Trauma Informed teaching
What is Trauma?
Trauma is defined using eight general dimensions and six specific distinctions:
- Threat to life or limb; severe physical harm or injury, including sexual assault; receipt of intentional injury or harm;
- exposure to the grotesque;
- violent, sudden loss of a loved one;
- witnessing or learning of violence to a loved one;
- learning of exposure to a noxious agent;
- causing death or severe harm to another,
- physical trauma,
- psychological trauma, social trauma, historical trauma, ongoing trauma, vicarious or secondary trauma.
When working with students who have experienced Trauma,
Keep in Mind:
- Relationships should come before content.
- Trauma affects children in so many different ways. Some kids are reactive while others are reserved. It is key to know the students’ stories in order to know how to support them.
- Fear can look like aggression: flight, freeze, or fight.
- Students in poverty have been conditioned to suppress their pain. It often manifests as anger. It is critical to recognize that frustrated students are often those that have experienced the highest levels of trauma and need the most loving attention.
- Being trauma-informed is not a checklist, but a mindset change.
- Don't let the challenge of addressing Social-Emotional Learning with your students be your own struggle; share your thoughts and experiences with your teaching team. Address the challenges together. A trauma-informed approach to social emotional learning requires partnership between counselors, teachers, parents, and other trusted adults to help guide students through short and long-term challenge.
- -- Venet, Alex S. (2018). The How and Why of Trauma Informed Teaching. Edutopia.com. https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-and-why-trauma-informed-teaching
Did you know?
- Trauma is defined using eight general dimensions and six specific distinctions: ― Threat to life or limb; severe physical harm or injury, including sexual assault; receipt of intentional injury or harm; exposure to the grotesque; violent, sudden loss of a loved one; witnessing or learning of violence to a loved one; learning of exposure to a noxious agent; and causing death or severe harm to another, physical trauma, psychological trauma, social trauma, historical trauma, ongoing trauma, and vicarious or secondary trauma.
- There is evidence that intensive negative emotional experiences can alter the structure of other parts of the emotional brain as well. Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder show enlargement of the amygdala.
- It's not surprising that the amygdala of a traumatized person becomes enlarged. It is enlarged because it is continuously overexcited and overworked. Having experienced trauma once, it senses danger even when there is no danger.
- MRIs have shown that the hippocampus shrinks from an over active amygdala.
- -- Ingram, Brenda. Trauma Informed Approaches to Classroom Management.
What does trauma look like in school?
Developmental consequences of trauma:
• Difficulty trusting others
• Social isolation
• Difficulty seeking help
•Hypersensitivity to physical contact
• Increase medical, emotional and mental problems
• Problems with coordination and balance
• Poor affect regulation
• Problems with academic achievement
•Oppositional/antisocial behaviors
• Difficulty planning for the future
• Difficulty trusting others
• Social isolation
• Difficulty seeking help
•Hypersensitivity to physical contact
• Increase medical, emotional and mental problems
• Problems with coordination and balance
• Poor affect regulation
• Problems with academic achievement
•Oppositional/antisocial behaviors
• Difficulty planning for the future
What are strategies you can Use in Your Classroom?
• Clarify your role with the student.
• Establish yourself as a safe individual. • Create an environment of respect. • Give the student opportunities to make choices. • Talk about safety and what steps you will take to help the student be and feel safe. • Connect the student to the appropriate resources and people. • Message to students: “You are not alone.” • Teach Feelings Expression and Coping-- • Identify and label emotions and feelings. • Use of scales and “thermometer” to rate emotion intensity. • Identify coping skills to help decrease emotional intensity. Help youth find positive ways to cope. • Connect students to friends, peers, or supportive adults. • Give ideas about participating in creative and positive social activities. • Think of ways to reach out to parents/caregivers that involves them in the educational process. • Deepen your understanding about the community the student lives in and available resources for the student and family |
• Use of specific praise like-- “You did a great job paying attention in class today” vs “Good job today.”
• 10:1 (Ratio of positive to negative statements for traumatized children/adolescents) • Active ignoring of negative behavior • Consistent expectations and behavior plans that are based on rewards systems, not punishment. • Do collaborative problem-solving with students. • Help students identify internal and external people and places that are safe. • Teach students how to ask for help until someone responds. • Role play accessing additional supports. • Best friend role plays: “What would you tell your best friend to do?” • Recognize that change happens very slowly. • Know that you may never see the outcomes of your efforts. • Trust that our simple compassionate gestures are important elements of healing and surviving. |
Resources
• Brenda Ingram, EdD, LCSW, Director of Clinical Services, Peace Over Violence. [email protected]
• Helping Traumatized Children Learn. A Report and Policy Agenda. Retrieved at http://www.k12.wa.us/CompassionateSchools/pubdocs/HelpTraumatizedChi ldLearn.pdf
• Some videos on Trauma Informed Practices in Schools • Children, Violence and Trauma—Interventions in Schools
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49GzqPP7YYk • Modules on creating trauma informed care in schools, Madison Metropolitan School District. There are 10 modules, here are a few of them:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elaLV_b8FXw • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJpafA1G148 • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQoQS4RFJRQ
• Helping Traumatized Children Learn. A Report and Policy Agenda. Retrieved at http://www.k12.wa.us/CompassionateSchools/pubdocs/HelpTraumatizedChi ldLearn.pdf
• Some videos on Trauma Informed Practices in Schools • Children, Violence and Trauma—Interventions in Schools
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49GzqPP7YYk • Modules on creating trauma informed care in schools, Madison Metropolitan School District. There are 10 modules, here are a few of them:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elaLV_b8FXw • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJpafA1G148 • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQoQS4RFJRQ