Stuart G. Shanker (born October 14, 1952
) is a research
professor emeritus
''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus".
...
of philosophy and psychology at
York University
York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...
, the founder/CEO of The MEHRIT Centre, and an author and speaker. He has been called an expert on child self-regulation in schools.
Education
Shanker began his university education at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
, Ontario. He won several awards while there, including a scholarship to study at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
. While studying at Oxford, he obtained a first in
PPE. He completed his Bachelor of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded the position of postdoctoral research fellow at
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
.
In 1986, he began as an associate professor of philosophy at York University, where he became full professor of philosophy in 1989.
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Books
Shanker's books include:
* ''Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (And You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage with Life'' (with Teresa Barker, 2016)Stanley Greenspan
Stanley Greenspan (June 1, 1941 – April 27, 2010) was an American child psychiatrist and clinical professor of Psychiatry, Behavioral Science, and Pediatrics at George Washington University Medical School. He was best known for developing the f ...
, 2004)
* ''Apes, Language, and the Human Mind'' (with Sue Savage-Rumbaugh
Emily Sue Savage-Rumbaugh (born August 16, 1946) is a psychologist and primatologist most known for her work with two bonobos, Kanzi and Panbanisha, investigating their linguistic and cognitive abilities using lexigrams and computer-based keyboa ...
and Talbot Taylor, 1998).[ According to Shanker, many behaviour, mood, emotional, learning and developmental problems are caused or exacerbated by an overactive stress system. Shanker proposes a method, called Self-Reg, for managing stress and energy flow in order to reduce the impact of an overactive stress response system on children's day-to-day functioning and development. The method starts with reframing children's behaviour and emotional problems as stress problems and identifying and reducing stressors in the five domains discussed in ''Calm, Alert and Learning''. The book identifies hidden stressors that affect some children in our society and also discusses the epidemic of stress and anxiety in today's children and parents.
''Calm, Alert, and Learning'' (2012) is a practical guide for educators and parents about the recent research into self-regulation, explaining the crucial difference between self-regulation and self-control.][ Whereas the latter refers to the effort required to inhibit impulses, the former addresses the causes of those impulses in the first place. The book takes the reader through the five principal domains of self-regulation (physical, emotion, cognitive, social and prosocial) and how stresses unique to each of these domains impact all of the others, creating a multiplier effect. All too often, such stresses result in problems with attention, emotion regulation, or behaviour that are mistakenly seen as due to poor self-control or lack of effort when, in fact, they are the result of a heightened stress load. The reader is presented with practical methods of reducing the respective stresses in a classroom context.
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References
External links
The MEHRIT Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanker, Stuart
1952 births
Living people
Books about education