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

dc_type

text

dc_publisher

DigitalCommons@Hamline

dc_format

application/pdf

dc_source

School of Education Student Capstone Projects

Included in

Education Commons

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