Learn how to navigate the challenging terrain of connecting with a child who is deeply afraid, angry, and/or sad. Framing this work as emotionally responsive teaching (ERT), this book expands current conceptualizations of trauma-informed practice to encompass more broadly the relational demands of supporting young children with challenging life circumstances. The author accomplishes this by (1) arguing that predominant discussions of trauma fail to consider the ways that traumatic responses may facilitate both risk and resilience in children's lives, (2) describing the impact of traumatic experiences and exposure to chronic stress on children's development, (3) articulating a framework for ERT, and (4) providing readers with applied strategies for practicing ERT in their classrooms. Throughout, readers are encouraged to transform the systems of oppression that are being manifested through children's struggles in the classroom. Book Features: Provides models that guide teachers through the nuanced and sometimes overwhelming interactions they may have with children experiencing trauma. Shares the author's own challenges and triumphs through case studies of pre-K-3rd grade classrooms to illustrate the process of emotionally responsive teaching. Builds on research from the fields of education, psychology, and counseling. Integrates current work on trauma-informed practice with the paradigm of culturally responsive pedagogy by framing trauma as often rooted in systems of inequity and oppression.
Travis Wright is an associate professor of education and counseling psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Contents Foreword Mary Benson McMullen ?ix Acknowledgments and Dedication ?xi Introduction ?1 1. ?Teaching Children With Messy Lives ?7 Developing a Shared Perspective ?8 Messy Lives as a Context for Development ?11 Trauma Is the Symptom, Not the Problem ?14 A Conceptual Framework for Thinking More Deeply ?16 Summary ?21 2. ?Essential Elements of an Emotionally Responsive Teaching Approach ?23 Defining Emotionally Responsive Teaching ?24 The Essence of Emotionally Responsive Teaching ?30 Development and Emotionally Responsive Teaching ?33 The Aims of Emotionally Responsive Teaching ?37 The Emotionally Responsive Ethic ?39 Summary ?40 3. ?Teaching From Hope Versus Teaching From Fear ?43 Self-Fulfilling Expectations ?43 Teaching in Treacherous Times ?46 We All Teach Our Own Story ?57 Summary ?66 4. ?Reframing Resilience for Children With Messy Lives ?69 I Keep Me Safe ?70 Development Along Alternative Pathways ?71 A Developmental Pathways Approach ?74 Reframing Resilience ?79 Moving Forward ?87 Summary ?88 5. ?Redefining Trauma: The Embodied Experience of Threat ?91 Sinking in the Pool ?91 The Embodied Experience of Threat ?95 The Stress Response System ?100 Differentiating Brief Stress, Adversity, Toxic Stress, and Trauma ?107 Summary ?110 6. ?Too Scared to Learn: The Impact of Fear on Development and Learning ?111 A Shift in Worldview ?112 Adversity and Learning ?118 Summary ?137 7. ?Cultivating Emotionally Responsive Teaching ?139 The Anchors of Emotionally Responsive Teaching ?140 Summary ?168 8. ?The Courage to Care ?171 All Children Benefit From Emotionally Responsive Teaching ?172 Sustaining the Emotionally Responsive Teacher ?176 Summary ?185 References ?187 Index ?199 About the Author ?207
