The Zones Pathway

In Concept 10 (C10), we synthesize and apply all the concepts we’ve learned into a metacognitive sequence for regulation which we call The Zones Pathway—one of four Signature Practices of The Zones of Regulation framework. The Zones Pathway consists of five concrete steps that walk us through situational and self-awareness, decision-making, regulation strategies, and reflecting on outcomes to help us regulate with agency. In the last step of the pathway, Reflect, we consider our outcome. We ask ourselves if our regulation is working well for us, are we coping with stressors, meeting our goals, feeling more comfortable, meeting our task demands; all of which give us a sense of well-being. If we are not meeting our goals, we discuss how we can revisit the Zones Pathway or try a different option next time. The Zones Pathway provides a consistent, systematic process for learners and their co-regulators to follow while also allowing for all the natural variables in life. The combination of triggers, context, climate, feelings, Zones, and tools will differ, but the five pathway steps remain the same. It can be used to reflect on situations in the past where our regulation did or did not work well for us, to plan for regulation in the future, as well as to bridge or scaffold regulation into real-time situations.