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.