Dec 2024, I have implemented regulation strategies into my teaching. I talk to my students about what it means to be regulated vs dysregulated and I talk about the brain. When you are regulated you can take in information because the learning part of your brain or your prefrontal cortex is online. So if students are dysregulated they cannot learn. I also discuss how when someone is triggered or dysregulated that prefrontal cortex also impacts decision making so when someone is dysregulated then you are unable to make the best decisions. I teach my students how to recognize when they are feeling deregulated and then I teach them ways that they can regulate or co-regulate.

I made my students a visual of this called safe in my space. On it, there are 8 different visuals/ways students can regulate their bodies. We practice each one. Then with me being PE teacher and knowing that learning through play requires less reps for the knowledge to stick I created a game called regulation tag. I pick 1-2 taggers to start then on the “go” signal the taggers are trying to tag as many people as they can. If a student gets tagged they must stop and perform one of the regulating strategies that I taught them. In order to get back in another student has to come over and co-regulate with them by mirroring whatever regulation strategy they chose. Once both students are performing the same strategy or are co-regulated then that student is back in. I started this in my PE classes last year and it has been a game changer for a lot of my students.

Since creating this I have been a guest on the Trauma Informed Educators podcast with Mathew Portell and I have presented on the topic of trauma informed education in PE called Safe in My Space: Teaching Through the Lens of Trauma where I have had the opportunity to share my knowledge on trauma, the brain and strategies to bring into teaching that supports all students especially those with adverse childhood experiences. All of my work on trauma informed education has been inspired by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah’s book “What Happened to You?” And the work of Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, “The Deepest Well.”