Chico Unified School District is taking a different approach to behavioral problems in the classroom by training its staff to recognize students who have experienced trauma using the “trauma-informed” approach.
In a traditional setting, if a student is acting out or not paying attention, a teacher might reprimand the student, or in some cases address them sharply, Chico Unified director of secondary education David McKay said. Using the trauma-informed approach, a teacher will instead calmly approach a student and check in with them, or ask if they’re OK.
The model is designed to reduce punishment that pushes kids out of the classroom, and instead recognize the experiences they’ve had that might cause them to act out, McKay said.
“Instead of looking at it negatively and trying to deal with behavior, we’re asking ‘what happened to you?’,” McKay said. “By understanding why a kid is behaving a certain way, it helps us to create an environment that will fully address that instead of casting them out.”
The district offers different training opportunities on the matter throughout the year, and hopes to train all district schools in 2017. The model is also being taught along with de-escalation strategies, and an additional model that helps teachers practice empathy with their students.
To continue reading this article by Dani Anguiano, go to: http://www.chicoer.com/social-...th-behavioral-issues
Comments (1)