| Abstrakt: |
The current pilot study introduced trauma-informed professional development for teachers in an urban, K-8, Title I public school prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Equipping middle school teachers with trauma knowledge and resources enabled them to modify their pedagogical approach to align better with students' emotional and academic needs shaped by living in poverty. Thematic analysis of qualitative data (i.e., 48 teacher journal entries, one focus group transcript) produced three overarching themes related to changes in teaching practices, student engagement, and classroom culture: (a) transforming to teach (i.e., teacher empathy, awareness, understanding of students' living conditions), (b) teaching to transform (i.e., teacher critical thinking about students' needs, reactions, and consequences), and (c) transforming to learn (student engagement, expressiveness, confidence). This study's findings highlight how middle school educators can effectively implement trauma-sensitive techniques in their classrooms to enhance safe learning spaces, student support, and classroom management for stress-affected young people. This study's university-community school partnership may offer a model for the design, structure, and resources necessary to implement classroom-level, trauma-informed professional development for Title I nonclinical middle school personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
