Children develop the foundational skill of self-regulation right from their formative years. Research has demonstrated that a large number of children who are able to effectively and flexibly manage their thoughts, feelings and actions have an easier time navigating social and learning environments. In a classroom, this skill can be nurtured by letting the child make their own choices and sticking with them, in their own small way.
Presenting...#smallBIGidea - 3
Design a Voice Meter for your Classroom to Bring in
Self-Regulation in Every Child
| S.NO | WHAT CAN YOU DO: |
| 1 | On a chart paper, make a big semi-circle and divide it into four parts - Silence, Whisper, Normal and Loud. OR you could just print out the image on Page 3 of this document |
| 2 | Give the chart a title - “Who can hear me now?” |
| 3 | Pin an ice-cream stick or an arrow at the centre of the semi circle to act as a pointer. |
| 4 |
Every time there is an activity, move the voice meter to the relevant part: a. Silence - the child works on his/her own b. Whisper - when they work in pairs c. Normal - for working in groups of 4 or more d. Loud - it’s a whole class activity thing |
| 5 | Use this to set your classroom rules. Tell the children to look at the voice meter before deciding how they want to speak up |
Pedagogic “Why” for the #SmallBIGidea:
Voice meter is an impactful classroom management technique to nurture self-regulation skills in the child. It is used to indicate collaboration level during classroom activities - from individual to whole class.
When used consistently, this helps children develop a sense of ownership of the tasks done in the class. They will be able to:
- Better modulate their emotions
- Stay focussed and pay attention to the task
- Ignore distractions
- Work well both in teams as well as individually
- Be empathetic towards others
All this leads to the child developing into a self-regulated, self-directed human being.
Supporting research papers:
- http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/shanker.pdf
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11165-005-3917-8
- McClelland, M. M., Ponitz, C. C., Messersmith, E. E. and Tominey, S. (2010). Self‐Regulation. In The Handbook of Life‐Span Development (eds R. M. Lerner, M. E. Lamb and A. M. Freund). “
What are #smallBIGideas?
Presenting, some #SmallBigIdeas that can transform Formative Education in your schools. They are seemingly small but definitely impactful. Because, all you would need is an open mind and a willing heart.
What: One #smallBIGidea a week - just 1-minute reading time.
How: #smallBIGidea sent to your email ID with link to a one-page document that explains the pedagogy and the steps to implement it.
It is these simple ideas that can go on to bring a radical transformation. In your school. For the child.
