Trauma-Aware Education | Dr Judith Howard

In this episode, Clare talks to Dr Judith Howard, Associate Professor at Queensland University of Technology, Australia about trauma-aware education. They discuss what is meant by trauma-aware education, and how trauma can impact nervous system development in children and young people.

They explore the link between nervous system regulation and behaviour, and how this understanding can help us approach behaviour support with curiosity and compassion. Dr Howard also highlights three areas that educators can focus on, to best support their students: perception of safety, capacity for relating, and emotional regulation.

Dr Judith Howard is an Associate Professor from the Education Faculty at the Queensland University of Technology and is a leading researcher and educator in the field of trauma-aware education in Australia. She promotes a neuroscience-informed approach, focusing on young learners with complex trauma histories. In her role, she oversees pre-service and post-graduate teacher programmes in trauma-aware education, and has developed online courses that are used nationally and internationally.

Before moving into academia, Judith had an extensive career history as a teacher, school counsellor and student behaviour specialist.

Dr Howard has led the development of the National Guidelines for Trauma-Aware Education, and is author of two books: ‘Distressed or Deliberately Defiant: Managing Challenging Student Behaviour due to Trauma and Disorganised Attachment’ and ‘Trauma-Aware Education: Essential Information and Guidance for Educators, Education Sites, and Education Systems’. She is also the founder and Principal Chair of the biennial Trauma-Aware Education Conference held in Australia.

You can find Dr Howard on LinkedIn or click here to find out more about upcoming conferences around trauma-informed education.

She shares three tips during the episode:

• Learn as much as you can about trauma and its impact on the development of the nervous system.
• Keep an open mind and critically evaluate the systems and processes you already use.
• Advocate and share your knowledge and understanding with fellow practitioners, to promote change at an individual, organisational and systemic level.

The Team Teach podcast shares the latest thinking in behaviour, all in handy 15-minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use in your setting.