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