Governor Mifflin Middle School believes that the development of strong self-management skills contributes to better outcomes in school, and career-readiness. In addition, students with strong self-management skills foster better relationships throughout their lives, and are much less likely to drop out of school.
Are GMMS students future ready? The National Honor Society identifies self-management, along with other executive functioning and developmental skills, as key to building a successful future in college, careers, and relationships (NHS Future Ready). In fact, it has been shown that self-control in children as young as age 5 can predict important life outcomes such as high school completion, physical health, income, single parenthood, substance dependence, and criminal involvement (Transforming Education, 2014). Self-management can also be known as self-regulation, or self-control.
In further examination of the CASEL SEL Framework, self-management can be considered the second of five competencies essential for the social and emotional development of school-aged children and adolescents. CASEL refers to self-management as "the abilities to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations. This includes the capacities to delay gratification, manage stress, and feel motivation & agency to accomplish personal/collective goals." As seen in the video below, there is agreement with CASEL, that the development of self-management skills are beneficial in; managing one’s emotions; identifying and using stress-management strategies; exhibiting self-discipline and self-motivation; setting personal and collective goals; using planning and organizational skills; showing the courage to take initiative; and, demonstrating personal and collective agency.
While problems with self-regulation and self-management become more evident when things "go wrong," or aren't going as expected for students, it is important to know that just telling a child to stop the undesired behavior is often an ineffective strategy. The research shows that students who struggle with self-regulation likely do not know HOW to self-regulate. It is also important to know that developing self-management skills in an ongoing process and requires deliberate teaching and modeling of the skills. While these skills are explicitly addressed in the GMMS "Future Focused" courses, the developmental leaps are exponential when practiced and modeled in both school and home.
Here are a few tried and true strategies to use to help develop self-regulation in children and adolescents (from Pathway2Success):
1. Use games to practice self-control.
2. Use a share journal to reduce interrupting and calling out.
3. Explicitly teach what self-regulation looks like.
4. Use literature to introduce and discuss self-management skills.
5. Use visuals as reminders of routines and expectations.
6. Incorporate movement breaks into structured time.
7. Practice mindfulness.
8. Develop routines for success.
9. Create a "calm down" space.
10. Discuss scenarios and role play.
11. Incorporate intentional self reflection time.
12. Encourage and model positive habits.
Hopefully you find these strategies and tips useful in helping your child develop self-management skills.
Additional resources and what's on the horizon for flex period!
Governor Mifflin Middle School believes that the development of "Habits of Mind" should be an integral part of every child's education. Habits of Mind skills help build the foundation for learning and reaching one's potential for learning and develop the disposition for problem solving and thinking critically. This week we will take a look at Managing Impulsivity . As a continuation of our examination of the "Habits of Mind" series from The Institute for Habits of Mind , it would be irresponsible to not discuss the habit of managing impulsivity, especially for middle-school aged children. This is a crucial skill for teens and pre-teens and, if not learned, can manifest into other lasting problems. One might consider managing impulsivity as the ability to practice self control, but it is far easier said than done for adolescent children. Remember, the goal of developing the 16 Habits of Mind is to become a an effective problem solver and this requires delib...
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