Canadian and international experts in the field of self-regulation will come together at Trent University July 13-17 with renowned expert Dr. Stuart Shanker and the MEHRIT Centre team for the first annual Self-Regulation Summer Symposium, a five-day event exploring self-regulation across the lifespan and across contexts, ranging from parenting, the early years, elementary and secondary education, campus life, transitions and adult self-regulation. 

Self-regulation is the ability to manage stress. According to internationally sought-after self-regulation expert Dr. Shanker, recent years have seen huge advances in self-regulation science and practice in the medical and psychiatric fields. These innovations, however, are not yet fully realized in the field of education, at a time when students and teachers are more stressed than ever. As a result, we are witnessing an explosion of problems in mood, behavior, attention and wellbeing, all attributable to excessive levels of stress.

“This symposium will be an unprecedented meeting of leaders, researchers, teachers and other practitioners with the goals of sharing innovations in the science of self-regulation, capitalizing on what we now understand about physiology and the brain, and exploring concrete strategies to transform education in Canada,” said Dr. Shanker. “To me, this symposium is all about taking the critical next step, going deeper and broader, turning an exciting beginning into a genuine paradigm revolution.”

Dr. Shanker will be delivering three keynote addresses over the course of the week, alongside over a dozen other keynotes and plenary speakers coming from across the country, including: Jean Clinton, M.D., associate clinical professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University; Rod Allen, M.Ed., former Assistant Deputy Minister/Chief Superintendent for BC Ministry of Education; Charles Pascal, Ph.D., former college president and Ontario deputy minister and current professor of Applied Psychology and Human Development at the University of Toronto; Jim Iker, president of the BC Teachers’ Federation; and Jane Bertrand, program director for the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation.

The conference is co-organized by Dr. Brenda Smith-Chant, professor of psychology at Trent University. Professor Smith-Chant will deliver an address on Wednesday, July 15 at 1:00 p.m. titled, Moving research beyond the ivory tower: A community- based research approach.

“It’s wonderful to have such an esteemed group of experts at Trent, particularly because the self-regulation approach embodies the interdisciplinary, community-oriented mission of Trent University,” said Prof. Smith-Chant. 

In addition to presentations and collaborative sessions, participants will also have the opportunity to explore their own self-regulation, through a variety of fun and relaxing self-regulation activities, such as: canoeing, yoga, biking, nature walks, Tai Chi and meditation.

To learn more about the symposium and to view a full schedule, visit: www.mehritcentre.wix.com/summersymposium.

Join in the conversation by following #selfreg2015 on Twitter throughout the week.

About Dr. Stuart Shanker

Dr. Stuart Shanker, D.Phil, CEO of The MEHRIT Centre and Distinguished Research Professor at York University, is the mind behind the scenes of self-regulation. Before forming the Centre, Dr. Shanker served as Director for several organizations including: the Milton and Ethel Harris Research Initiative, the Council of Human Development and the Canada-Cuba Research Alliance. He is also former President of the Council of Early Development. Dr. Shanker is an expert who is sought internationally. He has been an advisor on early childhood development to government organizations across Canada and the US, in addition to: Australia, Bosnia, Columbia, England, Hungary, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Romania and Serbia. He has received many awards, grants and recognitions for his work abroad and nationally. Stuart’s passion is to help children to reach their full potential: optimizing their learning, forming healthy relationships and being self-motivated.

About the MEHRIT Centre

The MEHRIT Centre (TMC), formed in 2012 by Dr. Stuart Shanker, is an organization working towards a vision of calm, alert students, educators and families flourishing in physically and emotionally safe and caring learning environments.  TMC’s mission is to ground learning and living in self-regulation by working through the three pillars of research, practice and leadership. TMC works with jurisdictions interested in developing and implementing self-regulation initiatives in their contexts and uses Dr. Shanker’s 5 step process of Self-Reg and the 5 domains of self-regulation to guide all work with partners across Canada and internationally.  The organization provides professional learning both on-site and through current and developing online options, a growing bank of resources and training opportunities and a wide ranging offerings for initiative consulting.  The Self-Regulation Summer Symposium is the first of several major events that TMC will be hosting annually.

Posted on Friday, July 10, 2015.