Trauma Informed Education

Relationships change the brain. The good news from the science and research on brain development is that while our earliest interpersonal experiences may have created unhelpful patterns, new patterns are formed as children develop into adults. Today we speak with Bonnie Badenoch. Bonnie is a master therapist, supervisor, teacher and author who has spent the last 15 years integrating the discoveries of neuroscience into practice. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

Building trauma-sensitive schools involves changes to school policy, practice, and culture and requires ongoing efforts to ensure that all students—including students affected by trauma—are experiencing social, emotional, and educational success. As school and district leaders, you play a crucial role in bringing about change. Developing and sharing a vision of trauma sensitivity and the process for achieving it will help to overcome challenges by charting a course of action and maintaining focus and commitment among staff. Learn more about the risks of not adopting a trauma informed approach and strategies to change school cultures. To learn more, visit www.tipbs.com

Today we speak with Dr. Jaime Mendoza-Williams, the head of student wellness at Mindright – a nonprofit that provides personalized mental health coaching over text message to teens. Developed by Ashley Edwards and Alina Liao, MindRight provides programs aimed at empowering youth of colour to heal from trauma and systemic oppression, including poverty, violence, racism, and discrimination. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

What are the principles of trauma informed practice and what do they look like in practice in schools? Listen to Dr. Ayre and Dr. Krishnamoorthy discuss practical strategies for how to communicate, teach and accomodate for the needs of traumatised students in a safe and inclusive school environment. To learn more, visit www.tipbs.com

For many of us advocating for trauma informed practices, we may find ourselves isolated in schools that are stressed, under-resourced and punitive. In these systems, compassionate and thoughtful strategies to help students is met with strong opposition and cynicism. So what can be done to change such schools? In this episode, we speak with psychiatrist, Dr. Sandra Bloom. In addition to her faculty position at the School of Public Health at Drexel, she is President of CommunityWorks, an organizational consulting firm committed to the development of nonviolent environments. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com

In this Key Concepts episode, we are looking at the concept of sensitisation, its implications for how students cope with adversity, and how it might inform our efforts to support them. To learn more about the trauma informed positive behaviour support program, please visit www.tipbs.com

Sports and exercise can be a powerful tool of engagement and teaching,. But it can also be a stressful experience for students who struggle at school. Learn about the science of trauma informed physical education with Megan Bartlett. Megan has spent most of her career working in, designing, and advocating for programs that use sports to promote youth development and positively impact communities. She speaks regularly on the power of sport to create social change and help kids heal and is co-author of the book Re-Designing Youth Sports: Change the Game. Megan serves on Nike's Global Training Advisory Group and is working Dr. Bruce Perry and the Child Trauma Academy to create the Neurosequential Model in Sport-—a fully trauma informed sport intervention model. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

With research on trauma informed practice growing in leaps and bounds, we run the risk of losing sight of the harrowingly emotional experience of the students we are trying to help. So how do we stay empathic and remind ourselves of the needs of these children? Today we speak with Nathanael Matanick. Nathanael is the director and producer of ths short film, ReMOVED. The short film powerfully portrays the emotional journey of a nine-year old girl who is taken from her abusive birth home and placed in the tumultuous foster care system. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

We explain a key concept of trauma informed practice in schools - the concept of adaptation. To learn more about the trauma informed positive behaviour support program, please visit www.tipbs.com

With the increasing awareness of the benefits of sensory strategies in the classroom, how can we use these strategies in a coherent and meaningful way to get the most impact? Today we speak with Kimberley Hodges.Kimberly has dedicated her career to working with students identified as having severe emotional behavior disorders. She has worked in the private residential and public-school settings as a behavior specialist, classroom teacher and instructional lead teacher. Kimberly received her Master’s in Special Education from Georgia State University and her Specialist in Education from University of Missouri with a concentration in Mental Health in Schools. To get access to the links and resources mentioned in the interview, please visit www.tipbs.com.

Do your students trust you as their teacher? The impact of abuse and neglect in childhood is far reaching. Most devastatingly, these experiences disrupt a child’s capacity build attachments and relationships with those around them – including their teachers. While many think that simply talking to a student, or spending time with them, is enough to build trust - this is often insufficient. The restoration of epistemic trust requires several other educational strategies – strategies that changes how educators relate to the student, and how the student perceives the educator. Listen in to learn about some of these strategies. tipbs.com

Increasing awareness of trauma-informed practice reinforces the significance of the relational pedagogy. That is, developing authentic relationships with young people as a way of restoring their capacity for connection and learning. So what does this relational pedagogy look like in practice? The article we are reviewing today is titled ‘Relational ways of being an educator: trauma informed practice supporting disenfranchised young people’, written by Ann Morgan and colleagues. For the reference to the journal article discussed, check out the show notes at www.tipbs.com

In this episode, we interview Danna Thomas from The Happy Teacher Revolution. Danna is the founder of the Happy Teacher Revolution network - aimed at organizing support groups for teachers in the field of mental health and wellness to increase teacher happiness, retention, and professional sustainability. With teachers are asked to give so much in terms of time, money, and emotional capacity, the Happy Teacher Revolution network aims to support teachers to strike a balance between excellent teaching and personal sustainability.

Supporting students with complex and challenging difficulties can be a difficult task - one that requires educators to collaborate with other educators and professionals. So how can we help these students? Learn about the four step framework for practical strategies for delivering effective support with these students. tipbs.com

Childhood trauma interferes with a students capacity to understand, accept and follow instructions. So how can we help these students?Learn about the four step framework for practical strategies for delivering effective instructions with these students. tipbs.com