Helping to Deliver the Zones of Regulation Program in a Culturally-Appropriate Way

Adelaide Fringe Festival artist Mali Isabel using art to help teach self-regulation at Carlton School

September 2023
ABC North and West SA / By Isabella Carbone

The article discusses the implementation of the Zones of Regulation program at Carlton School, where four murals were created during an artist's residency to facilitate the program in a culturally-appropriate manner. The program, aimed at helping students identify and categorize their emotions into colored zones (red, blue, green, or yellow), provides tools and strategies for self-regulation, assisting students in transitioning between zones and promoting an optimal learning environment. Mali Isabel, the first Indigenous winner of the Adelaide Fringe Festival poster competition, collaborated with students to paint murals representing each zone, along with a fifth rainbow mural celebrating the school's cultural diversity. The murals incorporate words in local languages, fostering a connection between art, culture, and emotional awareness. Teachers have observed positive effects, with students better articulating their emotions and utilizing self-regulation strategies to enhance their overall well-being and classroom experience.

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The Zones of Regulation is an award-winning social emotional learning series that has been adopted across thousands of mainstream classrooms worldwide. Students ages 4-18+ learn how to organize their feelings into four different Zones and use metacognitive strategies to regulate within specific Zones to meet their personal, organizational, and social goals. The best-selling and easy-to-teach curriculum provides important practical social emotional learning tools to practice regulation of one’s feelings across situations at home, school, and in the community.

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Navigating The Zones

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The Zones of Regulation 4-Poster Set

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