Zones Of Regulation

Zones of Regulation PD - Glenda Paul

Monday, 15 October 2018

Link to presentation

In our staff meeting today we had Glenda Paul in talking to us about the Zones of Regulation. I have been using this model in my classroom for the last three weeks of term 3 and will continue for the reminder of this year. I decided that I needed support for a few of my boys and girls, to help them deal with outbursts, anger, jealousy and over all well being. I spent time with Nicole Hunter a senior teacher talking to her about how she used the programme in her classroom. I then had two students (whom I had taught in the past) be my teachers and guides come into the classroom to teach us what and how they were using the regulations.

Main themes I took away from today:

What do good coping skills look like?

identifying your feelings, talking/sharing ideas, Pause, Breathe and Smile, finding a quiet space, prayer.

Self Regulation

• Sensory processing - filtering out unnecessary stimuli
• Executive functioning - use our brains efficiently to problem solve and shift attention away from the problem
• Emotional regulation - control our emotions and our reactions in order to meet the goals

Being aware of triggers

* home environment, food, the need to know your students and what is going on in their lives. 

Great interventions - interrupt and redirect

* send for a drink, with a message, run around the field

Visuals very important. Critical thing: Doesn’t bring teacher judgment on how a child behaves

See Pinterest for ideas

Focus around zones

Various tools for self-regulation

• Sensory supports - rubix cube, pillow, slime
• Calming techniques - rubbing hands, breathing in through nose out through mouth, good thoughts (damien McKenise smiling to his grandma pre kicks)
• Thinking strategies - what is making you feel this way, how do you move out

How big is the problem?

Can students see the difference between a small med large problem. When do you need help? 

You Tube clips with Inside Out characters  - what are they feeling here?

Resources shared by Sylvia

Where to next for my Professional Development?

Sensory Support:

I have been using our pillows, mindfulness, circle time, breathing techniques, face movements on the feelings chart

* Adding calming music while working, open door policy for students who don't want to be outside (over stimulated) continue with 10mins after lunch and maybe experiment with before lunch (lunch major issue time)some tactile objects would like to develop a quiet room somewhere in the school.

* Visual Guides for Thinking Strategies:

Using the kids magnets they have 10 mins to move back to green before I approach them, what I would like to see is a buddy trying to manage some of that. Not a friend but a learning buddy maybe. Peer support pre coming to an adult.

Lucy Hone - Wellness

Lucy Hone - Guest Speaker P.D. JPC

Sept 18 2018
I had the pleasure to be able to listen to Lucy Hone, explain a little bit about the importance of resilience and wellness. How they work hand in hand.

Things I learnt 
Wellbeing = Feeling Good and Functioning Well
Regular Wellness practices will:
Increased ability to cope with stress
 • Lower incidence of cancer
 • Faster recovery from surgery
 • Greater immunity from colds & flu
 • More resilient to trauma
 • Reduced incidence of heart attacks 
• Greater job satisfaction 
• Increased productivity
 • Increased longevity
 • More creative thinking
 • Improved ability to make decisions 
• Fewer marriage break 
In my classroom/home I want them to feel Happiness • Be Healthy • Have Confidence • Be satified with what they can do and who they are • Have Love/Be loved • Have solid Friendships

PERMA summarizes the various elements of well being: the P stands for positive emotions (aka happiness), E for engagement, R for relationships, M for meaning and A for accomplishments. The presence of these five equates to flourishing psychological health; the absence is referred to by academics as languishing.

I also attended the JPC workshop here is a link to Lucy's keynotes

Implementation in my classroom
I am going to use the Breathe square in my classroom to teach kids how to relax. I also want to explore more with our sharing circles, allowing children to explore their feelings and how we cope with both the good and bad.
Have kids write on their blog a reflection each day. What did I do well today.

Set up an area where if they move there you know they need space and follow up time with you to debrief
For kids to know its ok and healthy to be mad, sad, happy (it's how they deal with that that they will be remembered for)
Its important for us as educators, mentors, parents to take time to be present and deal with our feelings (what makes us happy, sad, triggers for anger) Often we are so caught up at school that the volcano blows at home when it would not have in other places.
Implementation in my life
* Walk daily for some me time
* Keep a journal
* look into a yoga class
* spend more time playing with my kids 

Term 3 Observations

Athlene Wallbank came in to our classroom today to observe my teaching practices. I have asked her to look specifically at  my math s talk and give me feedback on my wait time, kids talk/teach/ and the relationship between the students and myself.

I have re evaluated what I was teaching the students as Athlene thought that simplifying fractions  for the children who are at stage 6 was not appropriate. I had gone to the senior team and asked them in regards to fractions what they felt were missing from those top children, it was there that I had received the feedback of  spending a little time on improper fractions and simplifying. Although the kids are still simplifying we have brought it back a step.

I have felt great movement in this top group and their willingness to talk and give problems a go a great gain. I have enjoyed challenging them through problem solving questions, I can see now those Ahhaha moments and satisfaction.

I still need to encourage the students to contribute and teach one another. I have decided that rather than trying to see every group really working the strategies well and not worrying so much about the time.
Athlene's observations
Link to Appraisals

Talk Moves - Math Inquiry

As part of my professional development programme over the next two terms, I would like to focus on fostering a rich problem based maths programme, using the information that Honor has been working on, problem solving and talk moves.

Since the start of term 3 I have been focusing on getting students into their group work using the problem solving approach and then using the 'Talk Moves approach' to motivate and encourage discussion about the various strategies that were used.
It is again proving to be an excellent way to expose children to new more efficient strategies to solve problems from their peers and for others to learn to discuss in mathematical language how they use their strategies.
Students seemed to struggle when in the mixed ability groups over the first two weeks. As a result I have tried moving back to leveled groups in the hope that I can build their confidence in the language, questioning and overall experience in unpacking and solving problems. The talk moves approach I am hoping can then be transferred to  real life situations as well.
 I  am thinking at this point trying the mixed again later in the term. 
My ALIM focus group of children have made great progress with solving problems in multiple ways. Continued support will see them moving along nicely.

I need to still work on giving that Wait time, and letting all children have success before moving on, even if that means extending the problem time.

Three Way Conferences

Three Way Conferences.

On July 31st and August 1st 2018 I held Room 11's three way conferences over the two evenings where the children came along with their parents to go over the goals they set in class for reading, writing, maths, RE and Self Management. The children had to justify why they had chosen the goal, review with their parents on whiter they met their past goal and what steps would need to be put into progressive goals along a continuum. The meetings were approximately 15 minutes, but we nonetheless managed to have a good discussion about the goals children had chosen and it was sometimes eye opening for the parents. Some children were able to discuss and justify their chosen goals while others had not listened at all coming up with their own goals, many of which lacked any thought.

I was very thankful that David Bach was able to come in and help out with some of the parents, questions were brought up regarding the reports that had gone home. Together, I felt that we were able to alleviate some concerns that both students and parents had over, the change in teachers.

A few things came out of these meetings that I would like to work on.

1. Parents not knowing or using the blog. - after the first evening I created cards that had the information on how to get to and use the blog, and my email. The children that came the first night I handed them out. 
2. The need for on going review of personal goals. - I think we will be placing these goals into their books and need a viable place for them within the class both for parents, kids and myself to review.
3. The importance of the first meeting, although many parents knew me from past classrooms or students, the reassurance that I had their child's best interest in mind was very important. 

Certificate in Tikanga Maori

 Certificate in Tikanga Maori

Dec 18, 2018

As part of my professional development programme this year I have signed up to participate,
along with a number of other teachers, The Certificate in Tikanga Maori, run by the local Wananga.
It will give me stronger an insight into a Maori worldview. Which will in turn help foster a stronger tie
to our cultural history here in Aotearoa. We will be learning about traditions. concepts, values, and
protocols and understand why Maori do things a certain way. It will be advantageous if we could
apply our learning to our teaching, especially of Maori students. We will also learn some
Maori vocabulary.

The first sections of the course involve learning Maori concepts such as whanauatanga,
pronunciation of Maori and various aspects of local tikanga. We will be doing the work for
this course together as a staff at staff meetings and finishing at home where necessary.

I am hoping that this course will help with the pronunciation of words and give me a broader
vocabulary that I can then use to foster a stronger Whanau within our classroom. I look forward
to starting this programme soon.


How I hope to incorporate this in my classroom.

• To use basic phrases within the classroom on a daily base
• Write in Maori on the board
• Learn a Waiata/prayer in Maori for our class
• maybe a term a week and place this on our blog challenge kids to learn/use it a home as well as school
• teach them how to use the translator on their chrome books and try and read more stories in Te Reo
• model that I to am learning and will make mistakes

Room 11 Blog

This term I am wanting to work on getting all parents onto our classroom blog, as this is the major tool used for communication. I have have sent home information on how to access the blog and are encouraging parents to make comments.

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6980846269977732088#allposts/postNum=0