Young Children - March 2008 - (Page 57) How does self-regulation develop? Emotional self-regulation and cognitive self-regulation seem to have the same neural roots; thus, as children grow older and their brains develop, they can increasingly take control of both their thinking and their feelings. Furthermore, if a neural system is repeatedly exercised, it will continue to develop, as with exercising a muscle. Conversely, if children do not systematically engage in self-regulatory behaviors at a young age, the corresponding brain areas may not develop to their full potential. There is growing evidence that self-regulation can be taught in the classroom (Blair & Razza 2007; Diamond et al. 2007). Let’s look at some strategies for doing so. practicing deliberate and purposeful behaviors, such as repeated switching from one set of rules to another or resisting the temptation to function on autopilot. For example, during a calendar activity, instead of having children recite the dates as a memorized sequence, a teacher can alert students to the fact that two numbers are out of order. This way, children have to follow the number sequence and monitor the order the numbers are in to be sure it is correct. • Create opportunities for children to practice the rules of a certain behavior and to apply those rules in new situations. When children are constantly regulated by adults, they may appear to be self-regulated, when in fact they are “teacher regulated.” To be able to internalize the rules of a certain behavior, children can practice them in three ways: First, children can follow the rules that are established and monitored by somebody else (most often by an adult, and sometimes by another child). It is a typical occurrence in a classroom when a teacher, for example, tells children that they can get up and leave only after their names are called. Second, children need to be able to set rules for each other and monitor how those rules are followed (something that happens on the playground, for example, when children set rules for taking turns when jumping How can kindergarten teachers promote children’s development of self-regulation? Although children come to kindergarten with different levels of ability to self-regulate, there are four simple strategies teachers can use to help all children develop this critical ability. • Teach self-regulation to all children, not just those thought to have problems. All young children benefit from Spark young children’s learning with these engaging resources! ©2008 • ISBN: 9780132421331 • $24.00* ©2006 • ISBN: 9780131707481 • $25.33* ©2006 • ISBN: 9780131752566 • $21.00* To learn more about these resources from Allyn & Bacon / Merrill Professional Development, visit us online at www.allynbaconmerrill.com *Prices and availability are subject to change. Young Children • March 2008 57 http://www.allynbaconmerrill.com/index.asp
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