Restoring Students Innate Power

"This book explores the effects of trauma on newcomer students and presents stress-mitigating strategies that empower them as they transition to a new environment"--

This book explores the effects of trauma on newcomer students and presents stress-mitigating strategies that empower these multilingual students as they transition to a new environment. Diverse insights and experiences bring high-powered learning spaces to life. However, the cultural backgrounds of newcomer students and their families can be very different from the dominant norms of the new community, resulting in misalignments that constitute a persistent challenge. In addition, the process of arriving can exacerbate stress. Entering a new school or classroom means situating oneself within a new context of language, culture, community, and shifting personal identities. This transition shock contributes to a sense of diminished power. In serving these students, we can't afford to leave transition shock out of our conversations about trauma. We must not only stitch together pieces of culturally responsive practice and trauma-informed care but also become practitioners of stress-mitigating strategies that empower newcomer students. We must focus instruction on our students' unique identities. We must restore their power. In Restoring Students' Innate Power, newcomer educator and cultural competency expert Louise El Yaafouri presents * An understanding of transition shock and how stress and trauma affect recent arrivers. * The four pillars of transition shock and how they affect learning. * How students see themselves and how the cultural aspects of their identities inform teachers' work in mitigating transition shock. * How social-emotional learning links to trauma-informed practice. This book isn't exclusively about trauma; it's about restoring power. The distinction is critical. Focusing on the trauma or traumatic event roots us in the past. Restoration of power moves us forward.

Explore the web of factors that influence your power as a teacher—and how you can better use that power to foster student agency and empowerment. What kind of power do teachers have? What influences their instructional decision making—and how does that affect students, particularly Black students and other students of color? How can educators move away from practices that oppress and devalue students to practices that support and empower them? These are just a few of the questions that author Tanji Reed Marshall answers in Understanding Your Instructional Power. Countering the notion that teachers are powerless in the classroom, she introduces the Power Principle to help teachers unpack how they understand and use the power associated with their authority and responsibility as an educator. Drawing from her own experience as a classroom teacher and coach, Reed Marshall explains how the Power Principle reveals itself through various elements, including language use (by both students and teachers), "hidden curriculum," and classroom culture. She identifies four levels of curricular autonomy that teachers have (Unfettered, Calibrated, Restricted, and Minimal) and four dimensions of instructional power that characterize their classroom environment (Empowering, Agentive, Protective, and Disenfranchising). Reflection exercises throughout the book guide readers through a deep analysis of their personal and professional histories and ideologies, including how these influence students' learning experiences. Reed Marshall shares her own journey of setbacks and progress as she offers support and encouragement to K–12 teachers seeking to use their power in productive ways so that all students can bring their full selves to class and receive the education they deserve.

If we want to really understand our students so that we can optimize instruction for them, we must think of each individual student as distinctive and irreplaceable. From this core principle springs the radically humane framework for meaningful teaching that is the subject of this book: Powerful Student Care (PSC). Authors Grant A. Chandler and Kathleen M. Budge developed this one-of-a-kind system for catering to the unique life circumstances of every child to help all teachers grow in their practice—and all students to flourish. Based on voluminous research as well as the authors' own experience as seasoned educators, PSC offers teachers a foolproof way to ensure that, regardless of label or socioeconomic profile, each one of their students receives the support they need. Constructed as an allegorical learning voyage for readers, this comprehensive guide details * The foundational five tenets of community that enable students to succeed academically, develop self-efficacy, and experience the joy of learning. * "Navigational instruments," such as processes, instructional methods, and power-sharing relationships, for creating community. * The bodies of knowledge that directly influence teacher and student success, including those related to empowerment, cultural humility, antiracist and antibias learning, and more. * The Contemplative Practice, an inquiry-based, research-informed scaffold for teacher planning and reflection. Brimming with colorful, in-depth cases of Powerful Student Care in action and including downloadable forms and templates to help you move forward with implementation, this book is an essential addition to the library of any K–12 educator with a passion for knowing and supporting the young human beings in their charge.

Educators must achieve cultural proficiency to overcome unconscious biases and tap the limitless potential of their school communities. In The Consciously Unbiased Educator, cultural proficiency expert and former teacher Huda Essa helps educators uncover and surmount the limitations of unconscious biases—stereotypes that form below the surface of our awareness, making them harder to detect. Although these biases aren't formed with the intent to do harm, if they are not interrupted, they contribute to negative outcomes for students. With warmth and wisdom, Essa urges educators to move past any reflexive defensiveness or shame that comes with facing these biases to take a journey that will ultimately empower and benefit the entire school community. Filled with rich, clarifying insights drawn from Essa's own experience as well as comprehensive research findings, this inspirational resource pushes readers' thinking to new levels. To aid in examining these biases, this thought-provoking yet highly approachable book offers • Practical ideas, strategies, and tools, such as a personal index enabling readers to gather and organize learning in the most resonant, meaningful way possible. • Thoughtful discussion of essential concepts and terms, including the cultural proficiency continuum, privilege, culturally responsive practices, exclusionary behaviors, and more. • Numerous exercises that encourage readers to activate their critical consciousness and use the author's 3Rs (review, reflect, resolve) method to respond to real-life scenarios. • Deep reflection prompts to foster mindful contemplation and gain confidence for engaging in productive discourse about sensitive topics. Editable PDF versions of the prompts and resources within the book are also available to enhance and extend opportunities for reflection and learning. Readers will build the knowledge and skills they need to ""become their own manual"" and apply their learning off the page. Educators can change the status quo. If we want our students to remember us as educators who touch hearts, open minds, and awaken souls, we must boldly address the topic of bias.

A guide to the intersection of trauma and special needs, featuring strategies teachers can use to build resilience and counter the effects of trauma on learning and behavior. Childhood trauma is a national health crisis. As many as two out of every three children in any classroom across the country have experienced some form of trauma. Meanwhile, a recent study in Washington State showed that 80 percent of the children eligible for special education services were exposed to early childhood trauma, which has been linked to developmental disabilities. Add in the fact that Black children are four times more likely to be classified with intellectual disabilities and five times more likely than white students to be classified with an emotional or behavioral disorder, and the already daunting complexity of effectively serving kids with an individualized education program (IEP) becomes overwhelming. This is a whole school problem that requires a whole school solution. All educators in both general and special education should learn how trauma affects the brain and how any resulting atypical neurological and psychological development affects learning and behavior. In Trauma-Informed Teaching and IEPs, trauma expert Melissa Sadin presents strategies for supporting the most vulnerable students in general or special education settings, across grade levels, and across the curriculum. You'll learn to * Understand the effects of childhood trauma on the brain, learning, and behavior. * Weave caring into trauma-informed instruction. * Apply a trauma-informed lens to crafting IEPs. * Conduct trauma-informed functional behavior assessments. Once you understand the effects of trauma on learning and development, you will explore classroom strategies and IEP goals and modifications that can actually help to heal your students.With rich examples and helpful strategies, Trauma-Informed Teaching and IEPs gives teachers the most effective tools to help build resilience for every student, no matter their needs.

Fifty concrete strategies to help school leaders create a learning environment that better serves and supports students living with trauma. Many educators have heard about the need to implement "trauma-sensitive" practices in order to help students heal and succeed. But what does this look like on a day-to-day basis? What does it require of teachers and of those who lead them? In Trauma-Sensitive School Leadership, Bill Ziegler, Dave Ramage, Andrea Parson, and Justin Foster provide a framework to guide administrators and their teams through the process. With reference to research and their own experience as teachers, counselors, and school leaders, the authors explain how to * Develop empathetic and supportive relationships among students and staff. * Identify biases and barriers that hinder educators' ability to support learners affected by trauma. * Design all-school events and daily lesson plans to minimize the likelihood of retraumatizing vulnerable students. * Retool discipline practices and physical spaces to foster a more trauma-sensitive culture and climate. * Establish supports to help teachers and other staff deal with secondary trauma. Accepting students for who they are and responding compassionately to their needs leads to greater success in academics and life. With 50 recommended strategies and real-life examples of trauma-informed healing practices, Trauma-Sensitive School Leadership can help you transform your school to better serve your students.

Learn how you can succeed with the students who need you most in ways you never thought possible. In this thought-provoking book, renowned educator and learning expert Eric Jensen takes his most personal, profound look yet at how poverty and inequity hurt students and their chances for success in life—and how teachers across all grade levels and subject areas can infuse equity into every aspect of their practice. Drawing from a broad survey of research, personal and professional experience, and inspiring real-life success stories, Teaching with Poverty and Equity in Mind explains how teachers can * Build relationships with students and create a classwide "in-group" where all learners feel a sense of safety and belonging. * Incorporate relevance and cultural responsiveness into curriculum and instruction, increasing student buy-in and replacing compliance with collaboration and leadership. * Use the uplifting power of stories to optimize energy and engagement and foster growth mindsets. * Provide clear, actionable feedback that empowers students to evaluate and direct their own learning. * Shift from disciplining students to coaching them with empathy, de-escalating disruptions and fostering more productive behaviors. * Build stronger brains and cultivate capacity through powerful accelerated learning tools. * Take steps to become a reflective and equitable educator, examining and debunking harmful biases and establishing personal and professional habits for a lifetime of growth. This insightful, comprehensive guide also includes reflection prompts and downloadable tools and templates to help you move forward with implementation. If we truly believe all students deserve a high-quality education, we need to commit to equity. It starts with each one of us. It starts with you.