Possible Learning Environment and Activities
Possible Learning Environment and Activities
As we have explored in the previous blogs, the impact trauma
has on children can be devastating. It can not only affect their emotions and
behavior, but it can alter their brain development. This interruption during
such a critical time for brain development can affect such things as reasoning,
learning, executive functioning, and social skills. Providing support and
intervention for these children in the classroom is imperative for their success.
Teachers must be intentional with the environment they create and practices
they utilize in order to provide a risk-free atmosphere for these students. A
positive classroom environment can serve as a buffer for these students from
the effects of trauma (Wright, 2017).
Importance of Routine
For children who have experienced trauma, many of their
brains are in a constant state of survival mode. Their experiences have wired
them to be overly sensitive to potential threatening or dangerous situations.
Anything out of the ordinary can be quite overwhelming for them. Not knowing what
to expect can trigger possible trauma responses resulting in emotional dysregulation.
Establishing consistent and rigid classroom routine can be very helpful in
reducing this anxiety (Statman, 2015). When children know what to expect when,
it can allow them to feel more at ease. This can allow their brains to ease away
from survival mode and be more open and reading for learning.
The same concept can be applied to transition times. Students
should be well aware of the approach of a transition and be able to anticipate the
ending of a task (Wright, 2017). Sometimes if a student is unable to finish a
task and is abruptly pulled away, it can trigger an emotional response. If they
can anticipate the end and know what to do if something is unfished, that
response can be avoided. Some ideas for smooth transitions in the classroom can
be as simple as setting timers or playing a chime when the transition time is
near.
Having a firm and laid out schedule is equally as important.
It should be visible and even discussed with the child every day. Any possible
changes to the schedule or routine should be shared well in advance with the
child. This can help them anticipate what is coming and regulate their anxiety.
All expectations of the classroom should be explicitly taught and practiced as
well. They need to know what is expected, why, and what those expectations
looks like (Wright, 2017). This allows them to understand and authentically picture what is expected from
them and be able to visualize themselves successfully meeting the expectation. With
many of these students, the effects of their trauma result in unfavorable behavior
that impacts their self-esteem even more negatively. They may feel incapable of
acting appropriately or acceptably in the classroom. Being able to see themselves
achieving this can be instrumental in their success.
Building Positive Relationships
Building a relationship with a teacher has been proven to be
one of the strongest influences on students who have experienced trauma (Jennings,
2019). Many of these students have not had positive relationships with the
adults in their lives. The source of trauma for a good number of these students
has been a predominant adult figure in their lives. Therefore, their
perspective on relationships with adults has been impeded. Building a trusting
relationship with a teacher who shows genuine care and interest in the child can
be monumental. Having that role model be someone they can rely on for
consistent support can help build their self-worth and help them feel safe in the
classroom. As a teacher, it is imperative that we take the time to build this
relationship. Take an interest in the child’s life and be sure to make them feel
valued in the classroom.
A teacher’s demeanor and affect toward the student in the
classroom is also incredibly influential (Blaustein, 2013). As mentioned earlier,
often times students who have experienced trauma are in a constant state of stress
management. They are usually in a state of high alert and any sort of negative
or sharp reaction from someone else can trigger a trauma response. Therefore,
it is extremely important as a teacher to be mindful of the way we respond to our
students at all times, and especially in their times emotional dysregulation.
Often times when these students feel overwhelmed, they react with what is seen
as negative behavior. The best way to respond to this is to first remain neutral
in our demeanor (Statman, 2015).
How to Respond to Negative Behavior:
- Provide the student with the opportunity to regain control and calm down.
- allow them to express what their feeling and validate their emotions.
- Discuss the trigger for the behavior
- Discuss why the behavior was not a productive reaction
- Provide possible choices for the next triggering experience
Emotional Development Support
As discussed in the earlier posts, students who have experienced
trauma are likely to struggle with understanding, dealing with, and responding
to emotions. The emotional development that has been a natural part of most
children’s lives, has been derailed in theirs. Even simply the use of appropriate
emotional language can be challenging for these students. They may not have had
the experience of others expressing their emotions to them and vice versa. Many
times in traumatic environments, adult modeling has not occurred as it should
have. Simply from a lack of adult interaction, these children may not have exposure
to common emotions or even the vocabulary to express these emotions (Statman,
2015). This can obviously make it
difficult for these children to even recognize emotions, much less to be able
to explain and regulate them. Sociolinguistic theory helps explain the
importance the role language, even emotional language, plays in our social and
personal understanding (Handsfield, 2016). The way we use language impacts the
way we understand others, ourselves, and the world. Learning to express
emotions through language can have a major impact on this.
As teachers of this children, helping them to identify and
name their emotions is a first step in supporting
them in learning to cope with and regulate them (Wright, 2017). This requires teachers
to be attentive to students’ demeanor and behavior in order to identify when
they might be struggling with an emotion. It might be necessary to provide students
with the words to explain what it is their feeling. They need to feel validated
in what they are feeling and recognize emotions as an acceptable part of being
human. For younger students, imaginary play involving acting out of emotions
can be very helpful for this as well (Statman, 2015). Exposure to books and
stories that involve different emotions can allow students to associate
emotions with relatable people and experiences.
Supporting Social Development
Supporting the social development of students have
experienced trauma is another very difficult hurdle. It is part of human nature
to desire to be part of a community (Jennings, 2019) . As discussed previously,
many times they may lack the skills necessary to interact appropriately with
their peers. This can impede their self-esteem, social relationships, as well
as their learning. As social constructivist theories explain, we build meaning
based on our social engagement (Handsfield, 2016.) This means our abilities and
experiences in interacting with peers is an instrumental piece in constructing meaning
of the world.
We can support the development of these social skills in the
classroom. To begin with, we can model respectful interactions between
ourselves and other students. We can also point out and praise positive interactions
when they occur. Some of these students need to explicit instruction in these
skills as much as academic ones. It is also important for teachers to take an
active role in supporting peer relationships in the classroom (Jennings, 2019).
Provide opportunities to socialize with one another. Build in structured,
social learning opportunities as much as possible. Be present while they are
doing so and provide guidance on building these relationships (Wright, 2017).
Conflict resolution is another important skill for these
students to acquire. Many children need support in successfully managing
conflict, but especially those lacking emotional skills. Children must learn to
take on other’s perspectives which can be challenging. They also must learn to
set aside their own desires for the better of others. This can be supported in
the classroom through modeling and guidance by the teacher. Allow opportunities
for students to work out their own disagreements but observe and moderate them
through it. For younger children, role play or pretend play can be quite helpful
as well (Wright, 2017).
Concluding Thoughts
As teachers we must be aware of the challenges and differences
all students bring with them to the classroom. Children who have experienced trauma
carry heavy burdens that can impact them in so many ways, in and out of the
classroom. It is our job to support them emotionally, socially, and
academically as much as possible. In the following post we will provide resources
to help parents and other stakeholders support these children outside of the
classroom.
References
Handsfield, L. J. (2016). In Literacy theory as practice: connecting theory and instruction in K-12 classrooms (pp. 75–98). Teachers College Press.Wright, T. (2017). Supporting students who have experienced trauma. The NAMTA Journal, 42(2).
Ww
great ideas.
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