Children learn self-regulation
'It's a process, not a program. It's a way of being,' says Grade 1 teacher
referring to program aimed at getting students to manage mood
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, October 22, 2015
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Two teachers at Bompas Elementary School are teaching their students the tools for self-control and regulation as part of an initiative that is slowly spreading schoolwide.
Layla Cli, left, Sela Horassi and Katana Williams-Snider demonstrate how they use "fidget tools" in class to calm themselves down and re-focus. Fidget tools are usually attached to the children's clothes so they are not seen as toys. - April Hudson/NNSL photo
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During a summer personal development opportunity, Junior Kindergarten/Kindergarten teacher Nicki Crawley and Grade 1 teacher Kathleen Primeau developed their self-regulation initiative - a process they are learning along with the students they teach.
Self-regulation involves being aware of one's mental, emotional and physical state and learning how to deal with it in a positive way.
"It's a process, not a program. It's a way of being," said Primeau.
Self-regulation works like a thermostat. When temperatures drop too low or get too high, the thermostat can reset them.
However, thermostats can also break if overused - something Primeau and Crawley say can also happen to children's "brain thermostats" when they become overstressed.
"In my class, this is a way for kids to understand their different energy levels. We recognize when we're feeling off, kids can pick up on that," Crawley said.
Crawley's class uses a visual board with a meter on it titled How Low Is Your Engine Running? to determine if their stress levels are "fast, slow or just right."
"It gives them strategies to get back to the Just Right spot," Crawley said.
"Each child is different than another, so this is an individualized process. It's working, too - I recently had a child say to me, 'I stopped to breathe.'"
Primeau's class employs a similar system with additional dynamics, learning about zones of regulation and determining if they are in the blue, green, yellow or red zone.
"This is a way for us to try to figure out our bodies and bring attention to our emotions," Primeau said.
"(The process) looks different at every stage of development. It's the building blocks of learning for these children."
Principles of self-regulation are built on the knowledge that changing environments for children - with technology, especially - can lead to some attention and behavioural problems. As brains change, children need to learn strategies for maintaining calm.
To that end, Bompas Elementary School has focused as a whole on teaching children about the brain.
"We teach everyone, the whole group, about these things and help individuals who are struggling," Primeau said.
"There is no end goal or end point. Self-regulation is a state of being; people do it all the time."
School suggestions for parents who want to help out with the self-regulation process include having children play games or activities that teach about waiting and taking turns, such as Go Fish, or talking with their children about the feelings and behaviours of a character in a book.
Other strategies include limiting screen time and promoting physical activities.
While Primeau and Crawley are teaching their students about self-regulation, they are also practising it in their own lives.
Both teachers have drawn up individual self-regulation plans to help them recognize where their emotional levels are at.
"Our goal was to highlight things that make us feel good," Crawley said, adding she often tells her students how she is feeling during class.
"When we feel good, others feel good. It ties into our energy levels, emotional and body language."
