Teaching Video

Teachers, Try This: Address Student Behavior Issues With Somatic Check-Ins

By Sam Mallon — February 15, 2024 3:55
Sixth-grade students collaborate in the classroom.

Like the Snickers commercial says, “You are not you when you are hungry.”

As emotional regulation and behavioral issues remain an ever-present challenge for students, this educator is using somatic check-ins to help students connect their “thinking brain” and “feeling body.”

Here, they explain how it works and offer suggestions for teachers of all grade levels looking to incorporate something similar in their classrooms.

Sam Mallon is a video producer for Education Week.

Video

Student Achievement Video What the Dismal Nation's Report Card Means for Reading and Math
The latest results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress show declines in students’ reading with some modest progress in math.
Point Roberts Elementary School teacher Jessie Hettinga works with a group of first, second and third graders on reading at the school in Point Roberts, Wa., on Sept. 28, 2017.
Point Roberts Elementary School teacher Jessie Hettinga works with a group of first, second and third graders on reading at the school in Point Roberts, Wa., on Sept. 28, 2017.
Philip A. Dwyer/The Bellingham Herald via AP
Student Well-Being Video Teachers, Try This: Combine Movement and Academics in the Classroom
A P.E. teacher shares some ideas for incorporating movement into the classroom for greater student engagement and more effective lessons.
Students in Melissa Haggett’s first grade class start the day dancing along with Snoop Dogg’s affirmations video at Vergennes Union Elementary School in Vergennes, Vt., on Nov. 18, 2024.
Students in Melissa Haggett’s first grade class start the day dancing along with Snoop Dogg’s affirmations video at Vergennes Union Elementary School in Vergennes, Vt., on Nov. 18, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Student Well-Being Video This School Keeps Kids Moving All Day. See How It Works
Inside a school where movement is woven into academics throughout the day.
4:11
Assistant Principal Beth Bearor and kindergartener Rhys Gallup practice letters and letter sounds while walking through a rope ladder during P.E. teacher Robyn Newton’s action-based learning class at Vergennes Union Elementary School in Vergennes, Vt., on Nov. 18, 2024.
Assistant Principal Beth Bearor and kindergartener Rhys Gallup practice letters and letter sounds while walking through a rope ladder during P.E. teacher Robyn Newton’s action-based learning class at Vergennes Union Elementary School in Vergennes, Vt., on Nov. 18, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Teaching Video Teachers, Try This: Incorporate Routine Student 'Vibe Checks'
A teacher's tips for mastering the art of digital organization and using student feedback to guide the classroom.
3:35