2.1 Peculiarities of final-year pupils.
Studying in the 11th grade is quite an important period in the life of a teenager.
It is at this time that the teenager faces the problem of choosing further life path (mastering certain professional skills).
Of course, exams are not just a test of knowledge, but a test of knowledge under conditions of stress and unpredictable results. Most of the respondents realize that exams are a final debriefing, an important stage in life, on which the future life will largely depend. All this entails negative emotions (fear, uncertainty).
Stress is a fashionable word. It became popular after the publication of the book by Hans Sellers in 1936. It defines stress as a specific response of the organism to any requirement made to it. This response represents tension, effort. Excessive effort can lead to ill health, nervous system disorders. Therefore, after the publication of the theory of Sellers, it was argued that it is necessary to minimize the number of stressful situations because of their devastating impact on human health. However, the following interesting phenomenon has been identified, which has been eloquently called "disease of achievements" in medicine. It occurs when a person achieves something very important, such as a thesis, and allows himself to relax and rest for a long time. The signs are the same as in case of stress: change of heart rhythm, sleep disturbance, dissatisfaction. All these facts show that the attitude towards stress cannot be clearly negative. Stress occurs not only in case of excessive loads but also in case of their absence.
Scientific research shows that there are two large groups of people who are experiencing stress. Depending on how high school students behave in disturbing situations before the upcoming exams, all students can be divided into two groups. Some of them come into a state of increased mobilization, finish the sections of the book, remember the questions, i.e. show qualities similar to sports anger, which helps to win. Others browse through the textbook, are unable to concentrate on anything, listen to those who have passed the exam, and convince themselves that they do not remember anything, do not know. These guys have a feeling of defeat in advance. Once they have taken the test ticket, they cannot read the questions right away. If the exam goes strictly according to the scheme, then they have a chance to pass it successfully, but additional questions, or the feeling that at least one question is unknown, leads to a disaster - they forget even what they knew.
At first glance, it may seem that these two groups differ in their degree of emotionally, but if it were true, the physiological changes (pulse rate, blood pressure) in the second group would be incomparably higher than in the first group. However, this is not the case. Indicators do not differ much in the process of the exam itself, but they differ significantly after the exam. In the representatives of the first group they return to normal after 10-15 minutes, in the second group, these indicators do not decrease but continue to increase after the exam, regardless of the results. Doctors and psychologists have come to the conclusion that the reason for the occurrence of neurotic anxiety at the given guys lies in the fact that the exam affects deeper layers of the person. The possibility of failure becomes an indicator of the student's vitality, his human inferiority. This is a test for the right to feel human. Even the "objective result" - the obtained marks - does not matter. A good grade is explained by a "lucky accident", a successful ticket, not the result of your own work.
Giving a choice does not mean leaving a teenager alone with a problem. He, of course, needs help. What makes it easier to make a decision? Confidence in his own strength, in his own solvency. At this stage, the best way to help the teenager is to discuss and clarify the problems that have arisen before him. Therefore, in the system of general education among 11th-grade pupils, art-therapeutic methods can be successfully used as an effective means of helping graduates. In art therapy classes, students will be able to use their creativity in a free-form way:
* To better understand their problems;
* To find out the sphere of their greatest success;
* Increase self-confidence, strengthen self-esteem;
* Find backup options in case of failure;
* Discuss the possible consequences of failure and other options for achieving the goal.
If the teenager has experience of analyzing the situation of failure without self-blaming and blaming, but only with the recognition that this attempt failed, but to give movement, not inaction, it may be more important for the future life than success in the exams. After all, the exam is always a lottery. This unpredictability is a worrying factor.
to be continued in the next part https://zen.yandex.ru/media/id/5d930ba634808200b0df0351/artterapiia-at-school-is-a-report-part-4-5d93393b1d656a00ac3f671a