The Need to Belong - 3-Minute Video with Transcript, Discussion Questions, and Selected References

Episode 2: The Need to Belong

YouTubeLink

Discussion Questions

1. How has your sense of belonging been disrupted by COVID-19? Your professional relationships? Your feeling of being a part of this school community?

2. How have the students’ sense of belonging been disrupted by COVID-19?

3. What will staff need to restore this sense of belonging?

4. What will students need to help them regain the sense of belonging? 

1st Frame:

Hello! I’m Julie McDaniel-Muldoon, Safety and Well-Being Consultant at Oakland Schools. I created the Supportive Strategies Series with 3-minute episodes of strategies I think might be helpful to you, especially during this extraordinary time. These short and sweet episodes are based on research and best practice. Episode 2: The Need to Belong. Let’s begin.

2nd Frame:

The most important function of the brain is determining our level of safety. When the brain perceives the system to be safe, the Limbic System, the social emotional part of the brain, then asks, “Am I loved? Do I belong?” this point the executive functioning part of the brain lights up. At this point, we are able to control impulses, can reason and learn, and make good judgments.

 3rd Frame:

As complex mammals, we thrive in safe and supportive communities. It is so much a part of who we are that we will seek and find safety in each other. In a spontaneous interaction, through facial expression, eye contact, and tone of voice, we can validate our safety and confirm that we are not alone. A sense of belonging generates confidence that life is good. 

4th Frame:

A sense of belonging prepares the brain for learning. A safe and supportive classroom community provides the environment needed to engage executive functioning. Students who feel like they belong– remember what is learned, develop new skills, have improved judgment. 

5th Frame:

It is more than learning, however. Our relationships, our strong social connections lead to greater well-being and happiness. Additionally, they increase our social awareness and thus our capacity for empathy and altruism.

6th Frame: 

The need to connect is even stronger in children and adolescents. When we meet these needs by helping students develop strong relationships, we are actually helping to build strong school communities. Studies show the relationship between strong school communities that prioritize social-emotional learning with increases in student achievement We can meet the need to belong in an online environment by connecting with students frequently and consistently, by validating their emotions, by providing reassurance, making student connection a regular assignment, assigning and modeling offline ways to connect.

Final Frame:

 All of this content is based on solid research and best practice. Please contact me for references, more resources, and suggested topics for future episodes at julie.mcdaniel@oakland.k12.mi.us

Selected Resources

Barshay, J. (2018). Two studies point to the power of teacher-student relationships to boost learning. The Hechinger Report. Retrieved from https://hechingerreport.org/two-studies-point-to-the-power-of-teacher-student-relationships-to-boost-learning/.

Dunlea, M. (2019, September 4). Every Student Matters: Cultivating Belonging in the Classroom. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/every-student-matters-cultivating-belonging-classroom.

Edutopia (Producer). (2019, January 14). The Power of Relationships in Schools [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/video/power-relationships-schools. 

Porges, S. W. (2017). The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative
Power of Feeling Safe. New York: W. W. Norton and Company.

Roffey, S. (2012). Developing Positive Relationships in Schools. Positive Relationships: Evidence Based Practice Across The World, 145-162. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278636575_Developing_Positive_Relationships_in_Schools.

Siegel, D. J. (2015). Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin.

(A Sense of) Safety First - 3-Minute Video with Transcript, Discussion Questions, and Selected References

Episode 1: (A Sense of) Safety First

Discussion Questions

1. What do you need to feel safe (upon return)?

2. How has your sense of safety been disrupted since COVID-19?

3. What will the students need to feel safe (and are they the same needs as you have)?

YouTube link

Transcript

1^st Frame:

Hello! I’m Julie McDaniel-Muldoon, Safety and Well-Being Consultant at Oakland Schools. I created the Supportive Strategies Series with 3-minute episodes of strategies I think might be helpful to you, especially during this extraordinary time. These short and sweet episodes are based on research and best practice. Episode 1: (A Sense of) Safety First. Let’s begin.

2^nd Frame:

The most important function of the brain is determining our level of safety. The self-preservation center of the brain asks, “Am I safe?” With an affirmative answer, the brain signals the body that all is well. The Limbic System, the social emotional part of the brain, then asks, “Am I loved? Do I belong?” At this point the executive functioning part of the brain lights up. At this point, we are able to control impulses, can reason and learn, and make good judgments.

  

 3^rd Frame:

Stephen Porges has helped us understand safety as a neurobiological process. When the brain feels safe, the mind is fully present, there is a sense of physical safety, and we are connected to each other. There is a decrease in heart rate and defense mechanisms. There is an increase in immune response and metabolism. We rest and recuperate more easily. Natural oxytocin is released. Our digestion is efficient and effective and so much more. We are curious, joyful, grounded, compassionate, and mindful.

4^th Frame:

In uncertain times such as these, our brains are quick to retreat into survival mode. The self-preservation center of the brain is the key to our social-emotional health and to learning. Restoring a sense of priority is our first priority.

5^th Frame:

Helping others is often done naturally. When we are face to face with students, we can do this more easily with tone of voice, body language and eye contact. But we also establish safety with clear routines and expectations, consistent scheduling, and clear directions. Online, we can do this the same way. We provide predictability, flexibility, routines, and choice. We connect with students and explicitly tell them how much we value them.

Final Frame:

All of this content is based on solid research and best practice. Please contact me for references, more resources, and suggested topics for future episodes. You can reach me at julie.mcdaniel@oakland.k12.mi.us.

Selected Resources

Integrated Listening Systems (2019). Stephen Porges on the Link between Feeling Safe and Making Changes. Retrieved from https://integratedlistening.com/blog/2019/09/24/stephen-porges-on-the-link-between-feeling-safe-and-making-change/

McDaniel-Muldoon, JE (2019, July 23). (A Sense of) Safety First. International Bullying Prevention Association Blog and News. https://ibpaworld.org/blog/a-sense-of-safety-first/.  

Porges, S. W. (2017). The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The

Transformative Power of Feeling Safe. New York: W. W. Norton and

Company.

Siegel, D. J. (2015). Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin.

Simon-Thomas, ER (2015). Measuring compassion in the body. Greater Good

Magazine. Retrieved from

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/measuring_compassion_in_the_ 

body.

Bullying Prevention as a Trauma-Informed Approach

Article #4 of the IBPA Trauma Series

First posted July 12, 2019

In using the lens of trauma, the effects of bullying are better understood for their widespread impact on all involved in a bullying situation. This lens then allows for a systems-level approach to bullying prevention through trauma-informed practices.

The foundation of trauma-informed practices is a safe and supportive school community where students have a strong sense of belonging. Dr. Caelan Soma and Derrick Allen of Starr Commonwealth have developed 10 steps for creating trauma-informed schools. 

1. Provide school-wide childhood trauma awareness and understanding of how trauma impacts children’s learning and behavior. Any person can help students thrive when they understand the impact of stress and trauma on learning.
2. View trauma as an experience rather than an incident or a diagnostic category. When bullying or any traumatic event occurs, it marks the beginning of an experience that may last for months or even years.
3. Believe the link between private logic and behavior. Private logic is described as the way individuals view themselves, others, and the world around them. Based on this logic, they act according to that perception.
4. Establish the experience of physical and emotional safety. We must ensure that students experience hope, empowerment, choice, security, structure, and consistency to build resilience.
5. Foster connections. Students who feel connected to their school are more likely to stay in school, have strong attendance, and achieve at higher levels.
6. Prioritize social and emotional skills. Among the most important of these skills is self-regulation: it provides the foundation for self-development, relationships, and learning.
7. Promote play. Research confirms that unstructured play improves concentration, problem-solving capabilities, and more.
8. Collaborate with families and community. Bullying, like all traumatic experiences, tends to isolate the individuals who need connection more than most. Family and community partnerships are essential components of safe, supportive, and effective schools.
9. Support staff. Whether it is a bullying situation or another type of trauma, school professionals hearing details about or witnessing a traumatic event are susceptible to vicarious trauma. Self-care is an essential practice for trauma-informed practitioners.
10. Collect and share outcome data. By collecting baseline and outcome data on culture, behavior, attendance, and more, schools are able to show the impact of trauma-informed practices.

A traumatic experience such as bullying is experienced at the most instinctual and sensory part of the brain. Trauma interventions, then, happen at both the systems level and with the individual. While trauma interventions must be conducted by trained professionals, there are activities and strategies that any adult can do with children and young adults to help heal trauma effects while also building resilience. Sensory-based, mind-body activities have proven their effectiveness, like those found here: https://www.weareteachers.com/mind-body-skills/.

The Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reminds us that all trauma-informed practices must adhere to the following principles, rather than to a prescribed program:

• Safety
• Trustworthiness and transparency
• Peer support
• Collaboration and mutuality
• Empowerment, voice, and choice
• Cultural, historical, and gender issues

Julie E. McDaniel-Muldoon, PhD

Social Media Director, International Bullying Prevention Association (IBPA)

Student Safety and Well-Being Consultant, Oakland Schools (Waterford, Michigan)

Advanced Trauma Practitioner and Trainer, Starr Commonweath

Email: julie.mcdaniel@oakland.k12.mi.us

Twitter: @jemmuldoon

Blog: https://jemmuldoon.blogspot.com/

For more information:

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

https://www.nctsn.org/resources/what-trauma-informed-child-and-family-service-system

The Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative’s (TLPI) 

https://traumasensitiveschools.org/about-tlpi/

Starr Commonwealth

www.starr.org

The Relationship between Bullying and Trauma

Research- and evidence-based bullying prevention programs have addressed bullying in a systemic and comprehensive way. We now have access to proven methods of preventing bullying and to intervene in bullying situations. While we have made great strides in designing and implementing systems that prevent bullying, there remains a need for intervening at the individual level in order to help children/young people heal from bullying situations. Using the lens of trauma in a bullying situation will fill this need.

We know that a bullying situation affects all involved in many ways, from social and emotional impact to physical and mental effects. Those who are targeted often fall into a learned helplessness that can continue throughout life. The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children (TLC) defines trauma as any real or perceived experience that leaves a person feeling hopeless, helpless, and fearing for their life/survival, their safety. Furthermore, the effects of bullying have been linked to signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Bullying is a traumatic experience.

When our brains perceive threat, whether that threat is real or imagined, the most instinctual and primitive part of our brains, called the reptilian brain, goes into survival mode. This powerful response is often flight, fight or freeze. In dangerous situations we do not have the time to weigh options or rationalize the threat. The reptilian brain's takeover reduces cognitive and emotional capacity and our senses become the driving forces of our actions.

A child/young person targeted in a bullying situation will be in this survival mode, a state of hyper-arousal. By using a lens of trauma to approach bullying, we deal with its effects on a sensory level and help the targeted child to de-escalate and begin to regulate emotions. No amount of behavioral intervention will be affective until the reptilian brain is assured the threat is no more.

The effects of bullying are felt in every aspect of our being, including emotionally, physically, and psychologically.  Those who are targeted, especially over a period of time, will manifest the same symptoms of those diagnosed with PTSD.  When we look at the impact of a bullying situation on this level, we can begin to heal those who have been harmed by the situation. 

"We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear." ~Nelson Mandela