The Trauma-Sensitive Classroom: Building Resilience with Compassionate Teaching

The Trauma-Sensitive Classroom: Building Resilience with Compassionate Teaching
Author: Patricia A. Jennings
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2018-11-13
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0393711870

Selected as a "Favorite Book for Educators in 2018" by Greater Good. From the author of Mindfulness for Teachers, a guide to supporting trauma-exposed students. Fully half the students in U.S. schools have experienced trauma, violence, or chronic stress. In the face of this epidemic, it falls increasingly to teachers to provide the adult support these students need to function in school. But most educators have received little training to prepare them for this role. In her new book, Tish Jennings—an internationally recognized leader in the field of social and emotional learning—shares research and experiential knowledge about the practices that support students' healing, build their resilience, and foster compassion in the classroom. In Part I, Jennings describes the effects of trauma on body and mind, and how to recognize them in students' behavior. In Part II, she introduces the trauma-sensitive practices she has implemented in her work with schools. And in Part III, she connects the dots between mindfulness, compassion, and resilience. Each chapter contains easy-to-use, practical activities to hone the skills needed to create a compassionate learning environment.

Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education

Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education
Author: Alex Shevrin Venet
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2023-09-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1003845118

Educators must both respond to the impact of trauma, and prevent trauma at school. Trauma-informed initiatives tend to focus on the challenging behaviors of students and ascribe them to circumstances that students are facing outside of school. This approach ignores the reality that inequity itself causes trauma, and that schools often heighten inequities when implementing trauma-informed practices that are not based in educational equity. In this fresh look at trauma-informed practice, Alex Shevrin Venet urges educators to shift equity to the center as they consider policies and professional development. Using a framework of six principles for equity-centered trauma-informed education, Venet offers practical action steps that teachers and school leaders can take from any starting point, using the resources and influence at their disposal to make shifts in practice, pedagogy, and policy. Overthrowing inequitable systems is a process, not an overnight change. But transformation is possible when educators work together, and teachers can do more than they realize from within their own classrooms.

Fostering Resilient Learners

Fostering Resilient Learners
Author: Kristin Souers
Publisher: ASCD
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2016-01-26
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1416621105

In this galvanizing book for all educators, Kristin Souers and Pete Hall explore an urgent and growing issue--childhood trauma--and its profound effect on learning and teaching. Grounded in research and the authors' experience working with trauma-affected students and their teachers, Fostering Resilient Learners will help you cultivate a trauma-sensitive learning environment for students across all content areas, grade levels, and educational settings. The authors--a mental health therapist and a veteran principal--provide proven, reliable strategies to help you * Understand what trauma is and how it hinders the learning, motivation, and success of all students in the classroom. * Build strong relationships and create a safe space to enable students to learn at high levels. * Adopt a strengths-based approach that leads you to recalibrate how you view destructive student behaviors and to perceive what students need to break negative cycles. * Head off frustration and burnout with essential self-care techniques that will help you and your students flourish. Each chapter also includes questions and exercises to encourage reflection and extension of the ideas in this book. As an educator, you face the impact of trauma in the classroom every day. Let this book be your guide to seeking solutions rather than dwelling on problems, to building relationships that allow students to grow, thrive, and--most assuredly--learn at high levels.

Teaching, Learning, and Trauma, Grades 6-12

Teaching, Learning, and Trauma, Grades 6-12
Author: Brooke O′Drobinak
Publisher: Corwin
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2020-06-17
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1544364075

Transform challenging classroom experiences into opportunities for lasting student-teacher relationships, professional growth, and student engagement Chronic stress, anxiety, and trauma have startling effects on teachers and students. The pandemic and distance learning have exacerbated behavior issues and emotional dysregulation, making it difficult for students to engage, learn, and maintain healthy self-esteem. In Teaching, Learning, and Trauma, the authors guide you through the process of creating a learning environment that combats the negative effects of chronic stress and trauma. They show you how to establish rituals and routines, develop personalization, and implement effective student engagement practices that create a relationship-based culture and effectively improve student achievement. This book includes: Self-assessment tools to help teachers make informed decisions Examples of self-care plans and schoolwide policies for maintaining healthy boundaries in and out of school Real-world vignettes and samples of teacher work Planning documents and reflection questions to guide educators in identifying strengths and growth areas Using a synergistic approach, this book unites compelling research data, theories, stories, and best practices from trauma-informed schools, relationship-based psychology, and effective instructional design to dissolve obstacles caused by chronic stress and trauma.

The Knowledge Gap

The Knowledge Gap
Author: Natalie Wexler
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2020-08-04
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0735213569

The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.

Help for Billy

Help for Billy
Author: Heather T. Forbes
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012
Genre: Post-traumatic stress disorder in children
ISBN: 9780984715596

"Help for Billy brings a compassionate voice to the thousands of children who attend every school in America who have been impacted by trauma, and the significant disadvantage that stress has on brain development"--Publisher's description.

Disrupting Poverty

Disrupting Poverty
Author: Kathleen M. Budge
Publisher: ASCD
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2018-01-22
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1416625275

Drawing upon decades of research and myriad authentic classroom experiences, Kathleen M. Budge and William H. Parrett dispel harmful myths, explain the facts, and urge educators to act against the debilitating effects of poverty on their students. They share the powerful voices of teachers—many of whom grew up in poverty—to amplify the five classroom practices that permeate the culture of successful high-poverty schools: (1) caring relationships and advocacy, (2) high expectations and support, (3) commitment to equity, (4) professional accountability for learning, and (5) the courage and will to act. Readers will explore classroom-tested strategies and practices, plus online templates and exercises that can be used for personal reflection or ongoing collaboration with colleagues. Disrupting Poverty provides teachers, administrators, coaches, and others with the background information and the practical tools needed to help students break free from the cycle of poverty.

Building a Trauma-Informed Restorative School

Building a Trauma-Informed Restorative School
Author: Joe Brummer
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2020-12-21
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1787752682

Covering both theory and practice, this book will teach educators everything they need to know about developing restorative practices in their education settings, in a way that is also trauma-informed. The first part of the book addresses the theory and philosophy of restorative approaches, and of trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive schools. The second part outlines the five restorative skills (mindfulness, honest expression, empathy, the art of asking questions and the art of requests), what they look like in practice (including using circles, respect agreements and restorative dialogue), and how to implement them. Every strategy is clearly explained and adapted to be appropriate for children and adults who have experienced trauma. Everything the book discusses has been especially designed to be adapted for different school settings and their particular challenges.

Supporting and Educating Traumatized Students

Supporting and Educating Traumatized Students
Author: Eric Rossen
Publisher:
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2020
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0190052732

Traumatic or adverse experiences are pervasive among school-aged children and youth. Trauma undermines students' ability to learn, form relationships, and manage their feelings and behavior. School-based professionals working with traumatized students are often unaware of their complex needs or how to meet them within the hours of the typical school day. The second edition of Supporting and Educating Traumatized Students is a comprehensive guide for understanding and assisting students with a history of trauma. Designed specifically for professionals in mental health and education settings, this volume combines content and expertise from practitioners, researchers, and other experts with backgrounds in education, school psychology, school social work, school administration, resilience, school policy, and trauma. The book provides a thorough background on current research in trauma and its impact on school functioning; administrative and policy considerations; and a broad set of practical and implementable strategies and resources for adapting and differentiating instruction, modifying the classroom and school environments, and building competency for students and staff. New chapters address topics such as post-traumatic growth, interpersonal violence, and trauma screening and assessment among others. Educators can continue to use this updated edition as a reference and ongoing resource, with the ability to quickly and easily access a variety of school-based strategies to help improve educational and social outcomes for traumatized students.

The Behavior Code Companion

The Behavior Code Companion
Author: Jessica Minahan
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2014
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9781612507514

Since its publication in 2012, The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students has helped countless classroom teachers, special educators, and others implement an effective, new approach to teaching focused on skill-building, practical interventions, and purposeful, positive interactions with students who have mental health disorders. Based on the success of the previous book, author Jessica Minahan has written this companion guide for educators seeking additional guidance for creating and implementing successful behavior intervention plans ("FAIR Plans") for the students teachers worry about the most: those with anxiety-related or oppositional behaviors. Minahan takes readers step-by-step through the process of understanding and practicing the components of a FAIR behavior intervention plan so that they or a team can immediately customize it and put it to work in classrooms. Additional tips on creating interventions, as well as checklists to help with implementation and monitoring progress, are also included. Packed with brainstorming and reflection exercises, planning activities, templates, case studies, recommended apps, and other technology resources, The Behavior Code Companion will help educators create optimal classroom environments for all students.