I would suggest having look at the educational material:
1. PATHS
2. Emotionally intelligent Schools

These 2 projects are some of the best school-aged applications of EI and emotional regulation that I have come across.

Re physiology, your 2 keys ones are fear and anger. Both involve more rapid breathing, an increased heart rate and tense muscles. However, with anger the tension is largely in the face, particularly the jaw. With fear it more generalised over the entire body. Also, fear results in a drop in skin temperature, while anger heats us up. The sayings ‘hot under the collar’ and ‘a chill running down my spine’ are physiologically accurate. Perhaps you could try some inexpesive biofeedback devices that measure skin temperature – children could actually see that can calm themselves down.

Finally, don’t forget that both anger and fear exist for a reason. Anger prompts us to stand-up against injustice while fear prompts us to act now to avoid something bad happening in the future. Teach children to listen to their emotions, consider whether their feelings are reasonable in the circumstances, and if they are – act on them in an intelligent and constructive way. As they say, anger is not bad, it is the mindless aggression that follows which hurts.

Cheers
Shaun

Anger

I know at a Neo Cortex level they know what they should do. I have given them strategies (and the opportunity to practice them) such as counting, breathing, reframing etc but still they tend to go Stem Brain – Right Brain – BAM—–regret!

I am sure the way forward is to get them to use these strategies when primary emotions begin, rather than when secondaries kick in but it is really difficult to get them to understand (or even identify) the subtlty of physiological changes at that level. I have tried getting other staff to help them with this as I am not always there when the primaries kick in. Teachers are (quite rightly) concerned about academic development and although I am committed to social and emotional development their pressures are somewhat different.

Any suggestions -please please please

Even a signpost to a list of emotions and their physiological signs would begin to help.

With thanks

Alan