Trauma-Transforming Practices: Critical Literacies for Educators 2
Workshop 2 – Reflective Practice: The Literacy of Pausing
Date:
November 4 @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Price:
Topics:
- Equity
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- General Education
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- Social-Emotional Learning
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- Trauma
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- Well-Being
Instructor(s):
Dave Melnick, LICSW
Event Type:
Virtual
Professional Learning Hours:
5
Intended Audience:
All PK-12 educators, SU/school leaders, mental health professionals and support faculty.
Session #2 of a 3-part series.
This series will equip educators with three essential literacies needed to thrive in today’s schools: the literacy of prediction, the literacy of pausing, and the literacy of possibility. Together these literacies offer a practical framework for understanding human behavior and navigating the complex realities of schools, while creating environments where both students and adults can flourish. The series will help educators develop the skills and mindsets to move beyond trauma-informed awareness toward trauma-transforming action.
The second session will invite participants into a culture of curiosity, where it is safe to hold, share, and make sense of our emotional experiences. By exploring the limits of our own stories and biases, we strengthen our individual and collective fluency in reflection. When we use inquiry rather than certainty to navigate challenges, emotions become clues, not obstacles. The literacy of pausing equips educators to respond thoughtfully rather than reactively in complex, human-centered school environments.
Participants will:
- Use structured pausing techniques to replace reactive patterns with intentional responses.
- Analyze emotional experiences as diagnostic tools for understanding school and relational dynamics.
- Critique professional narratives to evaluate how personal presence and assumptions influence educational outcomes.
- Apply curiosity-based strategies to shift peer dialogue from certainty to collective wisdom.
Workshops in this series:
October 6, 2026: The Science of Stress: The Literacy of Predictability
November 4, 2026: Reflective Practice: The Literacy of Pausing
December 16, 2026: Reframing Challenging Behaviors: The Literacy of Possibility
Participants may register for any or all of the workshops, or register for a 3-credit graduate course.
