Twin Rivers Unified School District

Joy Davis is a Special Education Director with Twin Rivers Unified School District. Her work focuses on integrating applied psychology, arts-based practices and systems design to support self-regulation, learning and authentic school culture.

Educators ask students to focus, listen and engage every day. These expectations are essential to learning, yet I believe they often assume that students are already in a state where those skills are accessible.

In my experience, neuroscience and educational research suggest otherwise. A student’s ability to attend, process information and interact effectively is deeply influenced by their internal state. When the nervous system is dysregulated, access—not ability—is often the barrier.

In earlier discussions of social-emotional learning and the role of sound in development, I have seen increasing attention given to how experience, environment and sensory input shape the brain’s readiness to learn. Listening, in particular, has been identified as a foundational process that occurs beneath conscious awareness. Before students can engage cognitively, I have found that the nervous system must first be available. This same principle extends beyond sound.

I see self-regulation not only as a skill to be developed, but also as a state that must be supported. This understanding aligns with the concept of state-specific learning, which suggests that information is more easily encoded and retrieved when the internal state during learning matches the state during recall. When students experience stress or emotional overload, the brain shifts toward survival responses, limiting access to higherorder thinking. In contrast, I have observed that when students feel safe and regulated, they are more available for attention, reflection and connection.

Seen through this lens, classroom practice expands beyond behavior management. I believe it becomes the intentional design of conditions that support learning-ready states. In trauma-informed educational environments, psychological safety is foundational. In my experience, it is not created through words alone, but through predictable, structured experiences that reduce uncertainty and support regulation.

I do not view environment primarily as what is on the walls or how the furniture is arranged. To me, it is the rhythm of the classroom, the consistency of routines and the structure and tone of interactions. These elements shape how students feel—and how they feel determines how they learn. I have found that when classrooms are predictable and interactions are consistent, students are more likely to access the states necessary for engagement and learning.

Within this framework, I have found that simple mindful visual art practices offer a practical and accessible pathway for supporting self-regulation. These practices do not require specialized materials or extensive preparation. Drawing, patterning and line work can be integrated into classroom routines in brief, structured ways. A prompt such as, “Notice your state. Draw what it feels like,” gives students an opportunity to externalize internal experience without relying on language.

In my experience, structured visual approaches such as mandala drawing, Zentangle and neurographic art are particularly effective. These practices incorporate repetition, pattern and continuous movement—elements that naturally engage attention and support a more regulated internal state.

Through both research and classroom application, I have seen that mandala-based activities can support focus, emotional organization and self-awareness. Over time, these experiences help students recognize patterns in their own responses and build a sense of self-efficacy—the understanding that they can influence how they feel and respond.

“When we begin to consider not only what we teach, but the state in which students receive it, we shift from managing behavior to designing conditions.”

In this context, I do not treat visual art as an outcome to be admired or perfected, but as a process to be experienced— an expressive activity. The goal is not artistic proficiency, but the development of a calmer, more focused state that supports learning.

When embedded consistently, I have also seen these practices support what is often described as entrainment— the tendency for individuals to synchronize with consistent, repeated input over time. In classroom settings, brief, predictable routines can serve as cues that help students settle into a learning-ready state more efficiently.

I do not see these moments as interruptions to instruction. I see them as preparation for learning.

As students develop the ability to recognize and regulate their internal states, I have observed their capacity for learning expand. This growth often follows a natural progression—from awareness of self, to awareness of others, to a sense of agency and ultimately to meaningful participation within a group.

I have found that when students feel stable, connected and capable, they are more likely to engage, cooperate and take responsibility for their learning.

Importantly, I have also seen these practices support educators. Predictable routines reduce classroom volatility, improve transitions and create more stable conditions for instruction.

In my experience, these practices do not require additional time or resources. They require intention. Supporting selfregulation is not about adding more to the instructional day. It is about embedding small, purposeful practices that influence how students enter and engage in learning.

When we begin to consider not only what we teach, but the state in which students receive it, we shift from managing behavior to designing conditions. I believe visual art offers a simple and powerful way to support that shift—one that complements the roles of sound, relationship and environment in shaping how students learn.