DiscoverThe Unteachables Podcast#133: Flipping your lid! The concept that changed everything about the way I responded to students in the middle of a meltdown.
#133: Flipping your lid! The concept that changed everything about the way I responded to students in the middle of a meltdown.

#133: Flipping your lid! The concept that changed everything about the way I responded to students in the middle of a meltdown.

Update: 2025-07-22
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Description

What’s actually happening when your student flips their lid?
And more importantly… what should you be doing when it happens?

HEAD TO THE BLOG HERE FOR VISUALS + MORE 😁

In this episode, I’m giving you a front seat to one of the most game-changing concepts I've learned about behaviour and brain science: flipping your lid. You’ll hear me break down Dr. Dan Siegel’s hand model of the brain in all its gloriously awkward podcast-visual-form, but also how this little model changed everything about the way I responded to students in the middle of a meltdown.

Spoiler: trying to reason with a flipped-lid teenager is like handing them a trig worksheet in the middle of a panic attack. Not helpful. Probably going to make things worse.

We’re talking about:

  • What actually happens in the brain when students dysregulate
  • Why calm-down demands and consequences don’t work in those moments
  • How this one model can change the way you respond (and how students see themselves)
  • How to teach this concept to your students, even if you’re not a science-y person

It’s simple, powerful, and honestly... kind of magic when it clicks. Let’s roll the tape.

What you’ll learn:

  • Why traditional responses to dysregulation often escalate the situation
  • What “flipping your lid” means, and why it explains so much about student behaviour
  • How to teach students what’s happening in their own brains (without the shame)
  • Ways to embed the hand model of the brain into your class culture
  • What it looks like to lead with emotional safety first - not compliance

Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!

👉 JOIN THE $1 KICKSTART! Click for more info and to jump in!

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#133: Flipping your lid! The concept that changed everything about the way I responded to students in the middle of a meltdown.

#133: Flipping your lid! The concept that changed everything about the way I responded to students in the middle of a meltdown.

Claire English