Reaching and Teaching Stressed and Anxious Learners in Grades 4-8 : Strategies for Relieving Distress and Trauma in Schools and Classrooms

Trauma and stress can interfere with students' cognitive skills. Dicover how classroom activities can be used to restore feelings of safety, empowerment, and well-being. " Offers those of us who interact with students an opportunity to respond with sensitivity and reflective action. Barbara Oehlberg not only identifies the issues, but also provides activities that can help us gain greater insight into the child′s world and provide opportunities for empowerment and healing." -Susan Ross, Coordinator of Health Services Canton City Schools, OH "With the wisdom in this important work, we can help our children develop new strategies for successful living in a stressful world." -Stephen Canneto, Director Art for a Child′s Safe America Foundation "Links sound neurological research with practical activities for educators and youth workers." -Martha de Acosta, Director Education and Training Programs Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation From trauma, stress, and hopelessness to safety, challenge, and optimism! Not all children cope equally well with the stresses and traumas life throws their way, and every educator recognizes that "deer in the headlights" look some children get when current events and past traumas combine to trigger a fight-or-flight stress response. No matter how safe the classroom may be in reality, trauma deactivates cognitive skills, and learning cannot resume until the child′s equilibrium has been restored. This important new resource helps educators understand how trauma and stress interfere with cognitive skills, and how classroom and school activities can be used to restore feelings of safety, empowerment, and well-being. Topics include: Neurobiology of the developing child and how cognitive lock-out from the neocortex occurs during stress responses Strategies for reactivating cognitive skills, memory, and the ability to learn following stress responses How acting-out behaviors are linked to stress and trauma How to generate a united effort on school safety and violence prevention issues Teachers, counselors, principals, and administrators will find that these innovative strategies enhance feelings of safety and optimism in all learning environments and programs, transforming hopelessness and anxiety into resiliency and hope. Cover; Contents; Foreword; Preface; Publisher's Acknowledgments; About the Author; Introduction: Children Haven't Changed; Childhood Has; Glossary: The Vocabulary of Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma; Part I - Brain Changes and How They Affect Student Behaviors and Learning; Chapter 1 - The Impact of Losses and Stress on the Student's Mind and Body; Losses; Stress; When Traumatic Memories are Triggered; Cognitive Lockout; Interventions are Possible; Chapter 2 - Regaining Cognitive Access: The Process of Transforming Stress and the Sense of Helplessness; Transforming Perceptions of Helplessness