instance. For example, words with extensive idiomatic usage such as “green” or “kind” could be introduced in a literal context and used in that way until they are easily recognized whenever they appear in the curriculum. After the basic meaning of the color “green”, and the personal trait “kind” are easily recognized, the same words can be shown in an idiomatic context with a whole new meanings, as in “green with envy” or “kind of” meaning “almost”. In the beginning these idioms can be introduced in a for-your-information format with low influence over the students’ grades. If the teacher speaks the students’ L1 it could also be helpful to draw parallels with idioms in the L1 and how words change meaning in their native language so that the idea of one word having multiple meanings will be shown as something they already know how to deal with. After students get used to the way words in the L2 can have different meanings in different contexts the idioms can then be used in texts or materials that are used for determining the students’ grades. By doing this on a regular basis students in high stress environments can be introduced to the practice of re-evaluating the familiar in a context that is slightly removed from the stress and physical dangers of real life. Once it becomes a familiar routine in the classroom, the habit of mental flexibility can be established and strengthened in the students through education.
Because of the high reactivity of some PTSD students, issues in the classroom involving the cognitive conflict, or causing the student to realize that they have the wrong idea of how a thing is said in a language or done in any aspect of education may lead to some teacher student interactions that may appear rude or explosive. They may question the teacher directly or try to correct the teacher, even in language classes where the teacher is a native speaker. However, the cognitive conflict has been shown to lead to
