FLO Course: Trauma-Informed Teaching OER (July 2021)
Topic outline
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Badging Requirements:
To receive a badge for this course you will need to complete:
- Introduce self (Discussion forum)
- Comment on a scenario of self-care (Discussion forum)
- Self-Care Plan (Assignment)
- Comment on a scenario of student disclosure (Discussion forum)
- Trauma-Informed Teaching Approach Implementation Plan (Assignment)
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If you have any questions would like to engage with other participants, feel free to add your discussion here.
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The goal for Week 1 is to get acquainted with ourselves and each other. This week's topics include:
- Introduction to facilitators and participants
- Introduction to the topic
- Boundaries and Self-Care
- Empathy
Note: We recognize that participants are often working full-time and have busy personal lives, so we wanted to let you know that the tasks for Week 1 can be accomplished at your own pace, ideally before we start Week 2 to get the most out of the course. When taking a similar type of course, I have found it stressful to realize that if I haven't posted my introduction by the end of the first day, that I am already behind. Knowing this we have broadened our expectations to remove this pressure.
The tasks for this week include:
- Synchronous session on (insert date). This session will be recorded and available in the course if you can't make the live session.
- Introduce Yourself in the Discussion forum and respond to at least one other person.
- Engage with the materials in the course
- Comment on a scenario of self-care (this will also be in the Discussion forum)
- Self-Care plan (assignment that you will post to the Assignment Dropbox)
You will find all of the materials and the respective discussion forums and assignment dropbox under this topic, Week 1: Starting with Self.
For simplicity sake, we will also add all of the resources we use or quote from under the Resources tab.
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ACTIVATE: Spend a moment reflecting on the following prompt before jumping to resources.
Before we jump into the course, one of the things that Melinda and I are acutely aware of is how little we really know about each other. We see so little of a person and it can be easy to make assumptions. This can apply to our colleagues but often as instructors, we make assumptions about our students. It might be the student in the back of the class who falls asleep every day or like this video, the student who is late for class consistently. We don't need to inquire about their behaviour but to approach all we encounter with empathy.
Watch this video and then reflect on the prompt below: something people may assume wrongly about you, times when you may have made a wrong assumption about someone else.
Warning: The following video contains abuse which some viewers may find distressing.
Prompt: What is something people may assume wrongly about you? Reflect on a time when you may have made a wrong assumption about someone else.
We believe that this sets a good tone with which to begin our exploration into this topic and work.
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ACQUAINT: Connect with each other by sharing in this forum.
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Make forum posts: 1
Introduce yourself to the group.
In whatever format you feel most comfortable, please make a forum post introducing yourself.
Please read through some of the posts made by your peers and respond to at least 1 other person.
Note: forum posts can be written, videos, audio clips, images or whatever else would be meaningful to you and convey an introduction.
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ACQUIRE: Pick at least one resource or activity per topic to explore. You are welcome to explore more as your time allows.
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TOPIC #1: What is Trauma
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A in-depth discussion of the complexities of psychological trauma and PTSD and ways to navigate emotionally traumatic experiences.
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Jennifer Gunn offers a great introduction to trauma and how this can affect a young person's brain.
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"I worry we often hold onto the term “resilience” as a way to avert our gaze and not grapple with the omnipresence of trauma—how it’s woven into daily life and how pervasive suffering, oppression, and violence are in our society. I worry that when we focus on resilience we veer towards toxic positivity and repress the uncomfortable and tangible effects of trauma (Barclay, n.p.).
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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services' (SAMHSA) webpage on trauma and trauma-informed.
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TOPIC #2: What is Trauma-Informed Practice
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Developed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Trauma-Informed Care (NCTIC).
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Brené Brown's Seven Elements of Trust from Dare to Lead.
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Hoch et al. (n.d.) have put together a comprehensive collection of information and resources.
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Hoch et al. (n.d.) have put together a comprehensive collection of information and resources.
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"This guide is intended for writers of resource materials, such as tip sheets, handouts, brochures, and other materials that provide information for people to use in their work and lives" (National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health, 1)
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Godwin's TED Talk focuses on elementary and middle school but has important lessons about trauma-informed teaching that translates across all levels of education.
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TOPIC #3: Boundaries and Self-Care
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This booklet offers a self-care assessment as well as ideas for creating a self-care plan.
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This academic article is freely accessible here through ERIC but we have included the .pdf file here for convenience.
"Role clarity is the process of defining the scope and goals of our relationships with students, and then maintaining boundaries that allow us to focus on that scope" (Venet, 1).
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This zine by Meg-John Barker is refreshingly real, "self-care is an act of resistance against cultural messages ... [that] insists we're no more or less valuable than anyone else" (16).
You can access the zine here but we have added .pdf file for your convenience.
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This podcast has a social work focus but her advice applies to teachers and all people working in a trauma-informed practice.
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From the Goodfellow Unit (New Zealand), this resource discusses compassion fatigue, burnout, vicarious traumatisation, and a self-care assessment.
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"Self-care is not a luxury ancillary to our professional assignments but a professional activity that makes being present and empathic a possibility" (Stipp and Miller, n.p.).
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Remember to breathe.
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Printable calendar with self-care reminders and activities.
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Shared at our FLO Friday session, this is a quick and easy way to manage anxiety and stress.
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An interactive questionnaire with some actual steps to feeling better.
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TOPIC #4: Empathy
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In his article, Daniel Heath Justice, tells us that "[b]eing a kind teacher doesn't mean creating a classroom where are behaviours are appropriate, or not having high and even demanding expectations" (3).
This article can be found here: https://thewalrus.ca/demanding-kinder-classrooms-doesnt-make-you-a-snowflake/.
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Brene Brown's poignant explanation of empathy.
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Meyers et al. (2019), define teacher empathy and show how this enhances student learning. The article offers suggestions for increasing teacher empathy and reinforces the idea that "[i]nstructors high in teacher empathy do not lower standards; they identify and remove obstacles to learning" (Meyers et al, 162).
This article is available through College Teaching, vol. 67, issue 3, 2019. We have included the .pdf here for your convenience.
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Five elements of empathy.
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ACTION: Put your new learning into action by completing this action item.
Please read the following scenario and write a paragraph (150-200 words) about how you would deal with the situation in a trauma-informed way. Explain how the actions you would take are influenced by the readings, discussion, and videos for this course.
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Make forum posts: 1
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ASSIGNMENT: This assignment is a self-reflection exercise. You will be graded as either complete or incomplete, essentially if you do the assignment it is considered complete. We will read all of the self-care plans submitted by (insert date) and may add clarifying questions or feedback where appropriate.
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Receive a grade