Polyvagal Theory Comes to Life in Our Schools and Classrooms This course introduces the science of Polyvagal Theory and how the application of this theory into our schools will support social and emotional well-being. The goal is to understand how our nervous system drives all behaviors and learning. Current education models require compliance and control based state regulation, while to attend to mental and cognitive tasks, we need to feel safe and connected inside our environments, experiences, and relationships. Our nervous systems and physiological states create and produce the behaviors we observe, question, discuss, punish, suspend, seclude, and attend to in all moments throughout the day. As educators who sit with 30 to 180 plus nervous systems every day, we have traditionally paid attention to observable behaviors, assessing them as appropriate, disrespectful, inappropriate, oppositional, aggressive, manipulative, and a variety of other labels and classifications. Polyvagal Theory and recent social and affective neuroscience shows that education requires “state regulation” . If we are able to access and integrate the cognitive and mental tasks we need to succeed in school and positively navigate life experiences. We hope that these modules will be a part of your procedures, routines, and transitions as you prepare the student’s nervous system for the challenges and lived experiences of the day. When we are intentional about acknowledging our autonomic nervous systems, we are building capacity in our bodies for safety and connection. Most of us in the western part of the world have been conditioned, parented, and schooled through the lens of Behaviorism. Conventionally, our school systems and structures have embedded behaviorism along with contingency programs that address and focus upon compliance and control. Many of these contingency behavioral regulations and handbooks mirror zero tolerance policies from the 1990’s and early 2000’s often designed by racially privileged school leaders and groups that have unintentionally increased discipline, racial inequities and disparities for our children and youth of color, culture, and special education populations. Many educators have grown up with the “law and order” mentality that focuses on accountability solely through the lens of observable behaviors. In the United States today, we implement corporal punishment in 19 states. But we have a significant disconnect. Our most troubled youth and children have nervous systems that are wired in a survival brain and body state. The Covid pandemic has added layers of adversity and trauma to the lives of our children, families, and communities. Children remain the poorest age group in America, with children of color and young children suffering the highest poverty levels. We hope that these polyvagal modules for educators will be road maps guiding us all toward growth as we model the complex and beautiful ways our brains and bodies are always communicating and working for us, not against us. Our challenge is to listen to our bodies as we become aware of the sensory and regulatory practices that assist us in returning home to the balanced, safe, and connected places that promote our emotional, social, and physiological well-being. We are offering this course through a virtual platform as we have developed three live modules and two on-demand modules that will move us through this academic year. Student modules are aligned with the educator modules (PDF) with accompanying worksheets and resources. Students will have access to the course for 240 days from the date of purchase.

Click here to meet Dr. Lori Desautels