Leveraging Technology to Support Student Wellbeing

January 23, 2023
education, elementary school, learning, technology and people concept - close up of school kids with tablet pc computers having fun and playing on break in classroom

Before the pandemic struck schools, it was rare to hear “technology” and “wellbeing” in the same sentence. Now, K–12 educators are learning to leverage digital technologies to foster students’ wellbeing and inclusion throughout schools.

Welcome to Part Two in our three-part blog series devoted to digital transformation trends in education. We're aggregating top insights on three higher-level topics related to education technology, or ed tech:

Part One: How Technology is Shaping the Future of Learning

Part Two: Leveraging Technology to Support Student Wellbeing­

Part Three: Designing Flexible Learning Spaces for Ed Tech Integration –Coming Soon

Throughout the blogs, we’ve included helpful classroom furniture tips. Afterall, buying new classroom furniture can be a big assist in capitalizing on ed tech’s teaching and learning benefits. (See How School Classroom Furniture Can Improve Student Learning.)

Five Types of Student Wellbeing

 

Let's unpack what wellbeing is. In a K-12 education setting, supporting student wellbeing means making sure every student can reach their full potential, feel involved and get the most from their education. Making progress toward student wellbeing requires recognizing there are different types of wellbeing that are interconnected:

  • Cognitive Wellbeing - the level of knowledge and competencies required for a student to do well academically. This includes educational equity.
  • Psychological Wellbeing - the overall functioning of a student's opinions and feelings, a core component of mental health.
  • Physical Wellbeing - a student’s physical wellness and capacity to lead a healthy lifestyle.
  • Social Wellbeing - a student’s ability to make connections and build healthy relationships with family, peers, educators, and community members. (See this blog on social emotional learning.)
  • Digital Wellbeing - a student’s ability to have a mindful relationship with digital media. It means practicing healthy education technology habits like self-regulation, and knowing online risks and rules, for example, how to prevent and react to cyberbullying. The classroom provides a perfect opportunity to learn about digital wellness.

 

The Pandemic's Punch to Student Wellbeing

COVID deepened a crisis in student wellbeing that was already at play before the pandemic hit. Today, nearly half of all students will experience mental health challenges at some point during their time in grades K–12.

Academically, “The pandemic has smacked American students back to the last century in math and reading achievement.” That’s according to Education Week who reported on the spring 2022 test results from the first National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test that was administered since the pandemic began.

The results showed the biggest drop in math performance in 4th and 8th grades since the testing program began in 1990. In reading, 4th and 8th graders were performing on par with students in the 1990s, and about one-third of students in both grades can’t read at even the “basic” achievement level (the lowest level on the test).

Leveraging Technology to Boost Student Mental Health

There’s no single, obvious fix for students in crisis. However, Professor Dianne Vella-Broadrick with The Center for Wellbeing Science at the University of Melbourne believes in the power of technology to help.

“The use of technology in schools to promote wellbeing and performance will improve the student learning experience and shape a new generation of young people who know how to be resilient, motivated, focused and calm.” She believes technology offers new, powerful ways to promote student wellbeing, and specifically, mental health.

LearnWell, a Massachusetts-based provider of integrated academic and mental health services for students and their families, agrees with that thinking. In an article titled, “Using Technology to Support Student Mental Health Needs,” the company said technology can benefit students of all ages across a wide range of mental health needs.

Here are three ways LearnWell said schools can use technology for student wellbeing.

Telehealth and Teletherapy

School therapists can offer online therapy and check-ins with students. Using telehealth tools, mental health support is possible for students who struggle with scheduling or attending traditional therapy, or who might have conditions like anxiety that prohibit in-person visits.

Digital Programs and Apps for Meditation and Regulating Emotions

Students can benefit from programs on their personal devices to supplement, or in place of, professional mental health support. Apps for meditation can help students cope with feelings of stress and anxiety, while increasing mindfulness. Some schools provide access to these tech tools in school calm rooms.

Technology to Report, Track, and Address Student Mental Health Concerns

It’s important for everyone involved in a student’s continuum of care be on the same page. Technology is a useful tool to connect the adults responsible for flagging emerging mental health needs and addressing them before they escalate.

Examples of Software Designed for Student Wellness

Recently, more software has appeared that allows students to self-report their wellbeing with their teachers. One example is Skodel. The company believes that relying solely on teacher observations to effectively manage student wellbeing isn’t enough. Technology can fill the gaps.

“Our research has shown a willingness from children and young people to speak up, so long as they have the right outlet to do so.” Skodel allows students to provide their teachers with regular, confidential digital check-ins through emojis, photos and illustrations, as well as open-ended responses.

Another example is Bio-Dash. Professor Vella-Brodrick and her research team developed the Bio-Dash app to teach students how to manage their own wellbeing through biofeedback and gamification.

By using a tablet or smartphone to engage in biofeedback and gamification tasks, students can get information about whether they are in relaxed, neutral, or stressed zones. Traffic light signals appear on the screen or auditory nature cues, like waves or birds singing, become quieter as students become calm and grow louder with stress.

Bio-Dash also lets students do performance tasks. In one such task, students transform an icy, winter forest scene into one that is green and bright with summer features. The greater the levels of relaxation, the faster the scene transforms. Other tasks in the Bio-Dash program mimic real-world student stressors, like high-pressure academic activities and public speaking.

School Furniture Should Support Technology and Wellbeing

Creating learning spaces that dually support the digital transformation in the educator sector and student wellbeing requires keeping a few things in mind. Obviously, schools must provide seamless connectivity. But they must also factor in what empowers students to use ed tech tools in healthy and comfortable ways, with some degree of privacy when needed. For example:

Choice 

Create classrooms and other learning spacing that foster student wellbeing by offering them personal choice, control, and variety in seating. Include traditional options, like Smith System’s Numbers™ suite of chairs and versatile tables for K–12 schools. Then add soft, upholstered seating options like Smith System’s new Flowform® Learn Lounge.

 

169357 - Smith Systems - Study Space_Green Room Flowform Learning Lounge 1

Ergonomics 

Choose furniture with supportive ergonomics for using devices. Students love soft seating, but their growing bodies need ample back support for developing postures. Tables and desks should be the right width and height for ergonomics, too, to avoid floor work.

The Flowform® Learn Lounge product line includes everything needed for supportive ed tech learning. There’s durable soft seating (single or double) with the same dimensions of an ergonomically designed student chair, plus various tables and ottomans – all with optional surface power – that give students comfortable work surfaces.

169111 - Smith System - Flex Screen Env - View3

Creativity and Privacy 

Students can adopt some extreme postures when they’re on their devices, especially phones. The curves of the organically shaped Flowform® pieces work together to support more comfortable, and healthy positions. In addition, Flowform® includes partial privacy screens, which are critical when students are self-reporting on their wellbeing.

Also, keep tech tools (tablets, laptops, headsets, goggles, etc.) organized to help create a calmer environment. Smith System’s Flowform® and Cascade® classroom storage options make it easy.

Keep the Ed Tech Conversation Going

The debate over how much technology is too much in K–12 education is ongoing. There are pros and cons on each side; sometimes, unplugging is the best choice of all.

But, most educators can agree on one aspect. Digital technology alone is not/will not transform education. It requires people thoughtfully using digital technology as an effective tool to foster a culture of learning – and wellbeing – for students and teachers.

Through these transitions, Smith System will continue to provide smartly designed school furniture at a great value to help schools stay ahead of the digital transformation in the educator sector. Contact us to learn more.

Resources

https://learnwellservices.com/using-technology-support-student-mental-health-needs/

https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/how-technology-is-boosting-our-young-people-s-wellbeing

 https://www.ednewsdaily.com/using-technology-to-foster-student-wellbeing/

 https://www.edweek.org/leadership/two-decades-of-progress-nearly-gone-national-math-reading-scores-hit-historic-lows/2022/10?utm_source=nl&utm_medium=eml&utm_campaign=eu&M=5365516&UUID=56e749968e8f1a6b29e4cb4380ec4d4b&T=7259946

 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01563/full

https://www.k12blueprint.com/sites/default/files/SHI-K12BP-Digital-Transformation-in-K-12-Education.pdf