Trauma Informed Instruction

By: Kaitlyn Flaherty

It starts here...

Imagine trying to learn when your own world is falling apart, you're suffering at home, you're struggling to stay awake or you don't know where you're going to sleep that night. We're asking children around America to learn in these conditions every day, and we're not giving teachers the tools equipped to handle it. I want you to keep this first sentence in mind as we go forward because chances are you will be in a situation where a child in your room is experiencing trauma. I want you to consider how you would use trauma-informed instruction in your classroom in the future, and what training you'll want to have to be the best teacher you can be. Ultimately, it starts with you.

Trauma Informed Instruction

How many children are affected by childhood trauma?

A. 100 million

B. 35 thousand

C. 35 million

D. like a hundred kids maybe

What's NOT a strategy to help students that have been in a traumatic situation?

A. Building a relationship

B. Changing the Channel

C. Telling them to try harder

D. Expect the unexpected

Answers

Number 1: C. 35 Million

Number 2. C. Telling them to try harder

In the future

As you become a teacher, I want you to find the approach to trauma- informed instruction that works for you. Children cannot learn when they're dysregulated, that'd the most important thing to understand. You will have a child that is experiencing trauma in your classroom, find a way to change the channel.

Reference Page

Carello, J., & Butler, L. D. (2015). Practicing what we teach: Trauma-informed educational practice. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 35(3), 262-278.

Krystal, H. (1978). Trauma and affects. The psychoanalytic study of the child, 33(1), 81-116.

Lubit, R., Rovine, D., DeFrancisci, L., & Eth, S. (2003). Impact of trauma on children. Journal of Psychiatric Practice®, 9(2), 128-138.

McMurtrie, B. (2020). What does trauma-informed teaching look like. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington, DC. https://www. chronicle. com/newsletter/teaching/2020-06-04.

Minahan, J. (2019). Trauma-informed teaching strategies. Educational Leadership, 77(2), 30-35.

Phifer, L. W., & Hull, R. (2016). Helping students heal: Observations of trauma-informed practices in the schools. School Mental Health, 8, 201-205.

It Starts Here: Trauma Informed Instruction. (2018). YouTube. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://youtu.be/SiPUmxJUQ3g.