Term
Summer 2021
Capstone
Capstone Project
Degree Name
MAT
Facilitator(s)
Julianne Scullen, Ed.S.
Content Expert
Carol Wekesser
Abstract
Trauma is endemic to American society, with one in six people undergoing multiple adverse childhood experiences in their lifetime. These experiences leave children vulnerable to a host of debilitating neurological, cognitive and emotional changes, which in turn may produce explosive, unpredictable and/or violent behaviors. These behaviors are detrimental to their learning environment. Teachers are often unprepared to meet traumatized students’ unique needs, but refusing to address trauma within the classroom is impossible. This project is a professional development curriculum meant to support teachers in meeting the needs of their current classroom. It includes a literature review on multiple aspects of trauma, including its impact on the body and brain, strategies for supporting traumatized students, the effect students’ trauma may have on school communities, and the relationship between trauma-informed practices and culturally responsive teaching. By reading this review, any teacher can become knowledgeable about trauma, and will be qualified to implement this professional development curriculum at their school. The curriculum consists of four sessions to be implemented over four months, and includes lesson plans, visual aids, and interactive activities. Over the course of these sessions, teachers will develop their background knowledge of trauma, and see multiple trauma informed practices modeled for them. They will also embark on a process of inquiry where they diagnose the needs of their classroom, brainstorm a trauma-informed intervention, implement it, and reflect on the results.
Project Type
Professional Development
Recommended Citation
Seal-Gray, Leah, "Trauma in the Elementary Classroom" (2021). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects. 687.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_cp/687
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Projects