What is Ruler!

The Charter is the first tool of RULER that is introduced in the classroom. Its purpose is to created a positive culture (How do I want to feel at school?) and climate (What can I do to help others feel this way?). It contains collective and agreed-upon norms on how students want to feel and how students should behave.  

The Mood Meter is a tool to help students label their emotions, make sense of their causes, and self-regulate. It invites students to begin their reflection by asking themselves which quadrant they are in: • Blue: Low Energy, Unpleasant • Green: Low Energy, Pleasant • Yellow: High Energy, Pleasant • Red: High Energy, Unpleasant From there, students then reflect on the level of energy and pleasantness the emotion is causing. Each variable is rated on a scale from one to five (-1 to -5 for emotions identified as “low energy” or “unpleasant,” +1 to +5 for emotions identified as “high energy” or “pleasant.”) Using the quadrant and the energy/pleasantness ratings they’ve identified as coordinates, students then locate the emotion they are experiencing on the Mood Meter’s grid of over 100 emotional labels.  

The Meta-Moment is a procedure for responding to emotional moments with strategies that align with one’s “best self.” It is a four-step process that helps students regulate their emotions. The process is based on our desire to act in ways that are aligned with our best selves. Here are the steps of the Meta-Moment: 1. Sense the changes in your body and mind that have caused a triggered emotion. 2. Take a pause. 3. Reflect on your “best self”: how would your ideal self respond to this situation in a way that would make you feel proud about that response later? 4. Decide which strategy you want to use to move forward, then act!  

The Blueprint is a guided reflection to help students develop empathy & conflict resolution skills. It uses questions anchored in emotional intelligence to support perspective-taking. By understanding the perspectives of others, students can develop empathy. The RULER steps are embedded into the Blueprint’s framework for reflection: