Trauma-Informed Teaching: Young Adult Fiction Informs Reality
This module from Open Education Resources is designed to assist teacher education programs with developing teacher candidates’ strategies for supporting students who may have faced or may be facing trauma. The module encourages teacher candidates to utilize the life of a fictional student to explore trauma and trauma-informed teaching strategies. The module supplements a larger eight-week course on differentiated instruction; alone, it would take more than 30 instructional hours. Course goals include: (1) identify types of trauma and their sources, grounded in cultural humility; (2) connect types of trauma and sources to a fictional student and one’s personal life; (3) research to identify strategies to support students who have faced or are facing trauma; (4) design strategies to support resilience in a fictional student; (5) critique student support strategies; and (6) apply trauma-informed teaching strategies. Teacher preparation program administrators might consider utilizing this model to supplement teacher candidates’ ability to practice culturally responsive, trauma-informed, deeper learning practices.