The Unteachables Podcast

#73: No space for a calm corner in your classroom? 4 practical tips for student self-regulation on the go!

July 29, 2024 • Claire English • Season 5 • Episode 73

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Let’s talk calm corners.

They are all the rage, and for good reason.

When done right, they teach regulation skills and embed these as part of the classroom culture and shared language.

When students understand more about their brains, they’re more likely to be empowered to manage their behaviours and self-regulate. Yes, even in secondary! Especially in secondary! The teenage years are the biggest time for brain development, second only to when we are developing in the womb up until 2 years of age.

But a calm corner? Not always a physical and logistical possibility.

All I could have managed in my tiny first classroom (and many since then) were front-facing rows, or at a stretch a double-U configuration that I would trip over bags to squeeze behind.

Safe to say that no calm corner was being set up.

Luckily, a calm corner (ironically) doesn’t need a corner.

It doesn’t need a comfy beanbag or a box full of magical fidget spinners.

It doesn’t require teachers to fork out hundreds of their own hard-earned dollars, and it doesn’t require a fancy display.

Sure, a comfy space would be lovely, but please don’t let it deter you if that’s the furthest thing from a possibility.

Your classroom might be too small. You might not even have a classroom of your own and need to drag your things from one side of the school to the other five times a day. You might be a casual teacher who’s desperate to implement some of these strategies but doesn’t think it’s possible.

It is possible. And in this episode, I talk you through 3 steps to take in order to set up a calm CULTURE, not just a calm corner!

The resources mentioned in today's episode:

The Behaviour Club: Learn More
SEL Lesson: Flipping Your Lid
Regulation Cards: Your calm corner on the go!

Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!

TAKE THE QUIZ! What is your teacher type, and what does this reveal about your classroom management?

Join The Behaviour Club -The essential training, advice, and community to confidently and calmly tackle all things classroom management.

The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp! - Strengthen your teaching presence and tackle low-level behaviours!

Purchase my book - ‘It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management


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Speaker 1:

Oh hi teachers, Welcome to Unteachables podcast Congratulations. You have just stumbled across the best free professional development and support you could ask for. I'm Claire English, a passionate secondary teacher, author, teacher mentor and generally just a big behavior nerd, and I created the Unteachables podcast to demystify and simplify classroom management. I want this podcast to be the tangible support community validation, mentorship all those pretty important things that we need as teachers to be able to support. Community validation, mentorship all those pretty important things that we need as teachers to be able to walk into our classrooms feeling empowered and, dare I say it, happy and thrive, especially in the face of these really tough behaviors. So ready for some no-nonsense, judgment-free and realistic classroom management support. I've got your teacher friend. Let's do this. Hello, wonderful teachers, welcome back to another episode of the Unteachables podcast. I hope you've had a good week. I hope you're well. I am very happy that I'm able to record this episode today, much like last week's episode. It was the day of that I recorded because of my horrific flu, but I can finally talk again. I'm very happy about that.

Speaker 1:

On today's episode I wanted to talk about calm corners because I'm sure that all of you have seen them. All of you have come into contact with them and personally, when I see pictures of calm corners, I feel pretty inadequate as a teacher because they can be pretty extreme. They can be all out. Some teachers, if you're listening and you do this, it's pretty amazing and pretty impressive the kind of calm corners that we can see in classrooms and even though that is so wonderful and so brilliant and so beautiful that you're able to provide that for your students, unfortunately that's not the case for all of us. It's just not going to happen in some classrooms. Yes, they are important when done right. When you tick all those boxes they teach regulation skills and you're able to embed those as a part of a classroom culture and a shared language around regulation and behavior. They're understanding their brains better. They're more likely to be empowered to manage their behaviors better and self-regulate. Yes, even in secondary especially in secondary the teenage years are the biggest time for brain development, only second to when we're developing in the womb up to two years of age.

Speaker 1:

But a calm corner itself is just not going to happen for me. The classrooms that I've had in most of my schools were so small I could only ever hope for straight rows that are front facing or lucky if I can do a couple of W's that are so close to the wall. Squeezing through is a hassle and you're you know tripping over bags and trying to get to the back of the room. It is so hard when you've got a tiny classroom to even configure your students in there, let alone having a corner where you have a dedicated space for calm and regulation. It just doesn't happen. So safe to say that no calm corner was being set up by me, as lovely as it would be.

Speaker 1:

I Well, even though you've got no space, it still is important and there still are things that you can do. Because, ironically, the one thing when I think about the criteria for a calm corner, I think about the criteria for a self-regulation space of some kind. The one thing, ironically, that it doesn't need is a space is a corner. Thankfully, it doesn't need a comfy beanbag. It doesn't need a box full of magic tricks or fidget spinners or whatever you want to have in your calm corner. It doesn't require you to fork out hundreds of dollars of your own money. It doesn't require a fancy display. It doesn't require like a tent or whatever you want to put in there. Sure, a comfy space would be lovely. That is ideal.

Speaker 1:

Imagine if all schools were able to accommodate that, but please don't let that deter you. If that's the furthest thing from a possibility, your classroom might be too small. You might not even have a classroom of your own and be dragging your things from one side of the school to the other five times a day. You might be a casual teacher who's desperate to implement some of these strategies, but that doesn't think it's possible for you. It is possible, and I wanted to talk you through three essential things that a calm space does need, but that doesn't require all the bells and whistles. So these are the things that I would say have to tick the box, like the things that you actually need to do for a calm space. And remember, it's not about the corner itself. The first thing you need to do if you really want to implement a culture of self-regulation in your classroom. If you want to implement strategies where students are able to self-regulate their emotions and then, from that, they're able to regulate their behaviours. Your students need to understand what self-regulation is. They need to understand what's happening in their brains. They need to understand why self-regulation is important and why they need to work at it and I love explaining this through the concept of flipping your lid.

Speaker 1:

So if you're a member of the Behaviour Club, you'll find this fully resourced lesson inside of the membership. Everything's there for you. You don't have to prep anything. It's all there, done and dusted. And if you aren't a member and a membership isn't your thing, I do suggest you go and check out the Behaviour Club first, because it is the best value you're going to get possible. It has everything in there every month to you know, make incredible, incredible, consistent progress in your classroom management skills, but also in establishing that beautiful classroom culture. But if you aren't a member and a membership definitely isn't your thing, and you know that for a fact you can head to my TPT page and you can purchase this lesson separately there, or you can purchase the whole month separately if you want to, as a package. So I'm going to link you to all of that in the show notes.

Speaker 1:

So the goal of explaining this whole idea of flipping your lid is for them to understand the stress response, for them to understand their brains. And if you aren't familiar with this concept, it's by Dr Dan Siegel and again I can link you to it in the show notes explaining this, but very simply and very just verbally put by me, it's just a way for us to explain how the brain reacts to stress. So that part of the brain responsible for rational thinking when we're under stress, when we're in fight, flight or freeze, that rational thinking temporarily shuts down. You know, in fight, flight or freeze, that rational thinking temporarily shuts down and in that moment, in that time we are led by our amygdalas. That is the part of the brain that's in control of that fight, flight or freeze response. So when we are faced with these stressful situations, our lids are flipped. So the metaphor is that the prefrontal cortex actually disconnects, it flips up, it's not on talking terms with the amygdala anymore and we are being led by those fight, flood or freeze responses by our amygdala.

Speaker 1:

When students can understand that, then they can better recognize their reactions, then they can work towards self-regulation. So before you do anything, calm corner related. And if you've got a calm corner now and you've skipped this step, go back to what you need to. Otherwise there's no point. They're just going to be utilizing these, these skills, like these strategies, but they're not really understanding the why behind it. They're not understanding how it's really supporting them to progress with their, their emotional regulation. So that is what is absolutely crucial.

Speaker 1:

Once they do understand that, then you can provide them with accessible regulation strategies. And I say accessible because, again, there's no space in my classroom for a corner, there's no space for certain things. It needs to be accessible for them in the classroom, but it also needs to be accessible for them outside of the classroom. They need that. This is something that's setting them up for life. These are life skills.

Speaker 1:

Once students know about what's happening when they're dysregulated, they can have strategies to self-regulate out in the real world, in the classroom, wherever. So, especially for secondary students who might have jobs, they might drive already, they might be in, you know, entering into relationships, you know, depending on how old they are, these skills are so important. They're not going to have a corner to go into when they're working at Subway Speaking from my days as a sandwich artist of 15 years old who would stand in the cool room when things got too much they're not going to have a space. So, equipping them with accessible regulation skills that they can take out into the real world and use and I'll give you some examples of those soon and the third thing that you need in your classroom as a criteria for really having that culture is establishing it as a culture of regulation. Continue to make regulation a shared language, a shared culture, a shared understanding. So, once you've taught them about their brains whether you do it through my flipping your lid lesson which I'm not tooting my own horn that much, but it is a wonderful lesson to teach these concepts, whether you do it through that or you do it through your own way Once you've, you know, started to teach about those accessible regulation strategies, you need to make it a part of the everyday.

Speaker 1:

So incorporate it into your lessons, model it yourself. So, if you're having a bad day, go into the class, stand at the front of the you know the class and go. Oh my gosh, this morning was really stressful. I feel flipped. I'm just going to take a big deep breath before I teach this lesson. Who wants to join me In? One, two, three out? So you're modeling for them how to incorporate these skills and these strategies into your everyday life. Really just demystifying why it's important.

Speaker 1:

Talk about it regularly. When you're having these restorative, talk to them about it. After. What can we put in place right now, now that we're calm, now that we're settled, now that we're talking, what can we put in place? What strategies might be useful for the next time this might happen, for the next time you might be feeling dysregulated? So what's my favorite kind of calm corner? My favorite kind of calm corner is one that I can just keep in my pocket. I carry around realistic, actionable strategies that aren't dependent on specific resources, that aren't dependent on me having something there, so students can just do it at their desk and, most importantly, adjust up skills and to take these strategies into the real world. Yes, I can purchase some things for the classroom, like fidget tools and all of those little bits and pieces.

Speaker 1:

However, the cards that I'm about to speak about, the physical cards that I will talk about I prompt them to use things instead, like a piece of blue tack or a set of keys they have in their pocket, things that I always have to hand as a teacher or that students can have to hand in their pocket as they're moving around the school. So I break these strategies into different categories move it, do it, feel it and think it. Different students have different needs at different times, on different days, for whatever reason. Having these options means that as students flip through these self-regulation cards, or you're flipping through them, to try to come up with a strategy that works for them. Every student can find something that works for them wherever and whenever they need it, and they can do it on the go. So I'm just going to go through one from each category. From the move it category, by the way.

Speaker 1:

There's about I think, there's 27 of these cards that I have in the deck. So for move it, one of the examples that I have is stand up and work. So the prompt is to stand up, shake it out, move to a place that feels more comfortable and more calm. This might be standing as you write, finding a place on the floor, doing something physical that just moves you out of that space. And what I really want to say as well with these cards as a teacher if you get these set of cards and you're looking at these set of cards and you think you know what, this is not going to work for my context, for whatever reason, take it out, leave it out, don't have it as an option for students. It's as simple as that, which is why I love it as well. You can just take that one out. So if stand and work isn't going to work for you because of your classroom space. You don't need it to. You can just omit it. That's fine.

Speaker 1:

In the second category, which is do it, I've got an alphabet challenge, so this is something that they can do quietly by themselves. It's really private, subtle. So, starting with the letter A, think of a food that starts with that letter and then move through the alphabet, coming up with a food for each letter, until you get to Z. Do this in your head or write it down. If you can't think of one, you can come back to it at the end. That's the whole purpose of a challenge like that, and a do it challenge is just to get back into our thinking brains. We are connecting our prefrontal cortex once again with our brains and we are making sure that we are trying to get back into that rational frame of mind. And when we start to use our thinking brain, we're sending messages that we are safe. If we're able to think right now, if we're able to sit down and do this kind of task, it means that we must be safe enough to do it. So it starts to be really regulating for us.

Speaker 1:

The next one is feel it, and this is called heartbeat. So place your hand over your heart, stop and wait until you can feel it beating. So count the beats for one minute, focusing on the rhythm and pace of your heartbeat. Remember to breathe slowly and deeply Again, something they can do, no matter where they are, no matter what they're doing at the time. Think, it is another category. So this, again really similar to the do it, where we're trying to re-engage our upstairs thinking brain. So this, again really similar to the do it, where we're trying to re-engage our upstairs thinking brain. So this activity is called your happy place. So close your eyes and imagine yourself opening the door and walking into your favorite place, a place where you feel happy and calm. Focus on the details of this place and how it makes you feel. What can you see, touch, smell, taste and feel? It just puts us in that different environment. It just helps us to regulate through that, like that imagination. But also it's a form of meditation, it's a form of mindfulness being able to do that.

Speaker 1:

So, if you would like these as a tangible tool for regulation, I've put together a set of those 26 pocket regulation cards that can be printed, cut, laminated, put on a key chain pulled out whenever and wherever needed. I love it because I can have one set for the class, but then I can also just give students a set. If we're working together on their regulation strategies, I can give them a set of the ones that they use. So if they've chosen five that they want to use, if we're having a discussion around their behaviours, they can have just those five on a key chain. They can just have the strategies that work best for them and they can choose them in the moment and really embed those into our discussions around behavior. And the best part is you can just carry these anywhere to be used anytime. I pop them in my bag on playground duty, in an assembly, at a school camp, on a field trip. If I know that a student is really struggling with their regulation, I can whip that out, and if I know that student well enough, I know the one that I can choose for them to do.

Speaker 1:

These are included in the behavior club as well, but I will pop down the link to get them separately in TPT. And I've also got a freebie in my TPT of three breathing exercise cards. So if you just want to grab something for free to get started. It's also a great start for students to practice their self-regulation strategies because they're discreet and private. It is something that you can embed into their everyday lives. So I'll also put the link to the free breathing exercise cards there on my TPT as well. So your choice is there for you. Again, it's just to make your life easier because I've done the work for you. However, if you do want to make your own, go ahead and make your own regulation cards. That's also something that would be wonderful.

Speaker 1:

See what your students want to do. See what really works for them. You can let them guide you, have a discussion around it with them. Whatever you do, though, remember you have to do those three things. First, there's no point unless you teach them about self-regulation in their brains, unless you provide them with accessible regulation strategies that are actually something they're going to use, and then embed that as a part of your culture in your classroom of regulation. So remember, it doesn't require a physical corner. It doesn't require you going out and buying a whole toolbox worth of fidget spinners. It doesn't require any of that. It just requires you to be a little bit savvy about the education you're giving your students, the culture you're establishing and the type of strategies that you are giving to your students to be able to self-regulate, and I truly believe that the best self-regulation strategies are the ones, anyway, that they can then use in the world outside of the classroom. They don't have to then rely on us for their own self-regulation. Of course we can guide them through these.

Speaker 1:

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with having a calm corner, by the way. Please, if you have the space, if you have the means, set up that calm corner. But I want everyone to feel empowered to make this a part of their culture, because it is so important. When we're able to teach students the skills of self-regulation, then it is like just the most incredible proactive classroom management approach, because naturally we're going to see challenging behaviors be mitigated and reduced, and that's what I want for you.

Speaker 1:

I want for you to have a classroom management approach that makes sense and that works and that isn't reactive and doesn't feel like you're stuck in a cycle of constantly talking about the same behaviors with no change whatsoever. You talk about it, you give a consequence, they come back the next lesson and things are the same. We need to be breaking the cycle, and this is a fantastic way to do it. So, teachers, I hope that was helpful. I trust that was helpful. And if you haven't yet subscribed to the podcast, subscribe to the Unteachables podcast. So every week you get these little golden nuggets in your inbox. Okay, I hope you have a wonderful week and I will see you wherever you're listening at the same time next week.

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Claire English

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