The Six Touchstones of Training – Facets Three to Eight
These topics are listed in the order I prefer staff to proceed through the training. While some of these trainings can be done with a diverse audience of employee roles, some are best presented to a homogenous group with their peers (e.g. just administrators, just bus drivers) to ensure examples are relevant to the situation. As I mentioned before, as a consultant, I provide more detailed information and guidance for the Task Group who are drafting a comprehensive professional development plan. For each of these training facets, the resources and training materials that I recommend to my clients simplifies the decision-making process so your school leaders and move forward with a comprehensive plan sooner.
Facet Number Three: Adverse Childhood Experiences training – also known as ACES science. Without exception, training in ACES is essential for ALL school employees including every member of the board of education. Later, once all staff have been trained, I recommend providing this training to parents.
Facet Number Four: Building Positive Relationships Begins with Communication. This training helps all of us to change habits of speaking to youth that undermines trust-building and listening skills. Choosing our words, our reactions and even our body language makes a big difference in building relationships. This training also includes how to remain self-regulated in emotionally charged situations. This is best taught to targeted homogenous groups and personalized for their role.
Facet Number Five: Recognizing Secondary Trauma
Staff, especially teachers and administrators need, to be aware of Caregiver Fatigue or Vicarious Trauma symptoms. We need to understand how this affects family members who care for children, spouses or other relatives. We also need to recognize our own stress response and build in preventative measures that guard against our own secondary trauma.
Facet Number Six: Applying Research from the Search Institute to build strong relationships for youth in our classrooms and community. As a consultant and trainer[1], I recommend this training for all staff – I recommend this be offered again later for parents and community leaders, local business and youth organizations.
The Search Institute is a non-profit education research and training organization with over 50 years of research on youth, families, communities and schools. This training focuses on two hallmark research studies.
- 40 Developmental Assets for Youth
- Building Developmental Relationships
Facet Number Seven: The Brain’s Natural Learning and Response System
We have much more detailed information today about how the brain actually operates thanks to the development of medical devices that help scientists see the brain in action. Understanding the fundamentals of how the brain responds to trauma and what normal functioning is has a profound impact on how educators work with students to facilitate learning. This training in multiple session is designed for all teachers and administrators, but the initial training sessions can be opened up to include any staff (bus drivers, aides) who want to better understand behavior in a crisis and be prepared to respond effectively.
Facet Number Eight: Addressing Student Behavior Problems
Teachers will tell you the second most difficult impediment to student learning and successful teaching, (absenteeism is first) is difficult student behaviors and attitudes. It’s not necessarily classroom disruptions, but a student’s self-perception about their own ability to learn that is the most intractable behavior that teachers encounter. Students with learned helplessness behaviors, who don’t put forth the effort that would ensure success because they feel they are not capable are the most common thorny behavior issues that frustrate teachers’ efforts. This training is two-part, the first includes classroom practices, building trust and day-to-day interactions with students. The second part deals with behaviors that result in referrals to the principal and the process for addressing infractions of the code of conduct. I have received advanced training in the CPS behavioral model directly from Dr. Ross Greene himself. This is the main focus of how I approach disciplinary actions in school. I teach Dr. Greene’s model comprehensively to teachers and building administrators followed by scaffolded practice with an advanced team of teachers and administrators who will subsequently serve as turnkey trainers for the District.
[1] I have completed the Essentials of Asset Building for Trainers and Facilitators workshop directly from Search Institute. As such I am authorized to deliver two Search Institute workshops, Everyone’s an Asset Builder and Sharing the Asset Message to my client schools as part of my consulting services. I do not offer this independently as per Search Institute authorized use agreement. All materials for client participants must be purchased directly from Search Institute.
End of Part III – The Six Touchstones of Training
Go to Part IV – Classroom and School-wide Practices