Title: Week 1: Starting with Self
Course: FLO Course: Trauma-Informed Teaching OER (Sept 2021)

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.

tinymce-kalturamedia-embed||Short Movie! Don't Judge - Film i Shkurter! Mos paragjykoni! TURN ON ENGLISH SUBTITLES [04:21]||658||602

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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ACQUIRE: Pick at least one resource or activity per topic to explore. You are welcome to explore more as your time allows.

TOPIC #1: What is Trauma

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TOPIC #2: What is Trauma-Informed Practice

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TOPIC #3: Boundaries and Self-Care

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TOPIC #4: 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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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.