Early Learning Summit May 2013
Stuart Shanker and I recently presented at an Early Learning Summit in Victoria. We were part of a very full and engaging program attended by early learning and K-12 educators and it was wonderful to connect with so many colleagues who are committed to making the biggest difference as early as possible for all children, particularly for those who are most vulnerable. Of course, the growing appetite for self-regulation knowledge and practice was the reason Stuart and I were there. The following reflection is from one of the participants. It resonated on so many levels and she gave me persmission ...
Diagnosing the Wrong Deficit – NY Times.com
Many theories are thrown around to explain the rise in the diagnosis and treatment of A.D.H.D. in children and adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11 percent of school-age children have now received a diagnosis of the condition. More... Vatsal G. Thakkar, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the N.Y.U. School of Medicine.
Self-regulation and Physical Activity
We are hearing from teachers about their interest in having some physical activity resources in the classroom as part of their self-regulation effort. In some cases, people are experimenting with those wobble cushions that kids can sit on at their desks. Others are introducing SWISS balls for individual students, or for access on a needs basis. There are tension bands, play dough and other tools as well to activate the child's physiology as part of the self-regulation effort. Increasingly, teachers and principals are looking at the potential of exercise bicycles at the back of the classroom to assist kids in either ...
Self-Regulation and the Evolution/Revolution of What We Know
Jeremy Burman, one of the researchers connected to the self-regulation initiative shared the following observation about how awareness of and engagement with self-regulation is impacting a school system that was built on behaviourist theory and foundations. He explains his work/our work as follows: "To catalyze a post-behaviourist revolution in education, moving beyond reward and punishment to focus on improving the quality of the larger system of learning in which we all participate-students, teachers, parents, principals, superintendents, and researchers." He goes on to further explain that "psychology provides the meta-theory for education; it guides how teachers think and act. But that psychological meta-theory hasn't kept up with changes in psychology itself. So there's a need to ...
Classroom Routines: Promoting or Inhibiting Self-Regulation?
One of the great joys of engaging in the self-regulation work through the Canadian Self-Regulation Initiative is to hear from people who are on this journey, taking the research and bringing it to life in the classroom. Their learning is powerful and it extends the work of others who are able to share the experience, taking self-regulation in education to another level. Here is the voice of one of those teachers whose perspective tells a powerful story. She shines a light on the number of ways that school routines and expectations can inhibit the development of self-regulation in youngsters. March, 2013 "We ...
Self-Regulation and Child Mental Health
Over the past two decades, a number of striking advances have been made in our understanding of the development of a child’s brain. These discoveries have transformed our views about the importance of the early years for long-term mental and physical health. We are now in a position to explain just why these are so closely connected: indeed, to recognize that illness is illness, full-stop. And the crucial discoveries that have been made relate to our understanding of the core mechanisms that are impaired by excessive stress in the early years of life. Click here to download article or view under pdf ...
Letters from the Field
Self-regulation isn’t just a skill for students. A principal shares her school’s self-regulation journey with us. February,2013 "I am a principal in an alternative education setting. Many of the students we work with are at-risk and vulnerable learners. We constantly look for opportunities to model, practice and refine our skills in self-regulation. We know how hyper and hypo aroused our students... [Read more...]
Helping students behave better – with gum
CBC Radio: SD 54, Bulkley Valley, is one of the districts working with its students to make sure they are in the position they need to behave well, and focus on their work. That can mean taking them to the gym to shoot hoops, or giving them a piece of gum. Lake Kathlyn Elementary principal Marie Edwards joined Rebecca to explain.
Return serve: Stuart Shanker’s response re. video games and self-reg
Last week, I shared a post re. concerns about the impact of video games, specifically violent video games, on kids and their ability to self-regulate. Stuart Shanker has provided the following thoughtful response. Based on what we know, it may be time to bring this issue out from the shadows. On a related note, a colleague just told me that a new video game release, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare... [Read more...]
Self-Regulation and Video Games – What do we know? What do we do??
Recently, I participated in a Safe Schools session in our district where the topic of violent video games was on the agenda. Our Safe Schools staff shared a brief “montage” of clips from several of the most popular games and tv shows aimed at elementary and secondary-aged youngsters. Let’s focus on the video games, although more light needs to be shone on the role of tv. Some kids are spending... [Read more...]
Children in Transitions
“How can adults foster the mental health of children and families in all early childhood transitions?” by Penelope Clark, Student in the Certificate in Infant and Toddler Mental Health Program, New Zealand
Letters from the Field
Self-regulation is a journey. It’s learning about ourselves and other people through a different lens. At first, learning something new or looking at things a different way can be intimidating. As life-long learners, we all know the importance of challenging ourselves and continuing to learn new things. A colleague shares her learning journey with us as she applies her knowledge to herself, her family... [Read more...]
CSRI Webinar: Yoga
Yoga as an effective tool to enhance a child’s abiility to self-regulate. Jayne Hembruff February 2013
CSRI Webinar: Learning Environment
Marie Edwards, Principal, Lake Kathlyn Elementary School, BC, January 2013
Dr. Shanker and Self-Regulation – Continuing the Conversation
by Chris Kennedy, Superintendent of Schools/CEO, West Vancouver School District. Two of my most popular posts have been about Dr. Stuart Shanker and his work; each post has received well over 10,000 views. To recap, the first post in November 2010 and the second was written in April 2012. West Vancouver is part of the first wave of school districts in British Columbia, along with Bulkley Valley,... [Read more...]
Outdoor Play For Danish Children
How does Denmark’s capital city meet its children’s need for outdoor play – and what can other nations learn from its approach? For a well-researched, gloriously detailed, beautifully presented answer, look no further than a new report from Australian architect Tanya Vincent.
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BC First Wave Districts
Canadian Self-Regulation Initiative
For some time now it has been apparent that behavioral management techniques that rely heavily on punishment and reward are relatively ineffective in reducing children’s problematic behaviors, and in many cases can actually exacerbate the problem.
Over the past decade it has also become increasingly clear that the cause of many of these behaviors lies in poor self-regulation.
The Canadian Self-Regulation Initiative has been established ...
- School District 36 (Surrey)
- School District 43 (Coquitlam)
- School District 45 (West Vancouver)
- School District 54 (Bulkley Valley)
- School District 68 (Nanaimo Ladysmith)
- School District 61 (Greater Victoria)
- Government of Yukon
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