January 25–March 22 • $195
Seven-week course with five live sessions on Zoom.
This course provides practical strategies and research-based interventions to help children feel safe and ready to learn in Montessori classrooms, schools, and communities.
In these times of stress and uncertainty, children may be coming with emotional challenges. Educators need to be prepared.
Maria Carvajal worked at a public Montessori school which experienced a school-wide traumatic experience. The school partnered with a local university center for well-being in school environments to provide intensive support for children, families, and staff.
Over the course of two school years, Maria worked closely with mental health trauma specialists to learn techniques and adapt them to the Montessori environment. In this course, she shares the theory behind trauma-informed care as well as research-based interventions, tools, and strategies applicable to a Montessori environment and adaptable to face-to-face or distance education models.
Through readings, video, live presentations, and recorded sessions with mental health professionals, participants will learn about:
- the theory and research underlying trauma-informed care and social-emotional support
- children’s varying responses to trauma
- the essential characteristics of sensitive and encouraging adults
- how to help children cultivate an internal locus of control
- research-based interventions for the classroom and the home, to help children self-regulate and ensure functional learning spaces
- tools and supports for adult wellness, adaptable to teachers and families
The course includes readings, written assignments, and five live sessions held from 7:00-8:00pm ET on the following dates:
- January 25
- February 8
- February 22
- March 8
- March 22
Photos and Video: NCMPS may take photos or record video during this event. By participating in this event, you consent to your likeness being used for promotional purposes without compensation, and you release NCMPS from any liability related to this use. If you do not want your likeness used in this way, you may inform the event staff, and NCMPS will make its best effort to prevent such use.
About the instructor
MarÃa Carvajal has 20 years of experience in teaching, educational research, consulting, mentorship, and program management in El Salvador, Mexico, Spain, and the U.S. She is an AMI elementary guide with primary teaching experience, and holds a B.A. and M.A. in Humanities from the University of Navarra and a M.Ed. in Montessori Elementary Education from Loyola University Maryland. MarÃa’s professional interests include trauma-informed care, English learner education, and early intervention. For research, she is currently focused on targeted services for at-risk student populations, receptive and expressive language delays, and associations between social-emotional competence and literacy skills in children.
Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- adapt the prepared environment and lessons to support students’ developmental needs
- support students’ well-being by grounding their interactions in social-emotional competencies and trauma-informed instruction
- share with others in their buildings to foster a culture of well-being during hard times