School: Education

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Trauma Informed Practice
  • Unit Code

    EDU6004
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Kay Elizabeth AYRE

Description

Teaching children and youth who have experienced adversity and trauma is difficult. In schools and other educational settings, trauma-informed practice aims to increase recognition, realisation and the informed response of teachers towards students impacted by adversity and trauma (SAMHSA, 2014). Building understanding, knowledge and skills in trauma-informed practice is essential to assist teachers to interact positively with these students. Research indicates when a teacher is 'trauma-informed' they understand and recognise the impact adversity and trauma can have on development, behaviour and learning. In turn, they are better able to respond effectively to these students with understanding and care. This unit examines the unique capabilities of children and youth who have experienced trauma and provides teachers with theory and practical strategies to help support the complex social and emotional needs of these students.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Examine the types, prevalence, neurobiology and impacts of trauma on childhood and adolescent development.
  2. Justify the importance of universal growth needs of children and young people impacted by trauma.
  3. Identify adaptive responses to challenging behaviours in children and young people.
  4. Apply the principles of trauma-informed practice for supporting positive relationships with children and young people.

Unit Content

  1. Understanding trauma - adversity, childhood maltreatment and complex trauma.
  2. Altered development - the impact of trauma on development, the brain and learning.
  3. Behaviour through a trauma lens - thinking differently about challenging behaviour, strategies to respond, regulate and re-engage.
  4. Making connections - the impact of trauma on relationships, understanding attachment and the need for care and connection before curriculum.
  5. Trauma-responsive schooling - trauma-informed practices in classrooms and schools, creating safe spaces for learning. Teaching related stress and self care.
  6. Vulnerable populations - children and young people living with domestic violence, refugees/asylum seekers, Indigenous Australian children and those in foster care.

Learning Experience

ON-CAMPUS

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 2Not Offered13 x 3 hour seminarNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

ONLINE

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Additional Learning Experience Information

Workshops/seminars, Case studies, Group discussions, Student presentations, Skill based workshops. The activities will be designed with a commitment to sensitivity to gender, cultural and social diversity. Students will be expected to use information technology as a research tool and aid to reflecting on classroom practice. Students will support and help contribute to a professional and collegiate group culture in line with accepted behaviour management theory.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
EssayShort Answer Response 50%
ProjectTrauma Informed Practice Professional Development50%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
EssayShort Answer Response 50%
ProjectTrauma Informed Practice Professional Development 50%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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