When I talked with Dr. Susan Hopkins for Episode 46 of the Pre-K Teach and Play podcast, we explored what the term “self-regulation” really means.
In this bonus episode with the incredible Dr. Stuart Shanker, we go even deeper.
For example, did you know that at one time there were 447 different definitions of self-regulation in education….446 of which were all about self-control?
Yeah, I didn’t either!
In this Pre-K Teach and Play bonus podcast episode, Dr. Stuart Shanker explains how his fascination with the American Revolution as a young school boy in Canada resulted in a passion for understanding how children (and humans in general) develop.
In this bonus episode, Dr. Shanker discusses:
- What he discovered about the difference between the educational, neuroscientific, and physiological understandings in terms of what it means to self-regulate
- The science of stress and why we need to reframe labeling reactions as stress-behavior…not misbehavior
- How our brains have grown and evolved over time
- What it really means to be a stress detective
Listen Now
Click here to download the transcript for this episode.
SHOW NOTES
Dr. Stuart Shanker Resources
- MEHRIT Center: Website with numerous resources supporting the Shanker Self-Reg® universal platform.
- Self-Reg- How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage with Life: This book is designed to help you learn to recognize when your child is becoming dysregulated and what to do about it. By learning Shanker method of self-regulation, parents learn that their own hidden stressors impact their brains, bodies, and responses (just like their children). The book helps readers distinguish between stress behavior and misbehavior, and how what appears to be a lack of self-control can sometimes actually be a sign of an excessive stress-load.
- The Interbrain and SelfReg: Key take-aways, infographic, and links about how the interbrain supports self-regulation.
- The Shanker Self-Reg® Toolkit for Educators: The MEHRIT Centre offers a growing kit of tools to help schools and teachers incorporate Self-Reg into their day-to-day practice and assess their Self-Reg progress and learning. The tool kit includes a classroom environment assessment checklist, a rubric for monitoring teachers’ Self-Reg learning and competencies, and various tools for gauging students’ self-regulation across different contexts.
- Blue Brain Red Brain Balance is the Key: Article from Dr. Stuart Shanker that describes the blue and red brain balances and the relationship to stress.
- Coronavirus Conversation Series: Blog series from Dr. Stuart Shanker specific to issues raised or considered during the pandemic.
- Corona Virus Conversations- Unpacking Step Four: This blog tackles step four of the five-step SelfReg process, including how it applies during the pandemic.
- Coronavirus Conversations- It’s All a Matter of Trust: This blog discuses trust from a neuroscience perspective and how we can move forward with more trust in one another during the pandemic.
Related Resources Mentioned During Podcast
- Creating Compassionate Kids– Dr. Shauna Tominey’s website. Includes information about her book, blog, and much, much more
- Stop, Think, Act: A book that describes the latest research and a wide variety of hands-on activities to help children learn and practice self-regulation techniques.
- Seed & Sew: The homepage for Seed & Sew’s website provides an overview of the topics, tools, and support you can find there
- Laura Fish Therapy: The website for Laura Fish, an experienced therapist who grounds her work with educators and parents in teachings about the brain so they may provide children with the responsive caregiving they deserve based on science, not habits.
- Synergy Autism Center: Run by autism specialist Barb Avila, Synergy Autism Center offers support to parents, professionals, and individuals on the autism spectrum of all ages and abilities.
- Teach Before the Peak of the Storm online course: This course, co-taught with Barb Avila of Synergy Autism Center, takes you through what to do when the sh*t hits the fan, including when the storm is brewing, the middle of the storm, and what to do afterwards. A certificate of completion is provided.
- Challenging Behavior as Communication: This webpage details evidence-based practices for determining what a child’s behavior is communicating and what to do about it.
Related Pre-K Teach and Play Podcasts
- Lifelines that Help Children Get on Board: Blog from Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak that talks about how to throw children a “lifeline” when they are experiencing big emotions.
- Reducing children’s exposure to stress one zig-zag at a time – The seven developmental progressions of the “zigzag process” to reduce stressors
- Self-Regulation Toolkit: Designed to help you learn how to intentionally, mindfully, and concisely teach self-regulation across a variety of early childhood settings and routines.
- Stress Detectives Series for Leaders- Safety First: The first of a four-part series on how to be effective stress detectives.
- The red train has left the station! – How to tell the difference between “typical reactions” and when a child is flooded with emotion and needs help off the red train
- Podcast 27- Seeing the Child Behind the Behavior: In this Pre-K Teach and Play podcast episode, Laura Fish and Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak share how early educators can broaden their perspective around the “causes” for challenging behavior. You will learn how to discover the “why” behind a child’s behavior.
- Podcast 29- Stop, Think, Act: Promoting Self-Regulation In Young Children: This Pre-K Teach and Play podcast episode tackles the importance of self-regulation, common myths or misperceptions about self-regulation, and why our job is critical in ensuring children’s success in school and in life.
- Podcast 37: Wait For Green Before You Go: In this Pre-K Teach and Play podcast episode, our two main jobs as teachers are explored- what to do when children are in the “green zone”, and what to do when they are not.
Dr. Stuart Shanker is a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Psychology, CEO of The MEHRIT Centre, Ltd., and founder and Scientific Director of Self-Reg Global Inc. His latest books “Reframed: Self-Reg for a Just Society” (University of Toronto Press 2020) and “Self-Reg Schools: A Handbook for Educators” (Pearson 2019) co-authored with Susan Hopkins is a follow-up to “Calm, Alert and Learning: Classroom Strategies for Self-Regulation” (Pearson 2012). His book, “Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage With Life” (2016), still garners enthusiastic reviews and media attention throughout North America and has been published in the UK, the US, Poland, Germany, China, South Korea, The Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.
Over the past decade, Dr. Shanker has served as an advisor on early child development to government organizations across Canada and the United States, and in countries around the world. During this period, he became increasingly interested in the impact of excessive stress on child development and behavior. Dr. Shanker’s five-step Self-Reg model, The Shanker Method®, is a powerful process for understanding and managing stress in children, youth and adults.
In 2012, Dr. Shanker founded The MEHRIT Centre as a Self-Reg learning and information centre. Stuart commits considerable time to bringing the research and science of Self-Reg to parents, early childhood educators, teachers, educational leaders, health practitioners and communities through his writings, presentations, online courses, webinars, social media, and a blog entitled, “The Self-Reg View”
Learn more about Dr. Shanker on the MEHRIT Centre website and connect with him on social media:
