Canadian Self-Regulation Initiative
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Self-Regulation: Integrating Four Essential Perspectives

4/20/2016

 
Seeing the forest, and the trees
Perspective-taking is an important self-regulation capacity, and the ability to integrate multiple perspectives is a hallmark of mature thinking. An integrative map reminds us to pay attention to all of the factors that influence self-regulation, and the connections among them:
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Why is integration so important? Well-known neuroscience pioneer Dan Siegel describes integration – “linking differentiated parts into a functional whole” – as “the underlying mechanism of self-regulation.” This is valuable information for parents, educators, and other professionals helping to cultivate self-regulation assets in the young people they support. 

Perspectives in action
Here’s an example. An integrative lens on self-regulation helps us to see beyond behaviours, to inquire into the inner life of the child. Is Maria a flexible thinker? Are Avi’s outbursts connected to lagging cognitive skills?  Is Gurminder sad? Does Michael make empathic connections with his classmates? Can Shen focus on math a little longer when he’s feeling calm and grounded? Integrating a child’s mental and emotional experiences with observations of their behaviour can be both insightful and instructive. It gives us more to work with.   
We’ve also noticed that most approaches to self-regulation are focused on the individual. While this is important, it’s not sufficient. Our efforts become more effective and more sustainable when we recognize the collective factors that influence self-regulation: the systems and structures in which we work and learn, for example, and the culture of our organizations and communities.

Let’s start with systems and structures. Many schools are exploring ways that classroom design can enhance self-regulation. And there’s a growing awareness that self-regulation gets a real boost when the whole school is involved, and not just a ‘problem’ kid or classroom. Similarly, self-regulation capacities are strengthened when the family is on board, when kids experience consistent expectations and support at home and at school. And, as the self-regulation movement grows, we see how policies and programs in other sectors can foster self-regulation capacities in kids and adults: early childhood education, health prevention & promotion, recreation, child and youth care, suicide prevention programs, mental health services ... even municipal planning. Each sector can make an important contribution to promoting self-regulation, especially when there are opportunities for collaboration.

Culture is equally important. This dimension of self-regulation is harder to pin down and measure; nonetheless, it exerts significant influence on our approach to self-regulation. This dimension is the gathering place for our shared attitudes, values and beliefs, our assumptions, our taken-for-granted’s. When we pay attention to the cultural factors that influence self-regulation ... that make it easier to talk about mental health challenges, for example, and to ask for help ... we create new norms, and new possibilities. And we can agree to a shared purpose: building a culture of self-regulation in our school, our organization, our community. We’ll know we’ve had a significant cultural impact when we can say “self-reg? It’s just the way we do things around here.”    

Thriving Kids, Thriving Communities
At CSRI, we believe that by working together to foster self-regulation in kids, and the adults that support them, we can change lives and build healthier, more sustainable communities. We also believe that this work will be most effective and most sustainable when we take an integrative approach, attending to all of the factors that influence self-regulation: individual and collective, interior and exterior. 
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These four dimensions are interconnected, interdynamic and irreducible. By building self-regulation assets in one area, we’re actually strengthening self-regulation capacities in each of the others. Reconnecting seemingly separate parts into a more inclusive and integrative whole, our change efforts generate higher levels of learning, mental wellness, positive relationships and healthy development. 


Tam Lundy, PhD
Canadian Self-Regulation Initiative
tam.csri@self-regulation.ca

1 Siegel, Daniel J. (2012). The developing mind. New York: The Guilford Press.
2 Siegel, Daniel J. (2012). Pocket guide to interpersonal neurobiology: An integrative handbook of  the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.


New Resource from Mary-Catherine Bailey-McKenna

4/6/2016

 
We are pleased to share the latest in the “I” series focused on that complex time of the school day known as recess.  For some kids, it is a great time and space to self-regulate, socialize and expend pent up energy.  For others, it is a daunting challenge to navigate or even to avoid.  Mary-Catherine provides strategies that are helpful for children and are also great resources for teachers and parents to access.  ​
Her book is available through this link:    So http://www.ctc1990.com/ with an order coupon code tenCSRI through CSRI that gives a 10% discount.
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Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day: Resources to Support Youngsters in Complex Environments

3/10/2016

 
​Over the past few years, there has been a tremendous uptick in resources - people, information, programs and other supports - to build our understanding and application of self-regulation strategies in the classroom and at home.  As teachers, parents and other human services professionals, we were all raised in a different era without the advantage of recent breakthroughs in brain science research and without the increasing connection between neurophysiology and quality learning environments. In the absence of all of that new learning, it’s likely that we would teach as we were taught and parent as we were parented, for better or worse, even with the best of intentions.  

Look inside a school today and you see focused attention on supporting and sustaining social-emotional learning & wellness in all its facets.  There’s a commitment to Growth Mindsets, Youth Mental Health and Differentiated & Engaging Learning.  Schools have become far greater “Action Research hubs,” light years ahead of the isolated teaching environments that sometimes  existed in the past.  Teachers, administrators and education assistants work together to address real issues, using a communities of practice approach that takes what they know and applies it to what they do, monitoring and adjusting as they go.

At CSRI, we support that journey in individual schools, districts and regions, via live sessions, webinars and other content development.  We also work collaboratively to address one of the greatest challenges: to link home and school so that parents and educators are on the same page regarding self-regulation strategies in order for children to gain maximum benefit. 

With that in mind, it is good to see that accessible parent resources are increasing.  One resource group that is reaching out to parents is Collective Therapy http://collectivetherapy.ca.  Their team has developed a series of parent on-line workshops, bringing the notion of Action Research to the home as well as to the school.  Feedback from participants has been extremely positive, with parents appreciating the knowledge base provided by the resource people and also valuing the sense of community as they work together in facilitated, scaffolded learning and dialogue.   We look forward to sharing more from Collective Therapy as they continue to develop their opportunities for connection and their support for every child, every chance, every day.

How Flipping Your Lid ​Becomes a Teachable Concept

3/4/2016

 
​Building on his self-regulation strategies webinar (Part 1), West Vancouver vice principal Nathan Blackburn tells us about “Flip Your Lid” (Part 2).  http://bit.ly/1PT7s6Q  This webinar shares what became a favourite and highly successful lesson for kids in his school. They learned the basics of neurophysiology, how they could become more aware of what is good for their minds and bodies, and how they could get in better touch with their feelings and develop the capacity to curb impulses and think before acting.  More and more, the understanding and application of self-regulation is foundational to how individuals, classrooms and schools are functioning.

Practical Strategies for a Self-Regulated Classroom

3/2/2016

 
​We are often asked “what does it look like?”  when neuroscience really makes a difference in our educational practices. How do teachers and entire school staffs take the theory and turn it into a new normal for their learning environments?  Many thanks to West Vancouver vice principal Nathan Blackburn for his webinar on how the self-reg story developed in his school.  http://bit.ly/1ns3Bap 
It is making a real difference.  Enjoy Nathan’s brief overview of that journey - 17 minutes well worth investing.
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