Self RegulationWhat is it, why are we talking about it, what’s new?

N2N1ECE 2015

Dean

What’s old Behavior management techniques that work on

punishment/reward tend not to be effective Most students want to do well, and follow rules but struggle Expect ‘self-control’ – purposeful exert selves to stop

ourselves from doing something, or to behave – effortful, taxing and draining

Need to learn “self-control”

What we know… If you’re overly excited, agitated, or upset you can’t think Difficult to maintain self-control over long periods of time Some stress is good

Killing the mastodon, running from the T-Rex Escaping the speeding car

Some stress is bad Paralyzed in fear Duration is long and intense Can create epigenetic changes

What’s newish about stress Some stress helps us develop skills to adapt to new

situations Our body regulates stress by releasing hormones through

the body Our students are facing a lot of stress – causes the brain to

work less effectively Autonomic nervous system releases epinephrine and

neorepinephrine, triggering fight or flight response Also releases cortisol (and other glucocorticoids)

What’s NEW about stress Cortisol (and the other glucocoricoids) attach to receptors Outside the brain it binds to the GR receptor Inside the brain cells it binds to GRs and MRs MRs regulate “normal” stress (and waking) GRs regulate stress responses – GR’s impair neural

flexibility and processes involved in learning and memory

More About Cortisol Repeated increases in cortisol for many days…

Increases fear behaviors Increased caution Turns the stress pathway into a superhighway (SAM system)

Other causes of Stress Low SES/ living in poverty

Children from homes of poverty have higher cortisol levels Over scheduling Screen time – tv, video games Lack of play, free physical activity Lack of sleep/interrupted sleep Intake of sugar, salt and fat Parental stress

Amygdala Hijack

What’s newCauses of many poor behaviours is self-regulation (or lack thereof) Reframe behavior, understanding why a child may have

trouble: Paying attention Ignoring distractors Inhibiting impulses Modulating emotion Maintaining calm focus and alertness

SR is being calm and alert

“The better a child can stay calmly focused and alert, the better he integrates the diverse

information coming in from his different senses, assimilates it, and sequences his thoughts and

actions.”

Stuart Shanker

What’s newRecent research is showing that self-regulation is a more important indicator of educational performance than IQ (Blair & Diamond, 2008; Duckworth & Seligman, 2005).

Good self-regulation helps individuals deal with and address stress

HAVE I CONVINCED YOU THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT SELF REGULATION?

Definition Self-regulation is the ability to:

Attain, maintain, and change one’s level of energy to match the demands of a situation or task

Monitor, evaluate and modify one’s emotions Sustain and shift one’s attention when necessary and ignore

distractions Understand both the meaning of a variety of social interactions

and how to engage in them in a sustained way Connect with and care about what others are thinking and feeling

– to empathize and act accordingly(Shanker, 2013)

5 Domains of self-regulation Biological (e.g. how well the child regulates her arousal

state) Emotional (e.g., how well the child monitors and modifies

her emotional responses) Cognitive (e.g. how well the child can sustain and switch her

attention; inhibit impulses; deal with frustration, delay, distractions; sequence thoughts)

Social (e.g., the child’s mastery of rules of appropriate behaviour; how well they can co-regulate and develop pro-social attributes)

Pro-social

Critical Elements to Optimal Self Regulation When feeling calmly focused and alert, you know it When stressed, you can recognize what is causing stress Recognize stressors both within and outside the class Desire to deal with the stressors Ability to develop strategies for dealing with those stressors Ability to recover efficiently and effectively form dealing with

stressors

(Shanker, 2013)

Stages of Arousal Inhibition

1. Asleep

2. Drowsy

3. Hypoalert

4. Calmly focused and Alert

5. Hyperalert

6. Flooded

Activation

Required for SR A child cannot be self-regulated, or in earlier stages, co-

regulated, unless the adult is self-regulated Not a set of tools but a process As a teacher you have an important role to take care of

yourself, to be self-regulated so you can assist your students in regulating themselves

RULE SR must be explicitly use AND taught Forms a framework for all work done in the class Students learn to up-regulate/down-regulate Identify states of hyper-arousal/hypo-arousal

“Herd the cows or build the fence” (Richard Lavoie)

Self Regulation A student with good self-regulation knows:

What it looks like to be calmly focused and alert in each of the 5 domains

How to recognize stressors and how to return to the optimal state of regulation

Self-Regulation Students acquire the ability to self regulate by first being

regulated Newborns have no capacity to self regulate Some children need more external regulation from school due to

an inability to internalize regulation techniques

WE ARE THE CO-REGULATORS

5 Domains – what does it look like?

BIOLOGICAL EMOTIONAL COGNITIVE SOCIAL PRO-SOCIAL

Health

Nutrition/ Water

Sleep

Exercise

Sensory Inputs

Modulate Emotions

Sustain and switch attention

Appropriate task and language demands

Perspective

Impact of actions on others

Development of empathy – doing the right thing

Tools – Biological Domain Environmental Adaptation

Up-regulation Down-regulation-safe space

Slow Starts Sensory Circuits Food/Hydration

Body/Brain & Emotional Language Child-centred mindful language

Lessons: breathing/brain/mindfulness

Physical Environmental Metacognition

Visual Zones Walls: color, organization, relevancy Ceiling/Lighting Storage Desks: placement, style, size

Temperature

Auditory Acoustical interruptions

Strategies Snapshot for Environment (biological domain)

Limit visual material (bright, commercially made posters, borders etc. Use bright colors for what REALLY counts

NOTHING hanging from ceiling Use basic, natural light colors for calming Keep clutter to a minimum – out of sight Try to limit chair/desk noise (sliding on floors) Arrange zones in classroom so noise in one area, quiet in

another Limit outside noise (hallways – shut doors, etc.) Avoid noisy fans, turn off computers when not in use Use natural light as much as possible (Remember we have

full spectrum lighting) Plan seating that will encourage students to remain calm Provide quiet, calming area for down-regulation

Strategies Snapshot for Classroom Mgt. (biological domain) Use a chime, drum or music to signal in class transitions Keep your schedule predictable to help students anticipate

transition Plan to include transition time for each period Use fidgets, exercise bands, worry beads etc to help student

regulate (have them make them for themselves) Observe your class; note when a number of students have

trouble regulating during transitions – plan small changes such as a brief physical activity to aide transitioning (e.g. – Simon Says)

Provide choice in learning activities Personally use self-regulation techniques and EXPLAIN to

the students what you are doing to regulate yourself

Tool Metacognition

Body: movement, furniture

Hand: fidgets, exercises

Mouth; chewing, sucking

Routines Metacognition

Breakfast/Lunch & Check in Routines Playground Routine Organizational Routine Transition Routine

Coming into class In-class Between classrooms Leaving class

Morning Routine Board Routine

Listening Work

Movement Routines: Embedded within lesson, chunked in lessons; between lessons

Emotional Environmental Metacognition

Metacognitive Differentiated Instruction Knowing learning styles Knowing how to maximize opportunities

Metacognition of Learning Study Skills

Mindfulness MindUp Curriculum SEL Learning

Avoid Dys-regulation Explicit teaching and asking what is happening for the child Predictable routines – talk about upcoming changes (why

and when) – keep schedules on the wall Regular breathing techniques Ask “what you need” not “what are you doing” Tone of voice, level and pace Teach both emotional and body language