Classroom Practices & Accommodations
In addition to impacting behaviour, trauma can wreak havoc on a student’s ability to learn. Youths who have experienced trauma may also suffer from other social, psychological, and cognitive issues. Some have a hard time regulating their emotions, paying attention, and forming good relationships, all of which make it very difficult for a child to succeed in school. When the school community focuses on repairing regulatory competencies and maladaptive attachment styles together with a positive education approach, the resulting pedagogy is a full-bodied approach. Teachers can envision their classroom addressing the effects of adverse childhood experiences and creating a structure geared towards posttraumatic growth, psychological well being, and academic aspirations for all students (Brunzell, Waters & Stokes, 2015).
Recognizing student’s actions as a direct result of their life experiences.
Moving from, ‘What is wrong with you?’ but rather, ‘What happened to you?’ (HUANG ET AL., 2014)
Create resources to help students, and create safe spaces for them to succeed in school
(McInerney & McKlindon, 2014).
Classroom Practices
As educators, it is our responsibility to understand how trauma affects students' social, emotional, and academic growth. The more educators understand how traumatic experiences affect student competencies, the more proactive they can be in creating trauma-sensitive learning environments (Terrasi, & de Galarce, 2017).
In knowing how to communicate and interact with students affected by trauma, teachers will be able to create that balance between maintaining normal classroom routines and giving special attention to individual students. Understanding their own limits and knowing when to refer students to mental health professionals is necessary.
Classroom practices for Indigenous students should include but not limited to, the following:
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Treat every student as a person worthy of respect and capable of learning, regardless of their experiences.
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Maintain open communication and promote honesty and mutual respect.
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Position learning as a dialogue among equals.
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Establish and maintain clear, healthy boundaries.
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Provide opportunities for students to reflect on what they have learned and renegotiate their beliefs about themselves in relation to the rest of the world.
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Invite guest speakers that have personal connections to the local indigenous community.
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Story-telling presentation approaches discussion circles and group sharing. (This is important to encourage participation and acknowledge that each participant is a teacher and learner in their healing journey).
Classroom Accommodations
With the implementation of relevant and flexible learning settings, trauma-informed educators can meet the complex needs of students who have experienced intergenerational trauma as well as other traumatic experiences such as violence, abuse or neglect. Classroom pedagogies and student management are enhanced for trauma-affected students if teachers seek to directly remedy the disrupted capacities (e.g., regulatory abilities and relational attachment) that have been compromised by traumatic stressors, and nature learning experiences that allow students to identify and build upon their strengths (Brunzell, Water, & Stokes, 2015).
Environmental
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The physical layout of your classroom can be used to build positive emotions.
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Positive visuals and quotes (those reflecting cultural perspectives)
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Consider the seating arrangement in your class.
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Create a mindful corner, a dedicated space that students can visit to regulate their stress response.
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Create learning circles for class discussions and activities.
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Create an environment that is safe, inclusive and affirmative.
Safety: All students feel they are welcome in the classroom. Students do not feel they are coming into a judgemental or hostile environment. Teachers are encouraged to display encouraging and inspiring posters.
Inclusivity: All students have a sense of belonging in their classroom environment; no one feels left out or socially isolated.
Affirmative: The strengths of students are positively reinforced, with students' work on display.
Instructional
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Provide choice and collaboration
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Incorporate more opportunities for humour and laughter into lessons. (Laughter reduces the traumatic response in the brain)
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Give tasks, directions, or assignments one at a time to prevent stressing and overwhelming student
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Alternative assignments (include creative assignments)
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Activities are broken down into smaller assignments
Emotional
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Listen non-judgmentally
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Give reassurance and information
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Encourage self-help and other strategies
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Provide mental health services in culturally responsive ways and work respectfully with the Indigenous frameworks of mental wellness (Boksa et al., 2015, p.365).
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Provide support on how to cope with stress. Stress reduction techniques like relaxation and meditation can help to improve mental health and also immune function.
At least 1 in 4 students has experience trauma that negatively impacts school success. Learn more in this video what teachers can do.
Teachers play an essential role in facilitating learning. The way we establish relationships with students is crucial to ensure that the classroom environment supports both academic and personal growth in all students.
It is imperative to provide students with a safe and supportive classroom environment that facilitates active participation and engagement. In creating this space, we must seek to collaborate with our students to develop agreements that set the parameters for class discussions. We should also provide students with the opportunity to reflect on their role in the classroom community. All student contributions should be valued; however, we need to recognize that some students may not feel comfortable sharing; and this is when we explore other avenues of dealing with this, such as using think, pair, share activities.
Evaluation
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Give the student opportunities to make choices or provide an alternate format (oral, written).
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Provide extended time on test
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Scribe to write for student
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Provide opportunities for students to succeed
The conditions in the classroom that foster Indigenous learners are varied. However, the following statements from the Draft Competencies and Skills (n.d.) capture some critical factors necessary for Indigenous inclusive spaces:
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The classroom is, welcoming, and student voice/experiences are recognized as integral to the construction of active knowledge.
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Expectations for students are high, realistic, flexible, and supported by teachers, peers and other critical friends.
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Classroom activities are culturally relevant, differentiated, and promote exploration, imagination, and creative action.
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Student learning is expressed in a variety of forms that honour diversity and challenge students to try a multiplicity of methods.
https://peopleforeducation.ca/report/what-matters-in-indigenous-education/
References
Brunzell, T., Waters, L., & Stokes, H. (2015). Teaching With Strengths in Trauma-Affected Students: A New Approach to Healing and Growth in the Classroom. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 85(1), 3–9. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000048
Huang, L. N ., Flatow, R ., Biggs, T ., Afayee, S ., Smith, K ., Clark, T ., & Blake, M. (2014). SAMHSA’s concept of trauma
and guidance for a trauma-informed approach (SMA No . 14-4884). Retrieved from U .S. Department of Health and
Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website: http://store .samhsa
.gov/shin/content/SMA14-4884/SMA14-4884 .pdf
McLnerney, M., & McKlindon, A. (2014). Unlocking the Door to Learning: Trauma-Informed Classrooms & Transformational
Schools. Retrieved 10 July 2020, from https://www.elc-pa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Trauma-Informed-in-
Schools-Classrooms-FINAL-December2014-2.pdf
Terrasi, S., & de Galarce, P. C. (2017). Trauma and learning in America’s classrooms. Phi Delta Kappan, 98(6), 35–41.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721717696476