Reflection on incorporating trauma-informed pedagogical practices into my syllabus and/or course activities in Fall 2020

Having incorporated trauma-informed pedagogy into my courses in Fall 2020, I here reflect on what went well, and things I would like to revise going forward.

“Physical, Emotional, Social, & Academic Safety”

As I had mentioned in my first post, I included a section on “life happens” in the syllabus, and reviewed the supports available to students more than once during the semester. I also had my courses attend a workshop led by the NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Health called, “Covid-19 Community Conversations: Mental Health, Equity, and Resilience.”

I also began using an app, “Remind,” that allowed me to text short and regular reminders to students about upcoming readings, assignments, and events. I also found that sending a reminder five minutes before the beginning of class helped improve attendance and reduced lateness. I have no idea if this was a coincidence, of course, but I will continue using it as long as I am teaching synchronously online. And I may even use it when and if we return to in-person class.

Trustworthiness & Transparency

I had intended, and did achieve the creation, review, and distribution of rubrics for all assignments for this semester. I had wanted to minimize confusion and disappointment in grading. I am unsure if I have succeeded in minimizing disappointment with grades, but I do see some improvement in assignments which the review of rubrics in advance may have facilitated. I will continue to do this going forward. I have also been transparent about delays in returning feedback, as some weeks my administrative duties got the better of me. One week, I was delayed with a pet who was unwell. I decide to just be honest about it, and I students reacted positively and with understanding to my dilemma.

Support & Connection

I wanted to use Connect2Success this semester, but as has happened in previous semesters, the timing of the app never coincides with my assignments and grading schedule. I know I can use it outside the times it is encouraged, but I do not know if it functions in the same way in those off-periods. I need to follow up to find out and/or consider revising some assignments to see if I can link up to the timing of the program in future semesters.

Collaboration & Mutuality

I found that using breakout rooms to encourage discussion amongst peers in my synchronous courses worked quite well. To keep track of discussion, I also used Google sheets which I filled with short questions that students answered together in the breakout rooms. We reviewed some of their answers together when we returned from breakout rooms, and this helped break the ice and inspired more participation as I asked people to report back on their discussion in those rooms.

Empowerment, Voice, & Choice

I encouraged students to take breaks as needed in my courses, and also encouraged them to speak with me to adjust deadlines when necessary.

Social Justice

We spent most of the semester on content directly related to social justice.

Resilience, Growth, & Change

I believe that the breaks in class helped us balance our attention.

Incorporating trauma-informed pedagogical practices into my syllabus and/or course activities in Fall 2020

With the benefit of the trauma-informed pedagogy workshop in August 2020, I reflected on my current courses, considering the practices and policies already in place that support the “Trauma Informed Teaching and Learning Principles” (Baez, Marquart, Garay, & Chung, 2020). I also reviewed these principles, together with insights from colleagues in the workshop, to find ways to develop and incorporate some new practices and policies going forward.

Below I articulate my existing and new practices and policies for each principle.

“Physical, Emotional, Social, & Academic Safety”

In my syllabus, I already include the section on “life happens,” which details all the supports available to students, and I state this explicitly in the first course session, and repeat it throughout the semester as a reminder. Emphasizing safety and “the need to learn from mistakes” are essential to my courses. I am quite transparent about my own struggles, as a first-generation college student, from mixed-immigrant heritage, working-class family, and I encourage students to speak with me in confidence about any challenges, as well as promote their finding support through the Counseling Center and other low-cost options. This semester I am using Remind, an app that permits students to text each other (and me) without having to share cell phone numbers. I am going to encourage them to use this tool to get to know each other and support each other’s work in the class and beyond.

Trustworthiness & Transparency

I have been grading with rubrics for many years, but I realized through the switch to virtual learning, and the trauma-informed workshop, that I have not done enough to minimize disappointment with grades, especially on formal papers and essays. I am a tough grader, and students are often disappointed, even though I announce my strict grading criteria ahead of assignments. I now see that this is not working! This semester, I plan to promote trust and transparency by reviewing rubrics carefully when I distribute the assignments, something I have not done before. I will also provide some brief examples of the most important sections of assignments as examples.

Support & Connection

I am going to use Connect2Success this semester to share praise and concerns, and to facilitate connections with advisors.

Collaboration & Mutuality

I will be teaching synchronously, and will use breakout rooms to encourage discussion amongst peers. I do not have any student-led assignments this semester, so I want to work on that for future semesters.

Empowerment, Voice, & Choice

I will have a break in the three-hour course I am teaching. When we are in person, I always remind students that they do not need my permission to take care of their needs (restroom, getting water, etc.,), so online, I will remind students during class periodically to take breaks as needed.

Social Justice

The content of my courses directly addresses social justice, so from the outset, we define it, and note that we will prioritize respect even as we may disagree about the issues we will discuss.

Resilience, Growth, & Change

The workshop helped me realize how important it is to find balance in class. I am going to encourage students to post photos of pets, hobbies, or favorite places. Breaks will also help us balance our attention.

Reference

Baez, J. C., Marquart, M. S., Garay, K., & Chung, R. (2020, March 24). Retrieved August 24, 2020, from https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.7916/d8-gc9d-na95. doi:https://doi.org/10.7916/d8-gc9d-na95