Introduction to the Teacher Acute Concussion Tool (TACT)
Don’t worry about training your classroom teachers on Return to Learn in advance. Get Schooled on Concussions Return to Learn curriculum can be delivered to your classroom teachers via email at the time they get a student with a concussion back into their classroom.
Empowering classroom teachers to do all they can to support students with
concussion quickly, flexibly and over the first 4 weeks is the “window of opportunity”.
Teacher Acute Concussion Tool (TACT):
- Allows a RTL Initiator – a school nurse/counselor/athletic trainer OR an MD/DO/RN/PA/MA in a pediatric or concussion speciality clinic to initiate academic guidance to up to 20 teachers by simply filling out the TACT – takes 2 minutes!
- Delivers an email immediately into the inbox of the teacher(s) who will be receiving the student with a concussion back into the classroom
- Is color-coded by strategy and walks the teacher through the order of interventions
- Attaches easy to read 1 page Lessons or Tip Sheets for teachers to download for more information (if desired)
- Provides a button to easily upload a more personalized plan (pdf) on the student with a concussion (optional)
- Reminds the teacher to continue to support the student with concussion for up to 4 weeks with subsequent emails that automatically arrive in the teacher’s inbox at week 2, week 3 and week 4
- Builds knowledge and confidence of teachers as they learn how their teaching style can be adjusted to support the needs of a student with a concussion
- Builds capacity of the general education classroom teacher so students feel better and learn better during recovery from their concussion ultimately reducing possible contribution to delayed recovery (symptoms lasting months instead of weeks) and the need for a 504 Plan or IEP
- The TACT is easy to use and so self-explanatory that NO advanced or face-to-face training is needed. Classroom teachers get “trained” in “real-time” – at the time they get their first student with a concussion in their classroom
- However, a 15 minute video + “on-the-spot” use of the TACT can train an entire teaching staff in just 20 minutes, if a school chooses to be proactive about teacher training on concussion Return-to-Learn
- Provides accountability for teachers, and to parents, that Return to Learn was taught and addressed – reduces liability around each individual student returning to learn post-concussion
- Allows administrators to prove teacher capacity built (knowledge and confidence), disaggregated by school and district. The TACT does NOT access any identifiable student information – reduces school-wide liability since entire school staffs can be proactively trained on Return to Learn post-concussion
- Is for ALL students, not just for athletes – because all students post-concussion must return to learn even if they do not return to sports. However, a swift return to learn also leads to a swifter return to play post-concussion
- More importantly, swiftly and generously supporting students post-concussion is vital to keeping them on-track academically, physically and socially – during life’s ups and downs!