Mental Health Awareness TED Talks and Bulletin Board
If you've thought about incorporating the topic of mental health into your classroom but aren't sure how to do it, I have a few simple suggestions. Everyone is aware of TED Talks. Did you know there are many middle and high-school-appropriate TED Talks about mental health?
The Ted Talk I most often share with my high school students related to the topic of mental health is Shane Koyczan's talk, "To This Day." It is incredibly powerful. (I built an entire lesson around this talk which I used with my juniors and seniors several years ago.) If you plan to share this talk with your students, preview it. It may not be appropriate for your students. I also encourage you to engage in a conversation about the talk when you are finished viewing. If you aren't sure where to begin, check out the lesson I created for this talk.
Clean version of Shane's talk:
Some other recommendations include "Getting Stuck in the Negatives" by Allison Ledgerwood, Nancy Lublin's talks on mental health, "Why We All Need to Practice Emotional First Aid" by Guy Winch.
I also use a more "passive" method to both raise awareness and educate my students about mental health topics--my Mental Health bulletin board (which often stays up all year long. My bulletin board is interactive, meaning it includes QR codes on most of the cards that can be easily (and discreetly scanned) allowing students to learn more about many mental health topics.
Interested in this bulletin board. Click here to learn more.
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