Publications
As we contribute to research and practice, we will share published articles with you.
Phillips, B. (2022). The Montessori Method, and the Neurosequential Model in Education (NME): A Comparative Study. Journal of Montessori Research, 8(2), 33–43.
“The 6 R’s recommended by the NME align with original Montessori principles which emphasize that the children’s houses were relational, the activities were rhythmic, repetitive, relevant, and rewarding, and every aspect of the environment was respectful.”
Catriona O’Toole, International Journal of School Social Work: Vol. 6: Iss. 2. https://doi.org/10.4148/2161-4148.1076
“It has become apparent that the discourses surrounding trauma, adversity, trauma-informed practice are entangled with a medical model of trauma symptomology, whereby survivors’ responses are individualized, decontextualized and pathologized, whilst broader inequalities, exclusion and more systemic issues that impact the wellbeing of children, families and communities are overlooked”
Gherardi, Stacy A.; Garcia, Myra; and Stoner, Allison (2021) International Journal of School Social Work: Vol. 6: Iss. 1.
“Schools that neglect to identify the painful histories of cultural and historical trauma in marginalized communities can reinforce mechanisms of oppression and contribute to re-traumatization.”.
Maria Montessori was a woman ahead of her time. Her long involvement with children exposed to poverty, neglect, natural disaster, war and displacement informed her educational philosophy and teaching methods. This paper considers Montessori education in light of what we now know about the impact of trauma and factors that promote healing.
Journal of Montessori Research, 8(1), 13-28. Phillips, B., O’Toole, C., McGilloway, S., & Phillips, S. (2022).
“The Montessori Method, as practiced in the early schools, was by its very nature both trauma informed and trauma responsive.”
Wassink – de Stigter, R., Kooijmans, R., Asselman, M.W. et al. Facilitators and Barriers in the Implementation of Trauma-Informed Approaches in Schools: A Scoping Review. School Mental Health 14, 470–484 (2022).
“Five main themes from the study: the importance of professional development, implementation planning, leadership support, engaging stakeholders and buy-in.” barriers and facilitators TIA
Childhood adversity and trauma are so prevalent and so damaging they are increasingly being referred to as a public health epidemic. In response, trauma-informed approaches have become popular in education systems around the world. However, a number of concerns about these approaches have been expressed.
In C. Faucher, R.W. McLellan & V. Simovska, [Eds]. Wellbeing and Schooling: Cross Cultural and Cross Disciplinary Perspectives. Taylor & Francis. O’Toole, C. (2022).
“If schools are committed to ensuring the wellbeing, health and educational outcomes of all students, then there is a need for educationalists to take seriously the reality of childhood trauma and adversity.”
Emily Berger et al., 2020
“…appropriate training and support mechanisms at both the governance and school level is needed to support school leaders to assist students who have experienced trauma”
In recent years, wellbeing has become a pillar of Western educational discourse and practice. However, the current interest is wellbeing in education is not without contestation. One problem is that most contemporary theorising in the area of wellbeing draws heavily on traditional, monological and reductionist theories, which view the self as autonomous, self-contained and separable from the social and material world.
In C. Faucher, R.W. McLellan & V. Simovska. [Eds]. Wellbeing and Schooling: Cross Cultural and Cross Disciplinary Perspectives. Taylor & Francis.O’Toole. C. & Simovska, V. (2022).
“As a simplified feel-good agenda takes hold in schools, students are faced with increasing exhortations to be upbeat, to persist in the face of challenges, to display a growth mindset, to be enterprising and resilient. Repeated over time this can give rise to an atmosphere of toxic positivity, particularly for those students whose life experiences and living conditions don’t easily lend themselves to feelings of cheery enthusiasm”.
“What is the role of school counsellors in trauma-informed education?”
This paper presents a unique primary school programme that harnesses the benefits of both trauma-informed practice and outdoor environments to support children’s social and emotional wellbeing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Irish Educational Studies, 40:2, 329-340. Mulholland M. & O’Toole C. (2021).
“How can we embed trauma-informed principles into the curriculum?”
Thomas Quarmby, Rachel Sandford et al., 2022
“Incorporating trauma-informed pedagogies is important, particularly given ‘the public nature of participation and the centrality of the body within PE”
Julie Avery et al. (2022)
“Trauma-responsive schools are fundamentally about BEING rather than DOING” “Equity and social justice are inextricably linked to trauma responsivity”
