Screen lessons, texts, activities, and videos in advance to ensure they are not activating for students and families¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Before using materials, the brief instructs educators to "ensure that they are not activating for students and their families." Teachers should check that all content is developmentally appropriate and free of aggression and violence, even in cartoons or fiction, and ensure all language is nonviolent, avoiding words such as trigger, shoot, and aim. Where possible, families should be told a video or activity topic in advance so they can opt out or choose an alternative if the topic is activating for them.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Advance review of all materials; where possible, advance notice of topics so families can decide whether to participate

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• K-12 distance learning students and their families

Target Learning Goals¶

• Avoiding reactivation of trauma responses during instruction

Affordances¶

• Perry 3 Rs Regulate Relate Reason

Related Strategies¶

• Reframe challenging behavior as communication of an underlying need and respond rather than react
• Begin remote lessons with grounding and centering exercises to help students focus
• Reduce workloads and chunk instruction into smaller pieces to support diminished capacity and executive functioning
• Create structure and consistency through schedules, regular communication, and clear instructions in distance learning

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Pate, C. (2020). Strategies for trauma-informed distance learning. Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety at WestEd. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED606091