Part One: Anger Thermometer

Carla Ladish

Sped 843

Part One: Anger Thermometer

Section A: Description of intervention method

An anger thermometer is a technique used to teach students how to be aware of how they are feeling. Once students become aware of how they are feeling about a situation, they can use strategies to change the way they are feeling to a more positive temperature. For example, an anger thermometer has a blue level (low, calm), a yellow level (mild, getting worked up) and a red level (high, anger). Students identify the color they are feeling and learn ways to deal with what is making them feel that way.

Section B: Students for whom this method is designed

This is a great technique to use with students that have anger management issues or frustration issues.

Section C: Qualifications for using anger thermometer

Anyone can use the anger thermometer, but it is mostly used by teachers, counselors, social workers, and the like, to help students or anyone else become aware of their feelings in order to control themselves. Whoever is helping the student, needs to make sure they are teaching the student the appropriate words that coincide with the colors. Talking through how the student is feeling and problem-solving is also important when measuring emotional temperature.

Section D: Cost of method

The cost of the anger thermometer is very inexpensive. You will need a thermometer displaying the colors blue, yellow and red or you can use the appropriate colors of construction paper for a student to reference. A clothespin can be moved up and down the thermometer for the student to measure their emotional temperature or they can set the pieces of paper out on their desk. The colored pieces of paper seem to be less noticeable to other students than the thermometer.

Section E: Potential risks

It is important for the student to catch the way they are feeling soon. If they wait too long to take note of their emotional temperature it may be too late before they “explode”.

Section F: Benefits of using an anger thermometer

Students will learn a lot from measuring their emotional temperature. If done correctly, they will learn how to control their feelings and their actions by using problem solving strategies to deal with whatever the situation may be.

Section G: Settings for using an anger thermometer

The anger thermometer can be used anywhere. It can be used in the classroom, at home or taken with the student wherever they go. The anger thermometer is something that can be as simple as a piece of paper folded up and put in the student’s pocket.

Section H: Fields attitude toward anger thermometers

Many educators and parents find it is helpful for student’s to become aware of their feelings and feel that using the anger thermometer is beneficial in many ways.

Gray, A. (2009-2010). Learn 2 Be Buddies. In Anger management as part of anti- bullying. Retrieved March 31, 2011, from http://learn2bebuddies.wordpress.com/.

Part Two: APA Reference

Grohol, John. (March 8, 2010). Reducing Classroom Problems by Teaching Kids Self-Control. In psychcentral.com. Retrieved March 31, 2011 from http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/03/08/reducing-classroom-problems-by-teaching-kids-self-control/11933.html.

Section A: Participants

226 children from kindergarten up to third grade in two urban elementary schools, these students had manifested emerging behavioral, social-emotional, or on-task learning problems at school.

Section B: Research design

In a relationship with an intervention mentor over four months, children learn and practice behavioral and cognitive skills designed to strengthen their self-regulation of emotions and address specific goals to improve school adaptation. For 14 weekly lessons, children met individually with their mentors for about 25 minutes in a private setting during the school day. The skills taught to children are labeled in simple terms suited to developmental level.

Section C: Dependent variables

Teaching kids self-control and problem solving strategies to reduce classroom problems.

Section D: Independent variables

Self-control and reducing escalation of emotions is taught through the concept of a “feelings thermometer” to depict intensity. Children learn to use “mental muscles” as a tool to monitor feelings and to stop feelings from entering a hot zone. They also learn to maintain control and regain equilibrium through strategies such as taking a deep breath, stepping back from emotionally intense situations, and using an imaginary umbrella as protection from hurtful words.

Section E: Summary

Children who received the intervention showed improved functioning in all domains of classroom behavior rated by teachers. The intervention had a positive impact on children’s classroom behaviors and rates of disciplinary incidents, including fewer aggressive or disruptive problems, improved on-task learning behaviors and peer social skills, and less shy-withdrawn and more assertive behaviors, the researchers concluded.