Kirjahaku

Every student and teacher is different but there’s one thing each has in common: a responsive nervous system ready for action. Whether it’s a fight breaking out in the playground, a difficult conversation with a parent or an impromptu fire drill, understanding how the nervous system responds can help keep teachers and students on an even keel. Polyvagal Theory (PVT) has had a tremendous impact on the mental health field, shedding light on how the nervous system predictably moves between different states in response to changing situations. School consultant Debra Em Wilson introduces PVT to educators and shows how using PVT-guided strategies can help create optimal learning environments. When school staff understand the role of the nervous system in learning, they can better help students develop the skills leading to increased resilience, adaptability and flexibility: essential qualities for social, emotional and academic success.

In The Polyvagal Path to Joyful Learning, Debra Em Wilson introduced educators to Polyvagal Theory (PVT) and explained how human nervous systems move between different states in response to changing situations. Teachers who can recognise the oscillating states of students’ (and their own) nervous systems—“safe and engaged”, “fight-or-flight”, or “shutdown”—are better prepared to create an optimal learning environment. The Polyvagal Backpack picks up where Wilson’s first book left off by providing a plethora of classroom activities demonstrating how to implement PVT. The ease with which the principles of PVT can be applied becomes clear as Wilson draws one activity after another from her metaphorical backpack and shows how to help students co-regulate a classroom, for example, or repair a relationship. The opening true or false quiz, final FAQ section and clear descriptions throughout make this an ideal book for teacher teams to read and use together.