Ground-breaking Program Helps Mitigate Childhood Trauma
Teaching Teachers to be Trauma-informed
"Everyone remembers where they were on September 11, 2001. It was my fourth day teaching high school in Ottawa,” recalls Nathalie Reid, Director, Child Trauma Research Centre (CTRC), University of Regina. “As F-18 planes began circling overhead, some of our students were diving under their desks. My teaching degree didn’t prepare me for that.”
Learn more about the Trauma-Informed/Sensitive Pedagogies and Practices Microcertificate.
Fifteen years later while teaching in Fort McMurray, a massive wildfire devastated the community and the homes of many of her students. “Throughout my time teaching, I would encounter situations that we would now consider traumatic. But there were not a lot of resources available to help understand what trauma is and how to mitigate it in the classroom. What we do know is that no learning can happen when a brain is in survival mode.”
In 2021, after joining the Child Trauma Research Centre, Reid approached CCE and the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation Professional Learning and began collaborating on the development of a microcertificate in trauma-sensitive pedagogies and practices.
“This collaboration is unique as it’s the first microcredential we’ve developed with an internal partner and our first program that really highlights the opportunities for knowledge mobilization through continuing education,” says Karen Merz, Professional Development and Community Programs Manager with CCE. “We provided the administrative support from registration to hiring the instructors and we were able to remove a number of barriers including allowing students to register without a high school or university transcript.”
To help create content that would truly resonate with educators, CTRC and the STFPL engaged a diverse group of facilitators from across the province.
One of those facilitators was Meaghan Friedrick, Community Mental Health Superintendent of Student Support Services with Sunwest School Division. “We had begun to seek out professional development in this area as more of our staff were seeing the impacts of trauma in their students. Of course, as we dug deeper we also started to see the effect this was having on our staff.”
Over the course of several months the content for the microcertificate was created and introduced as an online program that required the completion of three fourteenhour digital badges. Although online access was a good option, Friedrick asked Merz if there might be a more immediate way to introduce the much-needed content to employees throughout her school division.
“The microcertificate was virtual,” says Merz, “but Meaghan thought it would be helpful if we offered a face-to-face custom version for Sunwest staff so that’s what we did. Our facilitators travelled to Rosetown where we completed the f irst badge with 62 of their staff ranging from administrators and counsellors to teachers. The feedback has been incredibly positive.”
Indeed, as the implementation of trauma-sensitive programs and approaches continues in schools, research shows that educators working with traumatized students can suffer from increased rates of vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout.
Giving educators the tools they need to understand what trauma is and the behaviours that emerge as a result of trauma is empowering for the participants. “This microcertificate has content that’s applicable to those working with students in Kindergarten to grade 12,” says Reid. “Some of the behaviours students exhibit as a result of trauma are what we might have previously categorized as undesirable. But, what it really represents is a young person trying to communicate that they’re not ok. When a teacher understands that behaviour is not directed at them personally and that there are tools they can use to navigate the situation, it creates a completely different dynamic.”
By imparting that knowledge throughout Sunwest School Division, Friedrick believes it will help staff become more capable and confident in handling the varied needs of students and their families.
The participants have appreciated the thought that has gone into each course as well as the local flavour. It makes the content extremely relevant and applicable to our schools and experiences.—Meaghan Friedrick, Community Mental Health Superintendent
Also relevant for busy teachers and school administrators is the compact nature of the microcertificate. “We offer the first two badges online and students can complete one badge in three evenings,” notes Merz. “Most people are working full time, so this provides practical information that is immediately applicable in their work in a manageable time frame.”
At Sunwest School Division, providing the opportunity to learn in person or online provides opportunities for maximum participation. “People can choose the format that works best for them,” says Friedrick. “We have people located over a wide geogra phical area and a lot of times it is the travel that impedes participation. The microcertificate also breaks learning into smaller chunks that allows people to be able to fit it more easily into their schedules”.
Learn more about the Trauma-Informed/Sensitive Pedagogies and Practices Microcertificate.
The content and focus of the microcertificate are groundbreaking in many ways. “I don’t know of another program like this,” says Reid. “It’s so necessary in today’s world and we’re excited to grow the program to reach as many people as possible.”
For Sunwest School Division the initial connection with CCE and CTRC will not be the last. “Everyone has been responsive to our needs and open to feedback, so this was a rewarding experience,” says Friedrick. “We are planning to continue to work together and believe this microcertificate is a fantastic opportunity for anyone in the province. The things we are learning will only make our schools better for our students, staff and communities.”
Banner photo credit: Getty Images