One of the biggest questions I hear from educators is, “How can I more effectively support my dysregulated students?” Big emotions, outbursts, meltdowns, and refusals, oh my! There are more and more students that are struggling social-emotionally in the classroom. And behavior strategies are just not cutting it. It’s time for a fresh approach! Helping students notice and understand their own personal body signals is key. And that is what our interoception-based resources are all about. They can help you successfully support the foundation of where all social emotional learning starts (hint: it is the body!).
There is a shift gradually taking place in education, moving towards a more empathetic, affirming, and effective learning experience for both students and staff. While considerable progress is still needed, the wheels are in motion, powered by the science of interoception. More and more educators are using interoception activities in their classrooms and are learning more about the internal experience of their students as well as about their own bodily profiles and needs.
How Are Interoception and Learning Linked?
Interoception, the science of noticing, understanding, and regulating our internal bodily sensations, teaches us that everyone experiences emotions differently. The sensations telling you when you are hungry or anxious or distracted are different from the next person. So, in order to understand how we feel, we need to explore and learn about our body signals as they provide the clues as to what emotion we are experiencing in any given moment. This, in turn, becomes the foundation of self-regulation. We need to be clear on how we feel in order to have the information needed to regulate that feeling. Interoception helps us to understand what we require to feel secure and regulated within a school setting.
Interoception Activities Foster Curiosity and Empathy
Interoception guides us away from behaviorism, which is grounded in superficial assumptions about a student’s actions—attributing behaviors to surface labels such as “attention-seeking” or “task avoidance.” These labels shut down our curiosity. We need to understand the ‘whys’ to truly support our students. Why is a student struggling? Why are they “needing attention” or “avoiding a task?” What is happening internally? We need to help students explore their inner experiences, so we can all understand the ‘whys’ and collaboratively problem-solve effectively. Only then can we truly help them flourish in the classroom.
Unfortunately, behavior-based or compliance-based approaches are widespread in our educational system, often resulting in strategies that coerce students into adhering to the adult’s desires. “Sit still. Quiet hands. Look at me when I’m talking. No eating until lunch. Earn your tokens. Clip down. Lose your recess.” Such compliance-based methods can harm a student’s interoceptive awareness, conditioning them on a daily basis to ignore their bodys’ needs to satisfy others.
The irony of these behavior or compliance-based approaches is just how counterproductive they are for long-term academic success. Students need to be in tune with their interoceptive systems to regulate their behaviors in school. Therefore, they need an approach encouraging them to explore and understand their interoceptive experiences, not an approach that has little regard for their inner world. They need adults who are genuinely interested in their internal sensations and who affirm their experiences, as opposed to a system that rewards compliance over self-awareness.
Without an interoceptive approach, we risk misunderstanding a student’s lived experience. Interoception-based supports nurture curiosity within each student and the adults around them. They encourage exploration and understanding of bodily signals and their meaning uniquely for each student. This forms the foundation for mutual understanding and successful regulation of emotions.
Check Out Our Playlist on Implementing the Interoception Curriculum in the Classroom
Self-Regulation: It All Starts With Interoceptive Awareness
Self-regulation begins with interoceptive awareness, the ability to notice, connect, and regulate internal bodily signals. This fundamental skill allows us to effectively manage our emotions, impulses, and behaviors. By tuning in to these internal cues, we can better navigate our responses to external stimuli, paving the way for improved emotional intelligence and overall well-being.
Interoceptive Awareness & Self-Regulation:
A 3-Part Process
1. Notice Body Signals
How does my body feel right now?
2. Connect Body Signals to Meaning
What do these body signals mean
uniquely for me?
3. Regulate Body Signals
What individualized set of actions can I use to help regulate my body signals?
How Can Educators Use the Interoception Curriculum to Elevate Social Emotional Learning
Educators can elevate the learning experience by incorporating The Interoception Curriculum into their classrooms. The curriculum provides a framework for helping students to notice their body signals, connect these signals to the emotion, and regulate these body signals and emotions effectively.
The Interoception Curriculum consists of 25 lessons, divided into 3 sections:
Section 1: Body Lessons 1-16 are designed to teach students to notice body signals and emphasize the importance of validating their inner experiences. Each lesson plan is focused on a single body part and encourages students to notice and describe signals within that single body part.
Section 2: Emotion Lessons 17-20 are designed to teach students to connect body signals to emotions. The theme in this section focuses on using body signals as clues to emotions–and it is different for each person. Again, because positive practice during daily activity is an essential part of this curriculum, several strategies are provided to facilitate these practice opportunities in between lessons.
Section 3: Action Lessons 21-25 are designed to teach the learner to discover and use actions to regulate their body signals. The focus of the section is on finding individualized feel-good strategies, thus completing the body-emotion-action connection.
Ultimately, incorporating The Interoception Curriculum is a foundational step for social-emotional learning programs. Interoception underpins most, if not all, social emotional learning competencies. Our interoceptive body signals, like a racing heart, tight muscles, or heavy eyes, provide clues to our emotions. When we are clear on what emotion we are experiencing, we are equipped with the info needed to regulate our body and emotions. Currently, interoception is not embedded in most of the SEL programs being widely used in schools, which means programs are really missing an important piece underlying the skills that they’re trying to target, thus reducing their effectiveness. This is what makes our Interoception Curriculum different than all of the other SEL programs—it includes the body!
The Irony of Behaviorism
Behavior or compliance-based approaches are rampant in our educational systems. When a student is struggling, often the behavior team and/or behavior strategies come charging in. Putting strategies in place that will manipulate that child into doing what the staff wants. Token boards, clip-down charts, stickers, Skittles, etc. Compliance-based approaches are damaging to a student’s interoceptive awareness. They condition students to ignore what their body needs in order to please other people. For example,
- ‘Sit still, and you won’t clip down.’ Maybe that student needs to lie on the floor and get full body sensory input in order to focus on a task. But they ignore what their body is telling them they need out of fear of being publicly shamed by clipping down to the red zone on the behavior chart. And by the way, the student missed half of the answers on the worksheet because they were growing dysregulated when forced to sit still at their desk.
- ‘Look at me, and you can earn this token.’ Maybe that student needs to look away from the teacher in order to process the teacher’s words. It is too much for their nervous system to look at and listen to the teacher at the same time. But they ignore what their body is telling them they need in order to please the teacher and get the token. And, as a result, the student misses most of what the teacher is saying—because they were working so hard to look at the teacher and earn their approval and token.
- ‘Finish your math quiz before I let you go to recess.’ Maybe that student needs frequent movement breaks to focus on work like math successfully. But they ignore what their body is telling them they need in order to please the teacher and get recess. And because of that, the student rushed through the quiz and got a score that was not reflective of what they know—all because they were working so hard to finish the quiz and get the reward of recess.
- The list goes on.
The irony of it all is that behavior or compliance-based approaches are the exact opposite of what students actually need for long-term school success. Students need to be well connected to their interoceptive systems to regulate and ‘behave’ in school. Therefore, they need a process that allows them to explore and discover their own interoceptive experience. An approach that conditions them to listen to their body (and celebrates it!). One that helps them learn their unique regulation needs. A daily experience of adults being deeply curious about their inner feels and having that experience affirmed. Behaviorism is the complete opposite of all of these things. It ironically damages what we all need to ‘behave.’
Are There Specific Exercises or Activities That Can Help to Improve a Student’s Interoception?
As an advocate for body mindfulness, I’ve found that one of the most effective ways to boost a student’s interoception is by adapting mindfulness activities. These exercises encourage students to tune into their internal state, thereby increasing their awareness of bodily sensations. A simple, yet powerful strategy could be asking students to close their eyes and concentrate on their breathing. By focusing on the sensation of air entering and leaving their bodies, they can heighten their interoceptive awareness. Guided meditations can further this awareness by directing attention to different parts of their bodies and the sensations in each moment.
Incorporating physical activities that require a strong mind-body connection can also enhance interoception. Take yoga, for example. The fusion of physical movement with an internal focus allows students to form a deeper connection with their bodies. During yoga, students are encouraged to observe how their bodies feel in different positions, which can significantly enhance their interoceptive awareness. Other activities like dance, martial arts, or even basic stretching exercises can serve a similar purpose.
With the help of my resources, such as The Interoception Activity Cards, Yoga Cards, Exercise Cards, and The Body Check Ring, teaching interoceptive vocabulary can be simplified. The ultimate goal is to include activities that promote focusing on internal sensations, as this is the essence of interoception.
Helping Educators Learn More About Interoception
If you are ready to start incorporating interoception into your routine with your students, our resources can help! Register now and start learning how to utilize interoception in classroom environments.
