Trauma-Transforming Practices: Critical Literacies for Educators 3
Workshop 3 – Reframing Challenging Behaviors: The Literacy of Possibility
Date:
December 16 @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Price:
Topics:
- 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 #3 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.
Reframing is both a language shift and a perception shift—an intentional move away from deficit-based labels toward asset-informed understanding. This session explores reframing as a literacy of possibility: an intentional practice of questioning the first (often inaccurate) stories we tell about behavior, motivation, and capacity.
Reframing is not denial or toxic positivity; it is an equity-driven act of replacement that expands what becomes possible in our classrooms. When we become more fluent in the literacy of possibility, we invite students to see themselves more fully, while also protecting educators from the trap of narrow, one-dimensional narratives.
Participants will:
- Practice noticing assumptions and generating alternative interpretations of challenging behavior.
- Replace deficit-based labels with language that honors a student’s full capacity and context.
- Apply equity-driven reframing practices to challenge the status quo and expand instructional and relational possibilities.
- Identify and mitigate cognitive biases that can lock educators into rigid, adversarial power dynamics.
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.
