05/08/2022
Many students enter the classrooms with adverse childhood experiences and trauma that affect their executive functioning and ability to self-regulate. 😮
They do not have the tools they need to focus and pay attention, keep their emotions in check, adjust to change, or handle the frustration that is sometimes a part of interacting with others or learning something new.👩🏫
This can make it very challenging to complete required tasks in the classroom.
In order to make learning accessible to these children, Its important to first work on developing their self-regulation skills.❗️
Teachers can set up their classrooms to provide the structure and learning tools necessary to help model and teach self-regulation.👩🏫
🔅A positive environment,❤️
The classroom should feel like a safe space where strengths are emphasised🙌.
🔅When a problem behaviour occurs, try not to take it personally or immediately correct the child in front of others❗️
Instead, act as an observer with the goal of figuring out why the behaviour is occurring. Then address the behaviour once the child has cooled down.🤗
🔅Clear expectations:
Schedules, procedures, and an established routine help students understand what to expect and create an environment that feels structured and safe.😁
When students seem off task or even shut down and refuse to complete work, sometimes it’s because the work is too difficult for them and they’re frustrated.💭😩
Children often use this behaviour because it has worked for them in the past by allowing them to escape the undesirable task and avoid the embarrassment of looking “stupid.” 😳
Instead of recognizing that they are frustrated with the work, the child will often express frustration with the teacher for making them complete the task.🤯
🔅’Scaffolding’ learning by breaking it into chunks and then providing a strategy or a structure to make it easier for pupils to be able to accomplish each chunk of learning can help. 🙌
In order to effectively scaffold instruction, you need to know what a child is capable of doing on their own.😧
If a child is struggling, you can usually help them get started by taking a break, determining what they do understand, and then modifying the work so that it’s within their ability.🙌
🔅children need objective, nonjudgmental feedback in order to improve their behaviour. ❤️
When a problem arises, find a calm time to discuss and reflect what went wrong, why, and how it can be handled differently next time. 👍This gives usable directions to pupils who do not already have a structure and the vocabulary needed to regulate their emotions.
Reflecting helps children to become more mindful: Instead of just reacting to emotions, they can learn to become the manager of their emotions by recognizing what they are feeling before it becomes an action.😡😢😁
🔅children often learn best when you show them how to do something through direct instruction. 😁The same is true with behaviour. If students are not displaying productive behaviour, the teacher can show them what the effective behaviour would look like through modeling activities like “think alouds” or role-playing.🙌❤️
Thinking about behaviour objectively, as a skill to be taught rather than simply as good or bad, will be immensely helpful in guiding children to learning how to control their behaviour. 🤗
In order to help children who enter school without the self-regulation skills necessary for school success, we need to meet them where they are and teach the skills they need to be successful in the classroom.
Link to this poster :
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/SELF-REGULATION-COPING-STRATEGIES-Use-in-Your-Take-A-Break-Calm-Down-Corner-4115322
( ❤️ we have the lovely Anita , creator of this poster , as a ‘connect the dots to ACEs’ page follower 🙌 Anita R Garcia Sanchez, you may message her direct for this poster too )
