Facilitation of Student Resilience Through Educator Development of Critical Conscience

Exposure to chronic trauma such as lifestyles of poverty, events of natural disaster, and acts of violence on individuals or groups continues to happen for educators and their students – if not via personal experience, via media-informed awareness. Critical conscience as increased awareness, understanding, and desire for advocacy is increased through experiential learning of pre-service educators as they engage in the lives of student populations they serve. A graduate course in work with multicultural populations routinely includes immersion experiences of pre-service educators in a population of students they teach and other than their own population. Selected student experiences and subsequent reflections were examined for results with relevance to application in amelioration of risks and promotion of resilience with chronic trauma. The study resulted in student reports of increased critical conscience. Based on literature reviews for the study, this enhanced critical conscience contributes to educator preparation for greater efficacy with intervention for amelioration of trauma impact and promotion of resilience development with future students whom they will teach.