Self Regulation

For young learners, things are obviously a little different, as for them self-regulation is a process of learning. ''children are oblivious to the feelings and needs of others. You might see them push a child away from a desired toy or be confused why a child cries when he is hit. When children have tantrums, hit out of frustration, can't calm down from excitement, or ignore the feelings of others, it is useful to take a closer look to see if they are missing one or more key skills of self-regulation''. Self-regulation refers to the sum of complex processes which allow children to respond properly to their environment, helping them to learn to evaluate what they perceive through their four senses and compare the new information to the previous …show more content…
Children experience better emotional regulation when they replace the feelings of not being good enough with the feeling of being ready to try one more time a certain activity. Ida Rose Florez asserts that: ''Regulating anxiety and thinking helps children persist in challenging activities, which increases their opportunities to practice the skills required for an activity. Conversely, when children regulate uncomfortable emotions, they can relax and focus on learning cognitive skills.'' To help this process, teachers should help students feel secure and content in the class by encouraging them and by allowing them to become independent. In order to do that, the teacher must prepare beforehand and have some class routines. Young students need to know what will happen in the lesson and also that the teacher is in charge and they can relax. Another aspect that children enjoy is to be assigned small responsibilities in class, from completing the class calendar to sharpening the pencils or cleaning the board. In the EFL class, teachers should make sure that the functional language in class is the target language, at all times. In this case, all class routines and all responsibilities of the pupils become chances of practice the language and involve both a responsibility for their own learning and for helping the others, as well. The physical surroundings also play a role in children's sense of comfort and ease. The class should be set up in as pleasant and familiar manner as possible, for example displaying children's work. If possible, students may even bring some memorabilia of their own, like small toys or personal pictures - an ''English'' corner might be a good idea. Allowing young learners to use their hands has a calming effect on them and Total Physical Response activities are also very appealing to children, although a balance between stir and