Emotional Regulation for Learning: Creating Classrooms Where Every Child Can Thrive

This session explores why emotional regulation is foundational to learning and what classroom staff can do to support it. Starting with the window of tolerance as a practical framework for understanding when students can and can’t access learning, we look at what hyperarousal and hypoarousal actually look like in classrooms and how to respond to each. From there, we explore how to build a low-arousal classroom culture through relationships, environment, and staff regulation, using the PACE approach as a foundation. The session covers co-regulation as the essential precursor to self-regulation, including Bruce Perry’s 4Rs sequence, before moving into how to help students build their own personalised self-regulation toolkits.

Learning outcomes:

• Understand the window of tolerance and how it affects students’ capacity to learn
• Recognise the signs of hyperarousal and hypoarousal and respond appropriately to each
• Apply the PACE approach to build trust and felt safety with students
• Create a low-arousal classroom culture that supports regulation
• Use co-regulation strategies to support dysregulated students
• Help students develop personalised self-regulation toolkits