Aligned with the

Danielson Framework for Teaching

and other standards, this course is the first step to truly understanding and fully implementing a

trauma-informed approach in your classroom!

Studies indicate that a significant portion of the population have experienced trauma, or harmful or life-threatening events which have impacted their everyday functioning or well-being. Research shows that individuals living in poverty or with a disability are even more at risk for having experienced trauma in their lifetimes. In addition, the current global pandemic and nationwide social justice and civil rights movement are adding to the trauma felt by our communities—and students are just as susceptible to the impacts of trauma as anyone else.

Though presentations, selected readings and multi-media sources, written activities, and discussions, this course will examine trauma and its possible effects on students and teachers, and provide participants with ways to intervene harmful effects. The course will explore the research on toxic stress, and explain how it can impact a child’s education. It will explore the key principles of a trauma-informed approach and how they apply in an educational setting.

• Learning how to identify possible triggers in their classes, and how to mitigate them;
• Identifying times when they interacted with a student that they now suspect may have been displaying symptoms of trauma, and develop alternative ways of handling similar situations in the future;
• Avoiding the re-traumatization of students and helping them regulate their emotions and build resilience
• Learning how to de-escalate situations and help students better regulate their behavior;
• Considering the merits of universal trauma screening in schools;
• Modifying the physical space of their classrooms based on trauma-informed principles;
• Examining school discipline policies through a trauma-informed lens and how to interrupt the “school-to-prison pipeline” through which students with disabilities and students of color experience disproportionate disciplinary measures; and
• Critically evaluating/constructing lessons centered on sensitive topics including immigration and race from a culturally- and trauma-sensitive perspective.

The course will be delivered remotely on-line, through Google Classroom. The first four sessions of the course will be delivered asynchronously, with instructor facilitation and forum discussion encouraged, and each will include a pre-recorded presentation (copy of slides available to participants) and a variety of the following:

• Selected readings and multi-media sources for participants to review;
• A quiz on the material presented; and
• Questions, activities, and writing assignments that require participants to apply the materials covered to their classes, schools, or lessons (writing assignments will be scored by rubrics).

The final session will be a synchronous guided discussion session.

Participants will receive instant feedback based on an answer key for the quiz; they may have multiple attempts to earn a higher score. All other assignments will be evaluated using rubrics , and feedback will be provided no later than one week after the assignments are due. All feedback will be provided through Google Classroom, and participants may modify and resubmit written work within one week of receiving feedback. All assignments will total 100 points, and  score of 80 is required for students to successfully pass the course.