Emotional regulation is not a curriculum – and treating it like one backfires

Emotional regulation is not a curriculum – and treating it like one backfires

From School Behaviour Secrets with Simon Currigan and Emma Shackleton by Beacon School Support

March 2, 2026 · 23 min · Season 1 · Episode 267

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges of teaching emotional regulation in schools and the potential pitfalls of treating it as a curriculum subject.

Emotional regulation is not a curriculum - and treating it like one backfires. Many pupils can explain their emotions, name calming strategies, and talk confidently about what they “should” do… yet still struggle to cope when things get hard in the classroom. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll learn why teaching emotional regulation as a set of lessons often doesn’t work, and how schools can accidentally make things worse by confusing facts about regulation with emotional reg...

People in this episode

Hosts: Simon Currigan, Emma Shackleton

Topics covered

  • emotional regulation
  • education
  • classroom strategies
  • student support
  • mental health

Keywords

  • emotional regulation
  • classroom
  • calming strategies
  • student emotions
  • education

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Beacon School Support

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