Self Regulation Presentation from the May 2015 Mountain PAC Meeting

1. Self Regulation
Student and Life Success
Britt Walton

2. Welcome to Burnaby Mountain
Home of the Lions
 committed to providing a safe and supportive
learning environment
 individual potential is nourished
 all learners are challenged to reach for excellence
 to develop and instill lifelong learners
 respect themselves, others, and the environment.
 active and engaged citizens
“RESPECT, EXCELLENCE,
AND RESPONSIBILITY”.

3. Presentation Outline
What do we know about the brain and
learning?
What is self regulation?
Why is it important?
What factors influence a student’s ability to
self regulate?
Biological Factors
Social Emotional Factors
Strategies for improving self regulation at
home.
Britt Walton 2015

4. Task #1
Turn to the person sitting next to you…
Start by introducing yourself and then
collectively discuss the following:
What do you know about your brains and
how they work?
What parts of the brain are activated
when we learn?
Britt Walton 2015

5. The Brain
“The brain is made
up of 100 billon
nerve cells with more
than 100 trillion
connections”.
These are known as
“Neural Networks”!
Britt Walton 2015

6. Self Regulation (Frontal Lobe)
Self Regulation is the ability to monitor and
manage feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
Teens who can self regulate get along better
with others and can maximize their learning.
They are able to:
Express emotions appropriately
Control impulses
Ignore distractions
Persevere
Set goals
Follow through on a plan
Britt Walton 2015

7. Conceptualizing Self Regulation
Britt Walton 2015

8. Biological Influences on
Self Regulation
Task # 2 Sleep Survey
With a different partner discuss the answers to the
following…
How many hours of sleep did you get last night?
Do you notice a change in your mood?
How about your ability to concentrate or focus?
How much patience do you exercise with others when you
have not slept?
Britt Walton 2015

9. Today’s Kids (Taylor, 2014)
Kids spend on average 7.5 hours a day engaged with/in
technology/media.
 Broken down it looks like this:
 4.5 hrs on tv
 2+ hrs on computers
 1+ hrs playing games
 38 minutes of reading
 25 minutes watching movies
75% of kids own cell phones
Boys send 30 texts a day; Girls send 80 texts a day.
Britt Walton 2015

10. Problems Associated with
Technology
 Today’s kids and adults are significantly sleep deprived.
 “Ping” of cell phones triggers a dopamine response in
the brain that is similar to a gambling/drug addiction,
the addiction then becomes the distraction and leads to
a lack of attention….this can be problematic.
 Exposure to LEDs or having any screen time 2 hours
prior to bed negatively influences the quality of sleep.
(Surficial sleep as opposed to restorative sleep)
 Challenge your teens to unplug. Do not allow them to
recharge their phones on their bedside tables….its
more important for them to fully recharge!
Britt Walton 2015

11. Emotional Regulation
 Emotional Quotient - (Goleman)
Identifies 4 key aspects of emotional
regulation:
 Self Awareness
 Self Management
 Social Awareness
 Relationship Management
Healthy Self-Esteem (based on personal efforts &
achievements)
 Emotional Resiliency (recover from disappointment,
embarrassment & other challenges)
Britt Walton 2015

12. Task #3 Watch and identify some
emotional challenges?
See link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4EDhdAHrOg
Britt Walton 2015

13. Today’s Classrooms
 Anxiety – “Age of Anxiety”
 Depression
 Eating disorders
 OCD-ODD
 Interpersonal Challenges
In fact, mental illness is the third largest contributor to
BC’s burden of disease – the greatest contributor for
people aged 15-34 (BCTF, 2013)
Nationally, approximately 20% of children and adolescents
experience mental health problems severe enough to
warrant mental health services. (Canadian Mental Health
Association)
Britt Walton 2015

14. How to Help Your Teen Develop
Healthy Social Emotional Skills
 Provide as predictable a routine a possible
 Let the teen take responsibility for tasks, for monitoring
their own success at completing each task
 Help teens relieve their stress – regular exercise,
connecting with nature, mindfulness and help them to
see the consequences of their decision making
 Avoid unnecessary academic stress – select
appropriate timetables and/or course loads and rather
focus on skills, talents and interests of your teen
 Model appropriate self regulation and emotional control
 Teach the importance of delaying gratification
Britt Walton 2015

15. More Tips…
 Listen to your teen - let him/her talk out his/her problems with you
before jumping in with a solution. Teens need adults to believe in them
unconditionally and expect them to succeed. Promote a growth
mindset vs a fixed mindset at home. See link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brpkjT9m2Oo
Britt Walton 2015

16. More Tips…
 Encourage your teen to get involved in activities that engage her/him
with the community in a positive way.
 Help your teen to identify other adults to turn to when he/she wants to
talk. Let your teen know that it’s okay to seek help from a counselor,
health care professional, youth services worker, or trusted adult, if
needed.
 Encourage your teen to explore solutions. In many cases, he/she will
know about the solutions—for example, extra help after school —but
may need your encouragement to try them.
 Everyone experiences anger and stress! Help your teen to find
acceptable ways of working through these feelings.
Britt Walton 2015

17. Review of Self Regulation
See link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgLYkV689s4
Britt Walton 2015

18. Helpful Web Resources
http://www.parenttoolkit.com/index.cfm?objectid=5
0A8EC10-32D8-11E4-B03B0050569A5318
Britt Walton 2015

19. Resources Continued
http://www.casel.org/
Britt Walton 2015

20. A lasting thought…
“Self regulation should now
be considered a more
important indicator of
educational performance
than IQ”
 (Blair & Diamond, 2008; Duckworth and Seligman, 2005; Shankoff & Phillips,
2000; Naglieri, 2014)
Britt Walton 2015

21. References
For a list of references used in this presentation please
contact britt.walton@sd41.bc.ca.