Student Contributor: A. Goo
A wide range of students may struggle with anxiety and or adhd among other things within the classroom. Fidget tools when appropriately used are helpful for many students to relieve stress and aid focus in the classroom.
When planning the use of fidget tools it is important to be aware of which tools will be helpful and not a distraction in the classroom. After choosing a variety of fidget tools it is crucial to introduce along with the tools, rules and expectations when using the fidget tools for appropriate use by the students. In my experience with a 1st grade classroom, it was helpful having fidget tools for students during independent testing time where we could gather data through diagnostics. During this time a variety of students were getting test anxiety and having the tools provided helped in their testing experience.
This tool relates to the supportive phase because it can help provide as a tool to support students in their learning. With a fidget tool they can feel they have the tools to stay on task, focused on the activity and have the role of being a responsible class member. This tool can be used during the entire class period and while an activity or lesson is being participated in, and the student holds the responsibility of understanding our classroom rules and displaying they can listen to them. Fidget tools can contribute to the supportive phase and helps in encouraging a student centered classroom when we are taking into account our continuum.
More Information –
Tool Source: https://www.differentiatedteaching.com/fidget-tools-in-the-classroom/
https://therapyshoppe.com/therapists-corner/117-the-benefits-of-fidget-tools
I tried this tool in a 6th-grade classroom with 14-20 students in an urban setting. I thought this tool was somewhere in the middle in ease of use because although they’re easy to get and give to students it can be more challenging as a teacher to make sure they’re being used productively and don’t cause distractions to others. But if these things are achieved, they become such a helpful tool for students facing all kinds of challenges. In my class when a student was having a difficult day in particular, he was getting surgery the next day and was anxious about it, he kept distracting his table mate names. After this continued to go on and he refused to change seats, I offered if he’d like to come get a fidget from the office (because he seemed antsy and couldn’t keep his hands to himself), and he immediately lit up and said yes. After having the fidget, he was able to keep to himself and seemed less agitated. Students mostly understood the role of this and how it was not to be seen as a toy but instead as a fidget. The only change I would make would be having a class discussion toward the beginning of the year to make sure students were aware of expectations when using them so they knew they were not to distract you from your work but motivate and support them.
I tried this tool in a 4th-grade classroom with 22 students in an urban setting. I thought that this tool was in the middle of how easy it was to prepare for and teach. The reason for this is that to prepare for this tool, you need to either be gifted or buy the fidgets that you want to use in your classroom. This can become difficult because it might be expensive to buy all the fidgets that are going to be used. The reason why it will be mildly easy to teach about fidget tools is that you need to make sure that you have all of your rules and procedures decided upon before you have the students use them. It is very easy to use the fidget tools because they can be something that all students can have at their desks, but fidgets can all be located at the back of the classroom in the calming area in the classroom. I noticed a lot of success with this tool because my students were able to focus better due to them having something to fidget with. The students did understand their role with the new tool because this is a tool that is already being used in the classroom. I think the only adjustment that could be made to make the tool better is making sure that we have enough fidgets for all the students.