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ace_pyramid_lrg
ACE Questionnaire
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ACE Video
Every kid needs A champion
Trauma and the Incredible Hulk
Trauma Informed Teaching
TraumaPPT
Understanding Trauma
Teaching with a Trauma Informed Perspective
Overview
This module provides a overview of the power of teaching with a trauma-informed lens. The content was created by the faculty members at the following institutions: Chicago State University, Olive-Harvey Community College, South Subrurban College and Prairie State College. The module was designed to be added to the child development course or other introdcutory educationals course that are taken by education majors. The module was developed by Dr. Ty Jiles, Chicago State University, Professor Mario Wright Olive Harvey, Dr. Donna Walker, South Suburban Collge and Dr. LaTia Collins, Prairie State College.
The module is designed to enhance the instructional skills and confidence for pre-service teachers and teacher candidates at minority-serving institutions. The module offers a multicultural narrative as it relates to trauma-informed teaching practices and includes the following: 1) Engaging all students in the learning process, 2) Classroom environment, 3) Planning instruction and learning design for all students, 4) Developing as a professional.
Welcome
A widely accepted goal of teacher education is to prepare culturally competent practitioners who are ready to serve diverse student populations (Guyton & Wesche, 2005). This module covers the influence of student demographics, cultural diversity, language barriers, and trauma exposed and at-risk factors on student learning. Instructional strategies supporting all students including student diversity and equity, unique learning needs, and motivation techniques to keep students engaged are introduced.
Engaging students is an essential component of teaching. You need to keep students interested and engaged while supporting their learning. In order to do so, it is essential to know who your students are. Making the lessons relevant to the students’ lives and background is crucial to learning.
Your students come to you with a wide variety of experiences and backgrounds. Embrace that diversity as you get to know your students, and remember that you’re teaching students, not just content. They may not show it, but most students care about others’ opinions of them, and when they feel that their teacher is interested in their achievement, they often rise to meet the challenge.
Hand in hand with celebrating differences is making sure that all students feel they are a part of the classroom community and that you ensure equity for all these students. Equity encompasses how you treat students, how you ensure that all students can access the curriculum, and how you promote fairness and respect in your classes.
Before beginning the modules students should watch the ACE Video and take the ACE Questionnaire and keep their scores for review at the end of the course in the Final professional development activity.
https://youtu.be/8gm-lNpzU4g - ACE Video
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/02/387007941/take-the-ace-quiz-and-learn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean - Ace Questionnairre
What is Trauma?
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to identify the most common types of trauma
Students will be able to discuss a variety of ways that students are impacted by trauma
1. Trauma Circles (Group activity)
Students will break into groups and will be provided a different color to stand on or hold. Each color will represent a different topic. Each studen will have an opportunity to speak on the different colors and share out.
Facilitator instructions:
Once the students share out the facilitator will help connect the conversations to show the various connections to trauma.
Introduction to trauma: Research from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network reports that approximately 25% of American children will experience at least one traumatic event by the age of 16.
Location: http://nctsn.org/products/child-welfare-trauma-training-toolkit-2008
Access: You will need to register toa ccess the materials, then you can download all of the resources
What is trauma?
SAMHSA Experts 2012 includes three elements
Individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or circumstances that is experienced by an individual as overwhelming or life-changing and that has profound effects on the individual’s psychological development or well-being, often involving a physiological, social, and or spiritual impact.
Types of Trauma:
Intergenerational (Historical) Trauma:
“Cumulative emotional and psychological wounding, over the lifespan and across generations, emanating from massive group trauma experiences.”
Historical trauma is not just about what happened in the past. It's about what's still happening.
Genocides
Slavery
-Pandemics
Massacres
Prohibition or destruction of cultural practices
Discrimination/Systematic prejudice
Forced relocation
Identity Trauma:
Religion
Spiritual
Child Abuse
Domestic Abuse
Alcoholism
Trauma has a long term impact and can begin displaying signs early in a child's life. Most of the behavior occurs in schools.
Review the chart in the PPT (p. 10)
What does trauma look like?
| Anger/Accident proneness | Hitting, Tattling |
| Anxiety | Kicking |
| Appetite Loss | Insominia, Excessive laziness |
| Baby Talk | Stuttering |
| Bed-wetting | Indegestion |
| Crying Spells | Thumb sucking, Grinding teeth |
| Detachment | Fingernail bitting |
| Excessive Aggressiveness | Respiratory Tract Illness |
Let's take a closer look at Trauma:
Toxic Stress Derails Healthy Development
https://youtu.be/rVwFkcOZHJw
Scenarios: Students will discuss the various types of trauma or stress that the student maybe experiencing and also talk about fright, flight or fight.
1. Danielle’s parents have recently gone through a divorce; her father has primary custody. She often sucks her thumb and carries around a teddy bear that was given to her by her mother. Since she is at a new school, many of the students make fun of her and this causes her to feel more isolated. Is she exhibiting fight, fright or flight? How can we assist her?
2. John always gets nervous when he has to take math tests. He will often acts out before the tests and constantly states that he is “no good at math”. After the test, he usually has a meltdown. When working in groups, he is often very anxious, and this causes his peers to feel very uncomfortable. Is he exhibiting fight, fright or flight?
3. Danielle’s parents have recently gone through a divorce; her father has primary custody. She often sucks her thumb and carries around a teddy bear that was given to her by her mother. Since she is at a new school, many of the students make fun of her and this causes her to feel more isolated. Is she exhibiting fight, fright or flight? How can we assist her?
Classroom Environment
In this section, the student will understand the effect of trauma on development and learning. Students will also learn strategies to foster a classroom environment where every student is safe, engaged and supported.
Learning Objectives:
1) The student will identify indicators of student trauma in the classroom.
2) The student will demonstrate an understanding of practices and strategies that build academic and social-emotional competencies.
3) The student will demonstrate an understanding of trauma and utilize management skills as daily practice in the classroom.
Pre Reflective - Learners each take a moment to think about a “feel good” experience that happened recently. Then do the same for a bad or negative experience.
Ask: What changed for them physically (breath, muscles, temperature) by just thinking about the experiences?
Trauma Informed Classroom Environment Self Check
1) What was one thing that you learned about the trauma informed classroom environment in this module that stood out to you; perhaps something new, or different, or surprising?
2) What trauma informed based strategies did you learn that would be helpful for you, and you’d be interested in trying?
3) Think of one additional way to help prepare students for transitions.
4) List two specific ways to help students feel a sense of belonging in classroom interactions.
5) Think of experiences you have had with students who have overwhelming reactions? How did/does it affect you? What has worked to help them and you to settle and feel better? What hasn’t worked, or made things worse?
6) If you were going to create a quiet place / calming corner in your classroom – what would you put in it? Describe your space: - refer to Ideas for Creating a Classroom Calming Corner Handout.
7) Summarize the benefits of mindfulness exercises. In what ways can you incorporate them into daily practice in the classroom?
8) What are some things that you do to settle yourself, as a teacher when you get overwhelmed or things just get too hectic? This is human! Write ideas and strategies that work for you.
Adapted from https://ciscentraltexas.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Trauma-Training-Toolkit-8-29-2016.pdf
Example of classroom strategy for working with students of trauma
Please review pages 12-34 of this guide:
https://ciscentraltexas.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Trauma-Training-Toolkit-8-29-2016.pdf
Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for All Students
Summary of this Section:
In this section participants will gain skills and strategies for sustaining trauma-informed practices, including monitoring for personal bias, and working with trauma exposed students.
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to understand the basic steps in instructional design and planning.
Students will be able to identify skills and strategies to implemet in the classroom
Reflective Activity:
I. Understand and Reducing Personal Bias
Activity Title: The Ladder of Inference: Understanding Personal Bias
Modality: Individual Reflective Journal Activity, small group activity
Learner Level: All levels
Duration: 30-60min
Materials: Ladder of Inference on-line video, Confirmation Bias Supplemental Reading, reflective journals or blank pieces of paper and pens.
Facilitator Instructions:
- Trainer can show the video (3-4min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9nFhs5W8o8&app=desktop
- Following the video, Trainer can ask for general reactions from the large audience before asking the following reflection questions to for each small group to discuss:
- How does hyper-vigilance as an arousal state involve the Ladder of Inference?
- How do the Hippocampus and Amygdala regions of the brain connect to the Ladder of Inference?
- How might early childhood experience impact how people make meaning along the Ladder of Inference?
- How does repeated exposure to trauma related material in a work setting impact how people make meaning along the Ladder of Inference?
- Trainer should mention that Confirmation Bias means looking for evidence to support a pre-existing belief, prejudice or bias. Co-Facilitators can then ask the large group: “How does the Ladder of Influence relate to Confirmation Bias in various types of trauma-related investigations and assessments?” (Confirmation Bias Supplemental Reading can be used as pre-reading or homework from this module)
- Trainer then asks each participant to write down in their reflective journals or on a blank piece of paper the stages of the Ladder of Inference with 1-3 reflective questions that they can ask themselves in order to slow themselves down when they are moving up the Ladder of Inference
- Observation
- Select Data
- Add Meaning
- Make Assumptions
- Draw Conclusions
- Adopt Beliefs
- Take Actions
Skills and Strategies
Emotional Keyboard
Children of poverty are more likely to experience trauma, and they are more likely to have experienced the same number of social experiences as their peers who don’t come from poverty. They may have also experienced or witnessed more negative social experiences when compared to their peers who do not come from poverty. These students will need more opportunities to practice dealing with appropriate emotional responses. It can be much harder for them if these are not emphasized in the homes as well.
Example-Morning meetings
Self- Management
| Examples | Strategies |
| Regulating Emotions | Visulization |
| Managing stress | Name that Emotion |
| Self-control | Circle Sharing |
| Self-motiviation | Mindfulness |
| Stress management | Create a Peace Place in your Classroom |
| Setting and achieveing goals | Structured Daily Routine with options of self-selected activties |
| Examples | Strategies |
Considering the well-being of self and others | Role Playing/ Social Skill Stories |
Recognizing one’s responsibility to behave ethically | Allow students to make a video of the classroom rules. |
Basing decisions on safety, social and ethical considerations | Allow students to participate in creating classroom rules |
Evaluating realistic consequences and various actions | Explicitly teach conflict resolution skills . |
Making constructive safe choices for self relationships and school | Incorporate conflict resolution activities. |
Self-Awareness
| Examples | Strategies | |
| Relating feelings and thoughts to behavior | Morning Meetings | |
| Accurate assessment of strengths and challenges | What I Say to Myself vs. What I Could Say to Myself? | |
| Self-efficacy | Self-reflection - Fixed mindset vs. Growth mindset | |
| Optimism | Journaling | |
|
Relationships
| Examples | Strategies |
| Communicting clearly | Foster an inviting classroom community. |
| Working cooperatively | Pair students with an accountability buddy/partner. |
| Resolving conflicts | Implement the Gratitude “check in”. |
| Seeking help | Assign roles for collaborative activities and have frequent check ins. |
Building relationships with diverse individuals and groups | Teach students how to provide constructive feedback. |
Social Awareness
| Examples | Strategies |
| Perspective Taking | Encourage students to put themselves in another’s shoes. |
| Empathy | Incorporate service learning activities. |
| Respecting Diversity | Discuss and role play how to act in various social situations. |
Understanding social and ethical norms of behavior | Discuss personal space and boundaries. |
Recognizing family, school and community | Provide a safe space for making amends. |
Scenarios
Students will discuss the scenarios and find strategies above to help the the students in planning instruction.
1. Johnny has an emotional behavior disorder and often has outbursts when he becomes frustrated. During recess, Johnny often initiates conversations with his peers but has difficulty with turn taking. When his peers express frustration with this, he often blames them and beings to tattle. What strategies can we implement in the classroom to assist Johnny?
2. Joel is a new student from another country. Many of the girls often complain that he hits and pushes them during recess. They complain that he make comments like, “boys should control girls” and “girls should talk less because boys are stronger and make more important decisions.” What strategies can we implement in the classroom to assist Joel?
Developing as a Professional
Summary of this section:
In this section participants will develop professional coping skills to support successful educational outcomes based on ACE’s scores of themselves and their student population.
Participants will ensure professional development opportunities include aspects of the five supports to Adverse Childhood Experiences.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will identify Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) scores answered with a ‘Yes” and create strategies for non-bias supportive instruction
Participants will be able to identify the benefits of Positive Childhood Experiences (PCE’s)
Participants will design learning experiences based on overcoming Adverse Childhood Experiences with a focus on implementing Positive Childhood Experience (PCE’s) for student populations they intend to educate
Most of us are aware of the negative effect of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on the health and welfare of a child. ACEs are harmful interpersonal exposures in the home that include physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and exposure to violence, crime, maternal depression, and substance abuse. But what many educators don't realize is that ACEs can have a negative effect on a child's educational achievement and cognitive skills as well. But there is emerging research that suggests that when students have access to positive relationships with adults, the benefits outweigh the adversity.
For years now, we have all been hearing about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) and the detrimental effects they can have for the rest of a person’s life. Have you heard about Positive Childhood Experiences (PCE)? Research comparing adults who reported high numbers of PCEs with those who reported low or no PCEs found that adults reporting more PCEs showed 72 percent lower levels of adult depression and/or poor mental health and were 3.5 times more likely to get the social and emotional support they need as an adult (Bethell, et al, 2019). Other research has found that, when their parents were able to share ideas and talk about things that matter with their child, the child had a 1,200 percent greater chance of flourishing compared to those who did not have this type of communication (Bethell, Gombojav & Whitaker, 2019).
Positive childhood experiences are defined as “feeling safe in our families to talk about emotions and things that are hard and feeling supported during hard times.” Examples of PCEs include:
Being able to talk openly to a family member or as a family about feelings and feel heard, accepted and supported
Belief that family stood by them during difficult times
Feeling safe and protected by an adult in the home
Preventing ACEs could reduce a large number of health conditions
Professional development opportunities which evidence success in insulating children from ACE’s include:
Teachers mitigating stress for students. The three types of stress being: positive, tolerable, and toxic stress. When adults encourage and enable students to make adaptive responses to stressful situations, the students exhibit coping skills in handling stress.
Positive Stress- Informing students in advance of tests and daily required academic tasks assigned and evaluated
Tolerable Stress- Providing access to protective relationships, as with caring teachers, those relationships enable the body's stress-response system to return to a balanced state and the brain to recover
This approach enables students to benefit from classroom instruction and maintain positive, constructive relationships with their teachers.
Toxic Stress-Engaging in neuroscience-designed activities can be used to reinforce cognitive skills, like attention and memory, that are affected by ACEs.
Educators can also protect and promote good outcomes for students facing adversities by increasing their ability to anticipate and circumvent threats.
Professional development opportunities which evidence success in providing children with Positive Childhood Experiences (PCE’s) include:
Providing early childhood experiences such as a secure attachment during the first years of life, access to safe and stable, and nurturing relationships; these bonds are naturally facilitated in the classroom.
Providing a safe haven for students of adversity.
Extracurricular activities, school-based child care, and after-school academic programs offer even more opportunity to provide positive interactions with students.
Ensure classroom competencies include tips for nurturing PCEs:
Not assuming a child is doing fine just because he or she is not showing obvious signs of distress.
Check in. Ask the child to share their thoughts, feelings and concerns about what is going on.
If the child gives a superficial response like “I’m fine” share some of your own thoughts, feelings and concerns to show that it is acceptable to talk openly about these things.
Listen carefully. Put the electronics down. Give your full attention.
Some children and most teenagers aren’t comfortable maintaining eye contact when talking about their innermost fears and hurts. They’re more likely to bring these things up at times when they don’t have to look directly at you, like when riding in the car.
Don’t dismiss the topic because it is not a good time. Make time, even if it means you have to drive extra laps around the block while you do.
Offer compassionate empathy rather than solutions. Many of us are uncomfortable hearing another person’s fears, especially if we don’t know how to fix the situation that is causing them.
Showing that the child’s emotions aren’t too frightening for you to handle helps the child to feel safer, less out of control and genuinely connected.
Breathing in the same room is not the same as connecting.
Do something together – play a game, do a craft or look at pictures and share memories.
Let the child’s questions guide you.
Children will let you know what is on their mind and what concerns them most through the questions they ask.
A great way to start a conversation with the child is to ask, “What questions do you have about what is happening?”
As much as possible, keep your traditions and rituals going.
This can be elaborate and formal as decorating for and making traditional foods for a holiday.
It can be as simple and informal as greeting each other with a certain phrase or making up a secret handshake.
Say the words. Don’t assume they know you care. Every human being needs to hear that he or she is loved. Everyone deserves to hear it when they do a good job.
It helps them feel connected and appreciated.
Potential reduction of negative outcomes in adulthood
Reflection Activity:
Participants will reflect on how ACE’s/PCE’s impact classroom instruction
Getting an education is important to me.
I have people I look up to.
I feel I belong at my school.
I have opportunities to develop skills that will be useful later in life.
Participants will determine ways to improve classroom instruction based on ACE scores
Students will view the CDC Online Training Module on Adverse Childhood Experiences
Content Support: