Emotional Regulation: Teaching Calm and Building Confidence in Students - #IMW26002

Graduate-Level Credit / Non-Credit Hours
3 Semester Credits or 45 Clock Hours

Course Description

This course equips K–12 educators with the tools and understanding necessary to support the emotional regulation of students and transform the student-teacher relationship.  Rooted in the latest research in neuroscience and child development, participants will examine how emotional regulation is closely tied to brain function, executive skills, and the impact of trauma. They will explore how dysregulation affects learning, behavior, and student-teacher relationships, and how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and chronic stress can manifest in the classroom. Drawing from the groundbreaking work of Dr. Marc Brackett (Permission to Feel) and Dr. Susan David (Emotional Agility), the course highlights how emotions influence decision-making, attention, and academic success. Educators will gain practical strategies to recognize signs of emotional dysregulation, co-regulate with students, and build a classroom environment that fosters psychological safety, trust, and student voice. Emphasis will be placed on the intersection of trauma, SEL (social-emotional learning), and emotional regulation to help students develop resilience and self-awareness. The course emphasizes emotional regulation strategies that are adaptable for both younger and older students, ensuring relevance across all grade levels (K-12).

Participants will learn how to design proactive classroom systems that promote structure and empathy, use de-escalation strategies to respond to challenging behaviors, and implement restorative practices such as community-building circles and restorative conversations. They will also reflect on their own emotional regulation habits and develop self-assessment tools to strengthen their responses to student behavior. Rather than relying on punitive measures, educators will be empowered to distinguish between consequences, punishment, and meaningful accountability that encourages growth.

Throughout the course, participants will create a toolkit of resources, including co-regulation visuals and routines, trauma-informed behavior response plans, and a customizable emotional regulation guide for classroom use. As a culminating activity, educators will design an implementation plan or presentation that applies these strategies in a real-world setting, ensuring they are prepared to lead with compassion, support student well-being, and build emotionally supportive classrooms where every learner can thrive.

Global Outcomes/Goals of the Course

To deepen and/or apply the content and skills of the teacher’s existing professional knowledge base by meeting the following global goals of the course:

1. To understand the foundations of emotional regulation and its impact on student learning. 
2. To identify signs of emotional dysregulation and contributing factors such as trauma and unmet needs.   
3. To develop strategies and classroom interventions that promote emotional regulation and student engagement. 
4. To evaluate classroom practices through the lens of emotional safety and regulation. 
5. To equip educators with skills to manage and resolve emotional regulation conflicts effectively using a variety of techniques.
6. To establish ongoing processes for assessing and enhancing emotional regulation strategies with students and educating families on emotional regulation.

• Interactive