1.3.3 Inclusive Teaching through Trauma-Informed
Pedagogy
From the pandemic and social distancing to police brutality and ensuing
protests, the events of 2020 have exposed even the most sheltered
students to trauma. As with other social issues, the level of trauma is
higher for students of color and those living in poverty. As
instructors, we must acknowledge that each student’s experience of
trauma will differ, and that students will bring their trauma to the
classroom (for more details, please see McInerney and McKlindon, 2014
and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Learning Centerhttps://learn.nctsn.org/). Thus,
we should design our courses with student trauma in mind. The idea
behind trauma-informed teaching is to enable student success by
interacting with students in such a way as to forge meaningful
connections, allowing the students to perceive that the instructor is
available and willing to assist in managing the traumatic emotions
(Newhouse, 2020). For example, many individuals experiencing trauma find
comfort in structure, and trauma-informed teaching suggests the
importance of maintaining a routine schedule for students exposed to
trauma (Pat-Horenczyk et al, 2006). However, other students may withdraw
or find difficulty completing routine tasks. Therefore, a clear schedule
with accommodations written out for late work is a way to meet both of
those needs. Fostering connection and a feeling of safety is also
important for trauma-informed pedagogy. A shared narrative between
students and the instructor can be useful in establishing this. For
example, an instructor acknowledging their children during a synchronous
class can show the students that their instructors are struggling to
cope as well and understand the burdens their students may be
experiencing. Instructors can also model naming emotions by sharing
their honest feelings with the class, for example by letting students
know this transition is challenging for all of us and that it is okay to
feel angry, sad, and frustrated. It can also be important to let
students see our authentic selves on screen, not every video has to be
perfect (Darby and Lang, 2019). It is also important to model resilience
and build community by telling students we can get through this together
(Teaching Tolerance Staff, 2020). Accomplishing this sense of community
can be challenging in an online environment where students can feel
isolated and alone. Thus, it is important to have some form of
personalized communication, either via instructor-created video, live
online sessions, personalized emails, discussion posts, or other class
activities, during the online course.