their honestly.

 

 

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *