Zones of Regulation  

Identify Zones within yourself. It is natural to experience all the zones depending on different situations and external factors.

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Understanding different perspectives: 

Everyone has feelings and thoughts about others’ expected behaviours and unexpected behaviours in specific situations.  

Have you ever considered how someone’s behaviour in a Zone can impact the way others think and feel about that person? 

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Expected behaviours:	Unexpected behaviours:
When one or more students do expected behaviours in a specific situation it usually leads observers of the behaviour to have positive (happy) emotions and positive (happy) thoughts about the students’ behaviour.	When one or more students do unexpected behaviours in a specific situation it usually leads observers of the behaviour to have negative (uncomfortable) emotions and negative (uncomfortable) thoughts about the students’ behaviour.

The Social Emotional Chain Reaction

The Social Emotional Chain Reaction shows how our feelings, reactions and responses to each other are influenced by expected and unexpected behaviours.

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In summary 

We all experience all of the Zones and in some Zones and situations, it is easier to do the expected behaviours for that situation than it is in others. This is something people continue to work on even as adults. Being aware of the Zone we are in and noticing our own feelings can help us respond more frequently with expected behaviour for the situation. However, this isn’t always easy and it takes time and practice. 

Janine Muller 

Classroom Teacher and PBL Communicator