The Importance of Self-Regulation Stuart G. Shanker Distinguished Research Professor Director, Milton Ethel Harris

1. The Importance of Self-RegulationStuart G. ShankerDistinguished Research Professor Director, Milton & Ethel Harris Research Initiative OISE/Atkinson Lecture, June 3, 2010

2. 2 Changing School Trajectories There is considerable research showing how difficult it is to change a child�s trajectory from the moment that they enter kindergarten or grade 1 On the basis of we can predict educational attainment and occupational status Why is it so difficult to change trajectories?

3. 3 Jensen The standard explanation, made famous by Arthur Jensen, is that IQ determines educational potential Fluid IQ (e.g., processing speed) is determined by our genes and limits educational potential in the same way that hp limits how fast a car can drive Intensive preschool programs can�t increase a child�s potential; they just squeeze out the last few drops of that potential

4. Problems with the IQ Argument We have seen successful interventions at the level of the child (Stacey, 2004), the school (Meier, 1995), the community (Tough, 2009), and a nation (Carnoy, 2007) Methodological/ conceptual flaws in twin IQ studies Jensen saw IQ as the determining cause of �scholastic achievement�; these are very different phenomena 4

5. 5 The Need for a Developmental Explanation To move beyond IQ, we need a developmental explanation for why it so difficult to change children�s educational trajectories Need to understand whether successes amount to more than maximizing genetic potential Until we can explain what it is that we are doing wrong, and what it is that we are doing right, biological determinism will lurk in the background as the default hypothesis

6. 6 From Neurons to Neighbourhoods In 2000, Shonkoff & Phillips set off a seismic shift in how developmental scientists, and especially neuroscientists, look at the reasons why it is so difficult to change a child�s learning trajectory from kindergarten or grade 1 The shift they instituted was from looking at IQ to seeing self-regulation as the key to a child�s �scholastic achievement�

8. 8 Five Domains in Study of Self-Regulation Biology (Temperament) Emotion-regulation Cognitive: Executive Functions Sustained attention Attention switching Inhibit impulses Deal with frustration, delay, distractions Social psychology: plan, monitor and evaluate progress towards socially-constructed goals Educational Psychology: Self-reflective awareness of learning strengths and weaknesses

9. 9 Dynamic Systems View of Self-Regulation All of these levels interact E.g., child�s reactivity to stimuli and ability to disengage from stressful stimuli has a profound impact on her emotional regulation In turn, ability to regulate emotions has a pronounced impact on her ability to focus or shift attention and inhibit distractions, resolve attentional conflicts, inhibit impulses, delay gratification, and tolerate frustration

10. 10 The Teacher-Child Relationship Poor self-regulation not only impedes a child�s ability to attend to her lessons but may also undermine the teacher-student relationship Not surprisingly, teachers respond much more positively to children who are able to stay calmly focused while those who have more difficulty in this regard receive less attention or are treated less sympathetically

11. 11 Self-regulation and Educational Trajectories The obduracy of trajectories may be largely due to poor self-regulation A recent study has shown that children from lower SES have poorer development of the systems in the PFC that support self-regulation So this suggests a deeper reason why we haven�t been able to close the achievement gap, and even, that it has relatively little to do with IQ

12. 12 Experience Plays a Critical Role in the Organization of the Brain Big question is: What kinds of experiences produce what kinds of neural organization For example, we say that the DLPFC is critical for inhibiting impulses. But which experiences help wire the DLPFC to perform this function? The point is, functions like paying attention, dealing with frustration or distractions, are not genetically hard-wired

13. 13 Secondary Altriciality Early plasticity enables the child�s brain to be highly attuned to the environment in which she is born Synaptic growth in the first 2 years is massive There is huge over-production of synapses that, at 8 months, will start to be �pruned� back Synaptic pruning is regulated by baby�s emotional interactions with her caregivers

14. 14 04-212 Notice the smiles.Notice the smiles.

15. 15 The Role of the Primary Caregiver in Early Brain Growth The primary caregiver serves as an �external brain�, regulating and stimulating the baby�s brain Dyadic experiences are vital for: Sensory integration Sensory/motor coordination Emotion-regulation Self-Regulation

16. 16 Developmental Pathways The basic principle of these models is that Initial neurobiological deficits can influence the experiences child seeks out or to which she is receptive, which can have a dramatic impact on the development of her brain This leads to a developmental trajectory that becomes ever more entrenched, so that by the time a child enters school it can be difficult to alter

17. 17 Development of Self-Regulation Baby is born with limited capacity to regulate her own arousal, pay attention, control impulses, etc. This function is performed in early months by caregivers Infant develops the capacity to self-regulate by being regulated

18. 18 The Brain-to-Brain Interactive System Nature provided us with an exquisitely sensitive interactive system, in which specific types of experiences result in the delivery of specific types of stimuli to systems that come �online� hierarchically There are three key stages in this process: Proximal Distal Verbal In each of these stages, early brain development is fundamentally dyadic

19. 19 The Shift to Self-Regulation Shifting the focus from intelligence as narrowly conceived in terms of IQ to looking at the kinds of experiences that build self-regulation opens up an entirely new perspective on why it has been so difficult to change educational trajectories More important, it brings to the fore what we can do to enhance school-readiness, or enhance the learning process throughout the school years and beyond

20. 20 A New Vision of a Child�s Educational Potential The ability to learn is in large part determined by: child�s ability to attend to a lesson process auditory or visual information recognize visual, auditory or social patterns respond to challenges with curiosity and interest grasp the norms of classroom behavior If a child enters school without mastering these core capacities this will significantly impair his ability to rise to the challenges he will be exposed to in school

21. 21 How Many Children Are we Talking About? This argument doesn�t just apply to the child with ASD, ADHD, or CD What about the child who is withdrawn and retreats into a fantasy world? Or who is frightened by new ideas? Or who refuses to mix with other children? Or who is easily frustrated and inconsolable if he makes a mistake? Or who gets lost in math problems, or can�t string together more than one or two ideas? Or who doesn�t appear to have any interests at all or isn�t curious about anything?

22. 22 The Real Source of Bell Curve Distributions The picture I am trying to paint here is that of a typical classroom It is a picture that every primary teacher will immediately resonate with, which brings home the reality of the enormous task we have asked our primary school teachers to perform Each of the traits described here, and many more, are a downstream consequence of much more basic processes

23. 23 A Holistic Approach to Strong S-R SR develops throughout childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood as challenges to which child is exposed increase Programs with greatest long-term physical and psychological benefit are those that promote SR The more developed the child�s SR, the more receptive and able they are to adopting healthy behaviors

24. 24 Back to Basics We�re just starting to understand what enhances and what constricts development of SR The most important early experiences are the child�s interactions with her caregivers The most effective activities for children growing up are the simplest: e.g., sports, nature, arts, social interest groups

25. 25 Living in Challenging Times See evidence of the possible negative effects of excessive tv and video games on development of SR These activities also inhibit family and peer interactions Growing number of families with both parents working, single parent-families with working parent

26. 26 The Ongoing Development of Self-Regulation S-R continues to grow throughout the lifespan, as we adapt to new challenges Parents and teachers need to continue to develop SR to deal with the added stresses of parenting and teaching Just as with the interactions that promote SR in children, the most successful parenting and teaching programs and are those that value the individuals involved

27. 27 Reading Diamond, A et. al (2008) Preschool program improves cognitive control Science November 30th Fogel, A, King, B & Shanker, S (2007) Human Development in the 21st Century (Cambridge UP) Greenspan, S & Shanker, S (2004) The First Idea (Perseus) McCain, M, JF Mustard & SG Shanker (2007) Early Years Study II: Putting Science into Action. Smith-Chant, B.L. (2008) Early Learning and heath. In D Rahpael (ed), Social determinants of health. (Canadian Scholars Press) Wade, T et al. (2007) Improvements in Health-Related Quality of Life Among School-Based Health Center Users in Elementary and Middle School. Ambulatory Pediatrics 8,4