Full Description
This is a guide for teachers on utilizing trauma-informed strategies and restorative practices to transform the social studies classroom into a space of healing, connection, and critical engagement.
By its very nature, the social studies classroom introduces potentially difficult and traumatic content to students. Through real-world examples, adaptable pedagogical strategies, and reflective questioning, educators will learn how to address brutal historical conflicts while emphasizing care, transparency, and student-centered approaches to unpacking injustice. This book bridges theory and practice, helping teachers address academic demands as well as the emotional well-being of students. Chapters cover the educator's role in shifting classroom dynamics from control to care, building a classroom community, fostering student agency, integrating mindfulness into the social studies classroom, utilizing inquiry-based learning that prioritizes students' lived experiences, and reimagining assessment through a restorative lens.
This is an ideal resource for educators who are committed to teaching with heart and purpose to create social studies classrooms where all students can be seen, heard, and inspired to shape their worlds.
Contents
Introduction 1. Reclaiming the Heart of Social Studies and ELA—Why Trauma-Informed and Restorative Practices Matter Now More Than Ever 2. What Is Trauma-Informed Teaching? 3. Restorative Practices in Action: Teaching Difficult Social Studies Topics with Care 4. The Power of Student Choice 5. Using Mindfulness to Center and Ground the Classroom 6. The Power of Affective Questioning 7. Restorative Circles as a Tool for Transformation 8. Creating a Safe and Empowering Classroom Culture 9. Teaching Hard Histories with Care 10. Inquiry, Identity, and Empathy 11. Assessment and Grading Through a Restorative Lens 12. Collaborating with Families and Communities 13. Sustaining Educator Wellness and Resilience 14. A Call to Action: Teaching for Healing and Justice Appendices References
