Supporting Dysregulated Learners in the Primary Classroom Inquiry Question: How can schools support students experiencing dysregulated learning in an effort to maximize student success?

Build intrinsic motivation

In order to combat negative feelings and associations wiht dysreulated learning in the classroom, teachers need to feel empowered and able to crate a safe envioornment

Foster Supportive Learning Environment

Establish and maintain effect communication network

Practice Mindfullness

Foster Community - School/Home Connection

Time Sensitive Strategies

Grounding

Engage the five senses - make a ‘sensory kit’ that holds 2-3 objects representing each of the five senses.

Take Me There Pictures

Print out a few pictures of landscapes (make them all very different) and ask your child to ‘jump into the picture’ with you. Then, ask the child to describe to you what they taste, hear, see, smell, and feel. Have them use as much detail as possible.

Hot Chocolate Breathing

Have child picks a picture of hot chocolate (print out a few) and focuses on inhaling (smelling the drink) and exhaling (blowing on the drink to cool it down). Practice this breathing for 5-10 breaths.

Draw Feelings

Give child an index card (the smaller the better) and a pen or maker, and ask them to “fill the page.” Try not to give too many details for this exercise. Allow them to take the lead and create whatever they want. Use this as a facilitator to have a conversation about what they are experiencing

Teaching Emotional Regulation

Connect idea that emotions drive behaviours

Set the tone first thing in the morning

Be patient

Help students understand emotions in real time

Check in

Build an emotional vocabulary

Designate a calm down spot

Take focus off academic success

Share your own feelings

PHC Treatment Center. (2019). Emotional Dysregulation. Retrieved from https://www.pchtreatment.com/who-we-treat/emotional-dysregulation/

Cutler, G. (2019). Educators Report Growing Behavioral Issues Among Young Students. Retrieved from https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/02/14/1725406/0/en/Educators-Report-Growing-Behavioral-Issues-Among-Young-Students.html

Townsend, M. (2013). Massive rise in disruptive behaviour, warn teachers. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/mar/24/schools-disruptive-behaviour

Rappaport, N. & Minaham, J. (2019). Breaking the Behavior Code: How teachers can read and respond more effectively to disruptive students. Retrieved from https://childmind.org/article/breaking-behavior-code/

Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory into practice, 41(2), 64-70.

Dignath-van Ewijk, C. & van der Werf, G. (2012). What Teachers Think about Self-Regulated Learning: Investigating Teacher Beliefs and Teacher Behavior of Enhancing Students' Self-Regulation. Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2012, 1-11.

Jones, S. M., & Bouffard, S. M. (2012). Social and Emotional Learning in Schools. Retrieved from https://www.srcd.org/sites/default/files/documents/spr_264_final_2.pdf

Child Mind Institute. (2019). How Can We Help Kids with Self-Regulation? Retrieved from https://childmind.org/article/can-help-kids-self-regulation/

Glovinsky, I. (2018). Emotional Dysregulation in Children: The Problem and How to Intervene. Retreived from https://self-reg.ca/2017/07/14/emotion-dysregulation/ic

Riley, M. (2018). My Favorite Coping Skills for Dysregulated Children. Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/blog/my-favorite-coping-skills-for-dysregulated-children/

Kath, A. (2017). Emotional Dysregulation in Children. Retrieved from https://sophia.stkate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1756&context=msw_papersopic

McCaskey, J. (2015). Elementary School Teachers Level of Concern with Disruptive Student Behaviors in the Classroom. Waldon University. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5b01/cbb8490676cc2c2295a5d6e9f618a53eb98e.pdf

Refers to "the inability of a person to control or regulate their emotional responses to provocative stimuli." (PHC Treatment Center, 2019)

Lead to Disruptve Bahviours

Instantaneos Reactions

Built up reactions

Disruptive behaviors have increased rapidly in elementary school classrooms in the last three years, according to a new survey of nearly 1,900 elementary school teachers, administrators, and staff. The trend is alarming teachers, who often feel they lack guidelines and training to address the growing number of disturbances. (Cutler,2019)

Young students who have challenges in
the area of mental health often have difficulty regulating their emotions and as a result, have the
potential to be inflexible, oppositional, disengaged, disruptive, and verbally and physically
violent and aggressive (Townsend, 2013)

About 10 percent of the school population—9 to 13 million children—struggle with mental health problems. In a typical classroom of 20, chances are good that one or two students are dealing with serious psychosocial stressors relating to poverty, domestic violence, abuse and neglect, trauma, or a psychiatric disorder (Rappaport & Minaham, 2019)

LM Kindergarten Classroom

J climbing cabinets, throwing toys, running through school/other classrooms, hitting

BL Grade 2/3 Classroom

JC throwing chars, flipping desks, running from school through neighborhood/home

SW 1/2 Classroom

VI sobbing, blame on other students, unable to communicate issues that arrise

CB violence, inability to calm, express feelings or see other sides of an issue

Personal Experience

Visible increase in school, friendship, and performance anxiety
More referrals to SBT/need for school counselling support

BH levels of anxiety/inability to calm - sleep? processing of worries, home connection

EW unable to regulate behaviour, difficulty getting back from heightened state, blame placed on other students, no self-reflection

Self-Regulated Inquiry & Learning

Elements of Professional Self-Regulated Learning
in regards to developing strategies that work to max
student performance

Independence

Initiative

Enagagment

Collaboration

Consideration

Monitoring Performance

Organizational Leadership

Application of social and cultural construction of leadership to look at roles and responsibilities that an administrator has within the construct of dysregulated learners and disruptions in learning

Organizational Learning

Application of four frames thinking (structural, human, political, symbolic) in format presentation

Inncative Cuuriculum Planning

Application of contemporary curriculum and instructional innovations to help meet need of dysregulated learners

Maker Education

Flipped Classroom

STEAM

Outdoor Education

Inquiry Based Learning

Experiential Learning

The Connected Classroom

Examination of home/school connections influencing dysregulation