Students With Trauma Background
Abstract
Students with different forms of disabilities and learning conditions find it hard to cope with the normal class setting. They are mainly segregated and taught in their classrooms under special curriculum. The argument on integrating children with special education in ordinary classrooms has introduced the term inclusion where reorganizing ordinary schools are made to accommodate every student regardless of their disabilities or difficulty in learning. Moreover, teachers may lack special skills to handle students with disabilities or different learning difficulties. This paper highlights different approaches that teachers can improve students with trauma backgrounds, one of the most learning difficulties among students.
Introduction
Disability or impairment is the physical or mental condition that affects an individual’s standard functionality, making it difficult for them to complete certain tasks. This condition is present in every gender, race, age, ethnicity, and religion. According to the world health organization (WHO), over 15 percent of the world population have one form of disability. Of these 15 percent, 150 million are children. 80 percent of the children who come from the developing world live with abject poverty. They are discriminated against and excluded and denied essential services such as education offered to their peers without disability. According to UNICEF, 90 percent of children living with disabilities in developing countries have never received any form of education (Hayes and Bulat, 2017). Only 5 percent complete primary education. Even those who attend school may not have access to education as their peers since the curriculums have not been adapted to meet their needs.
Historically, persons with disability have been segregated and excluded in different activities in the society. Others have been subjected to severe social practices such as incarceration and sterilization. Such practices are from the misconception that the human body must meet a certain standard and norm and must have a certain level of intellectual and physical characteristics. Therefore, the need to meet educational needs for children with special disabilities has been a key issue in education where stakeholders have raised concerns about educating children with special education needs (SEN).
Children with disabilities are usually taught in segregated classrooms designed for children with special needs. Educators find this approach beneficial as students are taught through a curriculum specially designed for them. Attending classes with peers who have the same special needs builds students’ confidence and enhances their self-esteem (Wang, 2009). This also assures them of sufficient support and security. However, several educators are opposed to segregation, arguing that subjecting children with special needs to ordinary education is most effective. This would equip them with skills that would help them become self-supportive adults in the future. They also argue that teaching competencies also become limited. The argument on the integration of children with special education in ordinary classrooms has introduced the term inclusion. Inclusion means reorganizing ordinary schools to accommodate every student regardless of their disabilities.
According to Ranjeeta (2018), every learner is unique with a unique learning style that affects their personality factors. Learning style depends on the child’s dominant intelligence. There are several categories of learners with specialized learning styles. They include visual learners. Auditory learners, kinesthetic learners, interpersonal learners, and intrapersonal learners, among others. Some of the learning difficulties among students include behavioral and health difficulty, chronic health problems, socioeconomic disadvantages, chronic absenteeism, and trauma background. Teachers are obliged to provide variety with learning approaches that address different learning styles (Ranjeeta, 2018). When teaching SEN children, teachers should consider their abilities and learning difficulty that may demotivate them from taking part in the classroom. Teachers should be patient with the student, which builds their confidence. Therefore, they should adopt strategies that address the needs of children with special needs to reduce learning, behavior, social and emotional challenges.
Demotivated students with behavioral problems cause the greatest challenge in the primary classes. Effective teaching practices for inclusive classes include Cooperative teaching, cooperative learning, heterogeneous grouping, and supporting teachers. Cooperative teaching is the teaching approach that involves all the stakeholders involved in the child’s development. The team includes teachers, health therapists, inclusion specialists, and parents, among others. All the stakeholders collaborate to solve certain problems related to the development of the child. It helps create a positive teacher and student dynamics. It also helps improve social skills through group goals and positive verbal interaction (Grenier, Dayson, and Yeaton 2005). Instructors should be fully committed to children’s directed learning. They should adopt the most appropriate learning structure that would benefit all the students.
Cooperative learning is an approach where students benefit from study groups, teamwork, and peer tutoring. It involves students working together to attain a goal that could not be obtained competitively or work alone. It forms a positive interdependence that helps each group member showcase their strength by participating in the learning activity. They learn from their peers and emulate their performance as a model. Cooperative learning creates an atmosphere of achievement where each group works until they understand and complete the assignment (Palmer, peters, and Streetman, 2017). It advances the discussion level since students get immediate feedback, which is not the case with the instructor-led discussion.
Heterogeneous grouping is suitable in classes with children with diverse abilities. This approach helps students with SEN to acquire social and cognitive skills, while other students learn to appreciate students with SEN. Students living with disability feel appreciated, which reduce the risk of them feeling stigmatized. While forming a study group, a teacher should form a group composed of one gifted, two average, and one lower achieving student (Davies, 2019). This distributes the level of participation, and each member learns from one another.
Discussion
Trauma is a distressing or disturbing experience. It causes extraordinary stress shattering one’s sense of security. Children who have experienced a scary, violent, or life-threatening event in their lives develop trauma (Morin, 2020). They tend to avoid anything that would remind them of the trauma. This affects their social life and may also adversely affect their education. It also increases the risks of diabetes, asthma, stroke, depression, and coronary heart disease. Traumatic experience among children is common across the world. About half of the US children have experienced at least one traumatic condition in their life (Blue Knot). This, therefore, shows that teachers should be well equipped to handle students with pst traumatic conditions.
When children who have experienced trauma gain more trust in their teachers and peers, they demonstrate a more positive reaction, become more focused and less temperamental. Teachers can employ the following strategies to build a positive relationship with traumatized children. First, they should appreciate the self-protective function of traumatized children. They should show interest in the children’s lives by them questions about their likes and dislikes and always trying to remember them. Lastly, they should always have a one-on-one interaction with the student to build their confidence.
One of the critical skills that a child should develop is establishing a constructive peer relationship. However, children who have experienced trauma are less well-liked by their peers due to their poor social skills. They always feel threatened and therefore experience a higher rate of aggression. Teachers can enhance such children’s peer relationships by creating an opportunity for them to participate in an individual or group play. They should also form role-playing strategies so that children can join in play and by resolving conflict whenever it arises (Wright, 2017). They should also create a quiet space where traumatized children can take rest throughout the day. By employing these strategies, children who may be afraid may feel closeness and gain trust while allowing them to connect and create space for personal time.
Early childhood is the most stable institution in the lives of children outside their immediate family. Therefore, traumatized children face challenges in differentiating between the classroom setup and the less predictable areas in their lives. Teachers should help children minimize traumatic responses to school by helping them preview new places and people. They should help the children adhere to predictable runtime and classroom schedules, which would help then adopt to the school setup. Teachers should avoid threats and intimidation, which may instill more fear in traumatized children. They should assure students that school is a nonviolent place and integrate conflict resolution and safety skills.
Traumatic children are not able to manage their emotions in simulating situations. They struggle to communicate their feelings and develop inadequate responses to their feelings, including withdrawal or other behavior regarded as inappropriate. It also affects children’s ability to play creatively or cope with their challenges in their everyday lives. Teachers can help students manage their emotions by teaching them how to identify and share their feelings with the class. They can also offer students a safe space to relax and calm down or recommend books that can inspire them.
Many people mistakenly believe that traumatized children should make better choices and control their behavior in response to various stimuli. However, teachers should realize that some symptoms, such as aggression, withdrawal, irritability, and inattention, are beyond the control of a traumatized child. Some children may come from homes where behavior is enforced through violence. Such children may, therefore, fail to understand the classroom setup. Teachers should, therefore, explain the rules, expectations, and rewards (Wright, 2017). They should also avoid threats and intimidation as corrective measures but instead highlight the rationale for rewards, rules, and expectations.
Students who have experienced trauma in their life find it difficult to cope with the school. They cannot associate well with peers and teachers due to their self-protective response to different conditions that they may find threatening. They are mainly aggressive and get irritated very easily hence tend to withdraw from their classmates. This makes them have poor concentration hence lose focus in classwork hence low performance. However, if students with traumatic backgrounds handle well by teachers and other professionals, they overcome their condition and perform well in their studies. With proper treatment, they associate well with teachers and students and feel part of the school family. Other students also appreciate their condition, and they can communicate their feelings freely.
References
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Davies, C. (2019, October 03). What is the Difference Between Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Grouping? Retrieved August 13, 2020, from https://resumes-for-teachers.com/blog/interview-questions/difference-between-heterogeneous-and-homogeneous-grouping/
Grenier, M., Dyson, B., & Yeaton, P. (2005). Cooperative learning that includes students with disabilities. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 76(6), 29-35.
Hayes, A., & Bulat, J. (2017). Disabilities Inclusive Education Systems and Policies Guide for Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Retrieved August 13, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554622/
Morin, A. (2020, June 30). The Effects of Childhood Trauma and What Can Help Alleviate Them. Retrieved August 13, 2020, from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-the-effects-of-childhood-trauma-4147640
Palmer, G., Peters, R., & Streetman, R. (2017). Ch. 7. Cooperative Learning. Retrieved August 13, 2020, from https://granite.pressbooks.pub/teachingdiverselearners/chapter/cooperative-learning-2/
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Wang, H. L. (2009). Should All Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) Be Included in Mainstream Education Provision?–A Critical Analysis. International Education Studies, 2(4), 154-161.
Wright, T. (2017). Supporting Students Who Have Experienced Trauma. NAMTA Journal, 42(2), 141-152.