In my first blog post I wrote that one of the things that I want to learn more about under the umbrella of Student mental health was teaching and modeling self-regulation to students. On this post several of you commented and recommended that I check out www.self-reg.ca and Dr. Stuart Shanker’s work. Thank you so much for that tip because I have really enjoyed reading his work and have even passed some of his articles onto some of my colleagues.
So what exactly is self regulation? “Self-regulation is about understanding, not “monitoring and managing” emotions, thoughts and behaviour: in ourselves and others,” (Shanker, 2017). When we self-regulate, we are seeking to understand our emotions, stress-behaviour, and maintaining a healthy state of mind. One way to help students regulate their emotions is through coregulation, “Emotions are contagious, and when a teacher is able to model a calm presence through their tone, facial expression, and posture, students are less likely to react defensively,” (Desautels, 2019). The goal of coregulation is to teach students how to recognize their stressors, their stress induced behaviour and learn how to cope with and manage them. Teaching and modeling self-regulation is important in creating safe spaces. Students should not only feel physically safe, but mentally and emotionally safe as well. Shanker explains this concept as, “when we talk about feeling safe, we are referring to a state of mind: whether or not this state is objectively warranted! That is, there is a fundamental difference between being safe and feeling safe,” (2017). If a student is in a constant state of fright, flight or freeze they are not mentally or emotionally safe. Often behaviours that we consider to be negative are a students’ way of coping with their current emotions. “These children need assistance regulating their nervous system before they can learn new coping strategies and understand the consequences of their choices and decisions,” (Desautels, 2018). Students cannot learn when they are dysregulated. It is our job to help them become regulated. For me it is easy to think about coregulation with my 6-month-old daughter. She requires my husband and I to help regulate her regularly through rocking, feeding, deep breaths, and using a calm voice. Sometime it is harder to think about coregulation with our students. It takes a calm brain to regulate another brain. “Self-Reg is not about forcing ourselves to behave in a certain way. It is about understanding that children and teens may lack, not just the verbal ability to tell us what they’re feeling, but more fundamentally, the self-awareness to even know what they’re feeling,” (Shanker, 2017). In my next post, I will explore specific strategies on how teachers can help their students recognize these emotions and become regulated through coregulation. References Desautels, L. (2018, September 25). Teaching self-regulation in the early grades. Edutopia. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-self-regulation-early-grades Desautels, L. (2019, October 15). The role of emotion co-regulation in discipline. Edutopia. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/role-emotion-co-regulation-discipline Shanker, S. (n.d.). Self-reg for elementary teachers. self-reg.ca. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://self-reg.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/infosheet_SelfRegTeachers.pdf Shanker, S. (2017). The self-reg view of: Schools as “Self-reg havens.” Self-Reg.ca. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://makingsenseoftrauma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/viewon_self-reg_havens.pdf
8 Comments
Mona Haidar
10/8/2022 05:36:24 am
I'm glad you enjoyed the resource! Shanker's work has really changed my perspective in the classroom and I know your post will do the same for others.
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Laura
10/11/2022 11:41:51 am
Thanks Mona!
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Corrine Merx
10/8/2022 11:58:21 am
Another great post about another great topic! Co-regulation is something that I had to learn about and continue to learn about. I can definitely tell when I am feeling stressed out or "off" in the classroom because I also then notice that my students' energy is rising and a sense of calmness is being lost. When I become aware of this, I will either take a few big, deep breaths on my own to become calm and centred again, or I will bring the whole class together to do some mindful breathing exercises or activities. It always amazes me how coming together as a group to breathe can have such an impact on the tone and feel of the classroom. Being human, there are situations where I forget about the importance of co-regulation. These moments provide the opportunity to reflect upon what happened and what I could have been done differently.
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Laura
10/11/2022 11:45:15 am
Hi Corrine,
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Corrine Merx
10/8/2022 12:02:42 pm
Hi again,
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Laura
10/11/2022 11:46:00 am
Thanks!
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Katie Vanderstelt
10/8/2022 08:11:24 pm
Hi Laura,
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Laura
10/11/2022 11:49:08 am
Hi Katie,
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