I attended two pro-d days that both related to self-regulation over the past year.  It was really interesting considering that is was the focus of our cohort at UBC.  What I really appreciated was how they discussed the physical aspect of self-regulation.  We focused mainly on self-regulated learning at UBC, but in these seminars it was interesting that they presented that physical self-regulation is more important to start with because the brain will not learn very much if it is concerned with the bodies well being.  We then discussed different ways that children often need to physical self-regulate and it helped me understand the whole area of self-regulation much better.  Two particular areas of focus were proprioception and vestibular issues.  Vestibular issues make it difficult for a child to sit still and balance.  Often a student will need to move to keep his balance, much like it is easier to balance on a bicycle while moving.  Proprioception issues make it difficult for a student to sense their surroundings.  These students often have difficulties with personal space and may run their fingers down the halls as they walk.  I gained a new understanding of the importance of our physical needs and how we as adults understand strategies to meet our needs in order to be comfortable enough to learn.  As teachers, if we can help students understand themselves and their basic needs, we can help them to be more successful in a learning situation.