CURI 6532 SUNY Empire State University
How does traumatic experiences impact a child? What can we do about it? Aversive Childhood Experiences (ACE) may cause a student to have academic problems, acting out behaviors, and poor relationships with classmates and school staff. The negative effects of ACEs lead to deficits in attention, learning and retrieval, language and communication skills, and memory recall, thus effecting students' academic performance and social skills. According to the Center for Disease Control, the number of ACEs one has experienced has a direct correlation to the education level one achieves. When teachers are trauma informed, learn effective responses to student trauma, and how to help foster and instill resiliency skills necessary to thrive in the classroom, children have better learning outcomes: building foundations for better health, success, and positive interactions-in school and in life.

This course will present the core concepts of ACEs, stress, trauma, restoration, self-care, and provide research-based strategies & practices to enhance resilience in the classroom environment. Class participants will be able to analyze and apply five components of a trauma informed classroom: ensuring safety, establishing trustworthiness, maximizing choice, maximizing collaboration, and prioritizing empowerment. Participants will be taught to avoid secondary traumatic stress or compassion fatigue by being aware of personal self-care. 3 graduate credits.


Two Required Texts:Essentials of Trauma-informed Assessment and Intervention in School and Community Settings, ISBN #9781119274612 and Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma Sensitive Classroom, ISBN #9781416621072
& Participant manual available as a download in Frontline.

Books can be purchased at your favorite bookstore.