Polyvagal Backpack

In The Polyvagal Path to Joyful Learning, Debra Em Wilson introduced educators to Polyvagal Theory (PVT) and explained how human nervous systems move between different states in response to changing situations. Teachers who can recognise the oscillating states of students’ (and their own) nervous systems—“safe and engaged”, “fight-or-flight”, or “shutdown”—are better prepared to create an optimal learning environment.

The Polyvagal Backpack picks up where Wilson’s first book left off by providing a plethora of classroom activities demonstrating how to implement PVT. The ease with which the principles of PVT can be applied becomes clear as Wilson draws one activity after another from her metaphorical backpack and shows how to help students co-regulate a classroom, for example, or repair a relationship. The opening true or false quiz, final FAQ section and clear descriptions throughout make this an ideal book for teacher teams to read and use together.