Instructor: Jenna Goldstein-Walsh
Course Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, educators will:
- * Demonstrate an understanding of trauma and chronic stress
- * Analyze the impact of trauma on student development and school climate
- * Develop effective strategies to help build supportive relationships and create safe spaces
- * Demonstrate an understanding of strategies that support prosocial behaviors and cultivate compassion in the classroom
- * Discuss the importance of self-care
Teaching/Learning Strategies
Students will complete all assigned and self-selected reading, viewing, writing, researching, and online components of the course.
Students will maintain a time log to document 45 clock hours.
Students will maintain a reflective process journal about their reading, thinking and learning throughout the course.
Students will write a summative reflective essay, at the conclusion of the course. How will you change how you support your students in light of what you have learned from this course? What is your personal and/or professional action plan? (500 words maximum).
Case study- Students will write a case study of a fictitious student of their choice who is a survivor of trauma. Details will include how the trauma impacts the student’s development and behavior at school. Students will write an action plan that describes how to best engage with said student to be of most support. The action plan will show an understanding of research based best practices.
Materials Required
- Jennings, P. (2018). The Trauma Sensitive Classroom. WW Norton & Co Publishing
Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators
The Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators provides information for educators, parents and caretakers, including facts, suggestions, psychological and behavioral impact of trauma by grade level, and self-care.
Helping Traumatized Children Learn Volume 1.
Helping Traumatized Children Learn demonstrates how children’s trauma from exposure to family and other forms of violence can help explain many educational difficulties teachers face every day. Such difficulties include the inability of children to focus, understand instructions, form meaningful relationships with peers and teachers, and control their behavior in appropriate ways. The report provides a school-wide flexible framework and a public policy agenda for creating trauma-sensitive school environments where traumatized children and their classmates can focus, behave, and learn.
A Guide to Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools. Volume 2.
The Heart of Learning and Teaching: Compassion, Resiliency and Academic Success
A variety of readings will be provided and referenced throughout the course.