Course | Trauma-Informed Practices for Educators

Learn how to recognize the signs of trauma, enact interventions to repair internal harm, and create effective strategies to communicate, resolve conflicts and build relationships.

At a Glance

• Extended Education
• Approximately 30 hours - Up to 6 months to complete coursework
• 2 PDUs - Graduate Level Professional Development Credit

Program Overview

Learn how to identify hyper-aroused and dissociated students using Trauma-Informed Practices (TIP). Create trauma-informed lesson plans, apply effective interventions, and execute de-escalation strategies. This course will cover the fundamental theory of Trauma-Informed Practices including brain development and organization, schools as buffers to trauma, positive development, dosing stress, heterogeneous stress response, Neurosequential Model in Education (NME), relational sensitivity, sequence of engagement, and NME Mini-Maps. You will use these concepts to create a variety of new systems, structures, protocols, and procedures for your own classroom or organizational setting.

Course Statement

An overview of the fundamentals of Trauma-Informed Practices (TIP) from a brain-based neuroscience perspective, that asks participants to examine their own practice to include proactive and responsive TIP constructs.

Course Description

In this course, you will learn fundamental theory and practices for engaging with students, staff, and parents in your school setting. You will begin by gaining a full understanding of the theories behind the practices that make Trauma-Informed Practices (TIP) effective. Among these theories include basics of brain development and brain organization, 6-R’s of positive development, dosing stress, heterogeneous stress response, Neurosequential Model in Education (NME), state-dependent functioning, co-regulation, mirror neurons, relational sensitivity, optimal learning environments, sequence of engagement, schools as buffers to trauma, the importance of positive, consistent relationships, and NME Mini-Maps. You will use these concepts to create a variety of new systems, structures, protocols, and procedures for your own classroom or organizational setting, including creating trauma-informed lesson plans, identifying dissociated and hyperaroused students, then applying effective interventions and de-escalation strategies. At the end of this course, you will be asked to create a multimedia presentation addressing how you have utilized TIP concepts in your practice.

Learning Objectives

Learners who complete this course will be able to:
• Demonstrate knowledge of the introductory TIP including brain development and organization, 6-R’s of positive development, developing student/teacher relationships, classroom management, Trauma-Informed lesson design and the Neurosequential Model in Education (NME) in your classroom or organizational setting.
• Apply concepts of the stress response system in your classroom or organizational setting, including dosing stress, heterogeneous stress response, state-dependent functioning, and regulating behavior.
• Create new systems, structures, protocols and procedures in your classroom or organizational setting that apply the concepts of memory, attachment, and co-regulation, including mirror neurons and relational sensitivity.
• Summarize state-dependent functioning behaviors and interventions, including sequence of engagement, optimal learning environments, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), interventions and de-escalation strategies.
• Apply the concepts of rhythm, relationship and regulation as related to schools as buffers to trauma, the importance of positive, consistent relationships, and the use of NME Mini-Maps.

Course Topics:

• Basics of Brain Development, Brain Organization, and the 6-R's of Positive Development
• Developing Student-Teacher Relationships and Classroom Management
• Trauma-Informed Lesson Design and Neurosequential Model in Education (NME)
• Dosing Stress, Heterogeneous Stress Response, and Dissociation/Hyperarousal at School
• State-Dependent Functioning and Regulating Behavior at School and Creating “Associations” Between Neural Activity Patterns
• Memory, Attachment, and the Intimacy Barrier
• Co-Regulation, Mirror Neurons, and Relational Sensitivity
• State-Dependent Functioning and the Sequence of Engagement
• Optimal Learning Environments and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
• Behaviors, Interventions, and De-Escalation Strategies
• Schools as Buffers to Trauma
• The Importance of Positive, Consistent Relationships
• NME Mini-Maps

What are Graduate-level Professional Development Credits?

Graduate-level professional development credits are not part of a degree program but instead are primarily used for professional advancement such as salary increment steps and recertification. Students should seek approval from appropriate district officials before enrolling in these courses.

Key Features

• Online and self-paced
• Dedicated mentor
• Interactive assignments
• Real-world case studies
• Earn graduate-level professional development credits

Credit

Credit may be available for this course and may vary by country or institution. Please verify eligibility with UMass Global.