Classroom Management 101: Quench Thirst for Better Learning
Teachers face many challenges in the classroom. They often overlook a simple but essential need for both their students and themselves: water. Teachers need to recognize and extinguish thirst before it becomes distracting and impairs teaching or learning.
Oh, you thought this blog was going to describe “thirst for knowledge” as an essential motivator for learning? It is! But I am writing here about real thirst, not metaphorical thirst. Because the ramifications of being dehydrated at school are too real and significant to be ignored.
It turns out depravation of water—by just 2%—degrades performance across perceptual, cognitive and motor tasks. In the nervous system, water plays an essential role in communication among neurons; ions enter cells surrounded by “waters of hydration.” Without those waters, signals can’t travel as they’re supposed to. The brain doesn’t have a chance to perform to its potential.
A thirsty child (or teacher!) will feel fatigued, perhaps even dizzy. Concentration will be poor. And grasping concepts will feel much harder—sometimes leading to disengagement. It is not only during recess or gym class that dehydrated students will have less energy and may resist participation.
Thirst is fundamental. It is a body’s way of saying, “Hey, the autonomic homeostatic system is signaling an imbalance in hydration. Get water now!” Life depends on water; so does learning. And acting on this knowledge must be an essential part of every teacher’s classroom management plan.
So the next time a youngster asks to get a drink during class, the wise teacher will respond, “Yes, of course. And do you need something to eat, too?”
Danny Franklin is Six Red Marbles’ resident neuroscience expert and the prime mover behind the Natural Learning Approach™. He has a theology degree from Harvard, has studied Buddhism, and is a former Math teacher.
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