RULER Skills
Explain what you know about the R in RULER
Recognize emotions in yourself and others without assumptions
Explain the design of the Mood Meter based on its quadrants or axes.
four quadrants, x axis is pleasant and unpleasant, y axis is high energy and low energy
Does self-attack or self-compassion reduce cognitive functions like working memory and flexible thinking?
Self-attack
Scientist or Judge?
They view emotions as information and data, approaching them with curiosity and non-judgment.
Scientist
When you recall the aspirational version of yourself and consider how that person would respond, you are activating your...
Best Self (or summoning...)
This action fosters perspective-taking and compassion and its clarification makes it easier to choose the correct regulation strategy. The prompt for discussion might be, "Have any ideas about how that signal got turned on?"
Understanding
Which zone is characterized by being passionate, competitive, fighting for a cause, heightened awareness, and keeping students on their toes?
Red zone
Explain how the guard dog and wise owl relate to our brains.
Guard dog - amygdala activation, threat response
Wise owl - prefrontal cortex activation, working memory and attention
Scientist or Judge?
Reacting impulsively and defensively.
Moralizing emotions as 'good' or 'bad'.
Using vague labels like 'mad' or 'fine'.
Judge
What is the tool that establishes a collective agreement on how the group wants to feel and the behaviors that will support those feelings?
The Charter
What part of RULER makes it easier to express needs and choose the correct regulation strategy? Think granularity...
Labeling emotions
Which emotional zone is described as most beneficial for tasks requiring creative thinking, brainstorming, and generating new ideas?
Yellow zone
Adult emotional intelligence is a stronger predictor of classroom climate than student emotional intelligence because a teacher's emotional state affects the entire classroom. This is known as emotional _____.
Contagion
An Emotion Scientist is in _____ mode, not knower mode.
Learner mode.
The RULER tool that involves the steps 'Sense,' 'Pause,' 'See your Best Self,' and 'Strategize and act' is called the:
Meta Moment
This step requires intentional thought about how the message of the emotion will be delivered, to whom, and for what purpose, ensuring the delivery is responsible, aligns with the aspirational identity and values, and aims to promote understanding.
Expressing
Which emotional zone is considered helpful for building empathy, critical thinking, and success for tasks like proofreading, editing, and detail analysis.?
Blue Zone
When we are hungry, tired, stressed, or even trying to do too many things simultaneously, we are more likely to get triggered, snap, or react without thinking about the consequences first. This is called...
resource depletion
What are some things that an emotion scientist would say in response to someone in distress?
Clarifying, open-ended questions.
“I’m noticing some signals—let me slow down.”
“What feelings are showing up right now?”
“Help me understand what led to this.”
“There might be more than one explanation here.” Asking “What else could be true?”
“It feels like I might be experiencing ____. Does that sound right?”
“Let’s get more precise about the feeling.”
“Here’s what I’m feeling and why.” “I want to express this in a way that keeps us connected.”
“I’m going to take a quick pause before we continue.” “I need to try a strategy so I can respond well.”
Which RULER tool helps to manage conflicts and disagreements by reflecting on perspectives and repairing relationships?
The Blueprint
Name the two types of strategies to Regulate in RULER and name an example of each.
Thought - positive self-talk, visualization, 3rd person deactivation, Seeking social support, problem-solving, acceptance, put a different spin on it (reappraisal) talk to a friend (connection), change perspective – will this matter tomorrow? Next week?
Action - focused breathing, move your body (dance, exercise), connect with a friend, make a plan, listen to music/sing, journal, take a break, getting a drink, face the source of the problem, use a stress ball, seek social support,
Name three emotions in each zone, preferably from your grade level.
Red
Blue
Yellow
Green
Name the 5 areas that emotions CRAPhD our lives.
Creativity & Performance
Relationships
Attention, Memory, & Learning
Physical & Mental Health
Decision-making
What are some things that an emotion scientist would say in response to someone in distress?
“You’re being dramatic.” “I know exactly what you’re feeling.” “You’re obviously mad.” “Stop acting like that.” “You’re just sensitive” “There’s no reason to feel that way.” “You’re overreacting.” “You shouldn’t be upset about this.” “You always do this!” “Calm down.” “Stop crying.” “Get over it.”
“I’m done talking about this.” “Whatever, nothing’s wrong.” “You‘re the one who made me mad.”
What RULER tool is designed to help develop self-awareness, vocabulary, and strategies for emotions?
Mood Meter