Trauma Informed Compassionate Classrooms- Strategies to Reduce Challenging Behavior, Improve Learning Outcomes and Increase Student Engagement – Dr. Jennifer L. Bashant

As an educator, you are faced with the challenge of meeting the social and emotional needs of all your students. This can be challenging enough with typical learners but it is even more difficult with those who have experienced trauma or have mental health challenges. Students who have experienced trauma often present as difficult to engage and display problematic behavior such as a low frustration tolerance, angry outbursts or difficult social relationships. These behaviors all get in the way of teaching and learning. When a student has experienced trauma, he/she often spends much of the day in fight/flight/freeze mode which limits their capacity to learn. Their outwardly aggressive and irritable behaviors also disrupt the flow in the classroom, requiring your time and attention. Despite the amount of time you invest in behavior charts or incentives for good behavior, traditional behavioral approaches to classroom management and a punitive approach to discipline simply are not effective.

Watch Dr. Bashant and learn how a trauma-informed approach will greatly reduce challenging behavior, improve student engagement and increase learning outcomes. Finish this recording with new strategies, tools and resources to reduce students’ impulsiveness, aggressive behaviors and inattention and increase their focus, attention and compassion. While this positive approach is absolutely essential for students with trauma, it will also greatly benefit each and every student in your classroom. Return to your school with:

• Research-based practices to establish a trauma-informed classroom
• A plan to develop positive relationships and build trust with your hard-to-reach students
• Prove techniques for communicating more effectively and collaboratively with challenging students
• Cognitive skill-building strategies which incorporate the science of neuroplasticity and the strengths-based perspective of neurodiversity