Graduate Certificate of Education (Trauma-Responsive Education)

Program Overview

The Graduate Certificate of Education (Trauma-Responsive Education) equips educators with knowledge and skills to create safe and supportive learning environments for trauma-impacted students. Through four core units, participants gain an understanding of trauma's effects on learning and develop strategies for recognizing and responding to students' needs. The program prepares graduates for careers in education, counseling, and social services, where they can support the well-being and academic success of traumatized children and adolescents.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Graduate Certificate of Education (Trauma-Responsive Education) is designed to equip educators with the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions necessary to create safe and trusting learning environments for all children and adolescents, including those who have experienced trauma. The program is grounded in social justice and practice architecture theory and provides participants with a deep understanding of the events, experiences, and effects of trauma, as well as effective strategies for recognizing and responding to the needs of trauma-impacted students. Graduates of the program will be able to apply their learning to a range of educational settings, including schools, early childhood education and care centers, refugee resettlement settings, and other social services.

Outline:

The Graduate Certificate of Education (Trauma-Responsive Education) consists of four core units:

• Trauma and Trauma-Responsive Practices: This unit provides an overview of the events, experiences, and effects of trauma, and presents strategies for recognizing and responding to the needs of traumatized children and individuals exposed to secondary trauma.
• Trauma and Learning: This unit focuses on how traumatic experiences of violence, displacement, neglect, and abuse affect the learning experiences and attainment of children.
• Refugee Trauma and Education: This unit examines the effects of forced displacement and its implications for educational provisions and engagement.
• Trauma Responsive Educational Practice Inquiry: This unit prepares participants to investigate what trauma-responsive practices look like, what assumptions and values underpin the practices, and what needs to change and why.
Each of these units is worth 1 credit point, and the program can be completed in one year of part-time study.

Assessment:

Assessment in the Graduate Certificate of Education (Trauma-Responsive Education) is based on a variety of methods, including:

• Written assignments
• Presentations
• Case studies
• Reflective journals
• Participation in online discussions
The assessment criteria for each unit are designed to evaluate students' knowledge and understanding of the course material, as well as their ability to apply their learning to real-world contexts.

Teaching:

The Graduate Certificate of Education (Trauma-Responsive Education) is taught by a team of experienced educators and researchers who are committed to providing students with a high-quality learning experience. The program is delivered through a combination of online and face-to-face instruction, and students have access to a range of resources, including online learning materials, discussion forums, and library services.

Careers:

Graduates of the Graduate Certificate of Education (Trauma-Responsive Education) will be qualified to work in a variety of educational settings, including schools, early childhood education and care centers, refugee resettlement settings, and other social services. The program will prepare students for careers in teaching, counseling, social work, and other fields that involve working with children and adolescents who have experienced trauma.