Literacy and
Self-Regulation:
Building Roots,
Skills, and
Futures
What is
Self-Regulation?
The term self-regulation is used in many different ways. However, when Dr. Stuart Shanker and TMC refer to "self-regulation," they specifically mean the brain-body responses to stress, including energy expenditure, recovery, and restoration.
Effective self-regulation involves learning to recognize and respond to stress in all its forms—whether positive or negative, hidden or overt, minor or traumatic.
The question is: How?
This is where Self-Regulation comes into play.
The Shanker Method
From Stress to Success
Shanker’s Five Domain Self-Regulation Model™, empowers students to recognize and manage stress across five key areas: biological, emotional, cognitive, social, and pro-social. This program goes beyond “calming down” by helping students identify the root causes of their stress and develop effective strategies to address them. Through this process, students gain skills to regulate their emotions, enhance focus, and build healthier relationships both in and out of the classroom. By fostering self-awareness and strength, this approach not only improves academic performance but also strengthens emotional well-being, equipping students for success in all areas of their lives.
Biological Stressors
Noises, crowds, too much visual stimulation, not enough exercise,
lack of sleep, junk food.
Emotional Stressors
Strong emotions, both positive (over-excited) & negative
(anger, fear)
Cognitive Stressors
Difficulty processing certain kinds of information.
Social Stressors
Difficulty picking up on social cues or understanding effect of behaviour on others.
Pro-Social Stressors
Difficulty coping with other people’s stress, sense of
injustice (misinterpreting stress behaviour as misbehaviour).
Shanker’s
Five Domain
Self-Regulation Model
Growing
Resilience,
One Student at a Time
Lakehead University has played a key role in advancing Missabay Community School’s self-regulation programs. Through research and professional development, Lakehead experts provide educators with evidence-based strategies to enhance student well-being, linking self-regulation, academic success, and cultural resilience.
This partnership highlights the transformative power of community-academic collaboration in education.
Lakehead’s ongoing support reflects its commitment to improving education, promoting well-being, and fostering resilience, empowering educators and students to achieve lasting success.
Research has shown that self-regulation is the foundation of healthy human development including: mental health, learning, resilience, emotional safety, caring relationships, and vibrant, peaceful families, schools and communities. More specifically, self-regulation is a framework for understanding stress and managing tension and energy flow in order to cope with stressors impacting daily life and to understand the needs and resources of a family, school and community. Families and educators can help children learn to self-regulate by being regulated themselves, serving as co-regulators, supporting children in reframing their stress, and discovering appropriate strategies to move toward restoration.
The Impact of
Self-Regulation
"See a child differently, you see a different child." Dr. Stuart Shanker
Self-Regulation Creates Focused and
Confident Learners
Self-regulation, based on Shanker’s Five Domain Self-Regulation Model™, empowers students to identify and manage stress in their lives. It goes beyond simply calming down, focusing on understanding the root causes of stress—whether biological, emotional, cognitive, social, or pro-social—and developing strategies to address these challenges effectively.
Students learn to navigate emotions, improve focus, strengthen literacy skills, and engage in positive interactions both inside and outside the classroom. This approach not only supports academic performance but also fosters emotional resilience and lifelong well-being, helping students thrive in their personal and educational journeys.
This project is funded by a Social Studies and Humanities Research Council Partnership Development Grant awarded to Sonia Mastrangelo (890-2018-0122)
When self-regulation is compromised, the ability to learn new skills, such as reading, is also affected. Literacy rates in northern communities are lower than provincial averages. Promoting self-regulation and adopting culturally appropriate methods, such as oral storytelling, can enhance literacy engagement and achievement, key factors in school success.
Our project supports the self-regulation and literacy skills of children in remote northern Indigenous communities in Canada. It helps address trauma by building self-regulation capacity and promoting literacy through culturally relevant approaches like oral storytelling and community engagement. The project connects Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators to Shanker’s Five Domain Self-Reg Model, which helps manage stress and energy recovery through five steps:
Reframe the behaviour
Look beyond the behaviour and understand it as a stress response, not a choice
Recognize the stressors
Identify hidden and visible stressors that affect self-regulation.
Reduce the stress
Implement strategies to minimize stress in key areas, like adjusting environments, breaking down tasks, or providing emotional support.
Reflect and enhance stress awareness
Help individuals recognize their stress signals, energy levels, and body cues to build awareness of their stress responses.
Respond and Restore energy
Encourage restorative activities like movement, mindfulness, and rest to replenish energy.
A New Perspective on Stress and Behaviour
