Emotional Stress/Trauma in Children

Research on Literacy Learning Possibilities All students can learn, even when they come to our classrooms having experienced a lifetime of trauma. Trauma informed educational practices began making an appearance in the early 2000’s with legislative initiatives emphasizing trauma sensitive practices that should be adopted in support of students. One example being Massachusetts’ “Flexible Framework” for Trauma-Sensitive Practices in Schools (McInerney, et. al, 2014). Teachers need to be educated on these practices as we continue to see student ACE scores increasing across the country. In establishing the classroom it is vital to ensure safety, establish trustworthiness, maximize choice and collaboration, and prioritize empowerment for these students (Carello, et. al, 2015). Alongside a supportive classroom environment we have to teach students that have a traumatic background with the best literacy instructional practices in order to support them as learners, as there can be a negative a...

  The Struggles and Challenges of Students who have Experienced Trauma The majority of research and theory surrounding education centers around the understanding that learning is a social event. Lev Vygotsky explains that social engagement is the underlying component in how we construct meaning (Handsfield, 2016). We build understanding based on how those around us interact with and interpret ideas. From infancy, we begin mimicking and responding to the behaviors of others. This is how we learn how to be a part of the physical and emotional world and build our funds of knowledge. We feel validated when our understandings are shared with those around us. We internalize meaning and understandings based on how they match our funds of knowledge. Looking at this from the perspective of coherence theory, a person’s individual experiences and understandings are what guide them to make sense of the world and understand reality (Handsfield, 2016). Social Constructivism is one of the mai...

Characteristics of Learners with Trauma Teachers all across the world have student victims of trauma sitting in their classrooms everyday. This is unfortunately, a wide-spread problem that needs to be addressed. Trauma is referenced by Medley, 2012, as “...a response to a stressful experience in which a person’s ability to cope is dramatically undermined.” (Cole et. al 2005). Educators need to recognize the signs of trauma in their students, in order to be able to reach them on a personal, and hopefully academic level. The reason I say hopefully on an academic level, is due to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: https://carrothealth.com/importance-of-sdoh/   Maslow’s theory was developed around basic human needs, but it can be applied to children as well, as he was influenced by Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development. When our students most basic needs aren’t being met their attention to, and motivation for learning is not at the necessary level in order to be successful. Accord...