Teaching Assistants' Training Program

Description

Many people have been talking more openly about trauma in recent days – the trauma of the pandemic, domestic trauma, intergenerational and systemic trauma, trauma linked to geopolitical events, climate change, and so on. But how does trauma shape our approaches to teaching and learning? Trauma-informed practice keeps trauma, its prevalence, and how it affects an individual, in mind. When applied to higher education, trauma-informed pedagogy reminds educators that stress can impede a student’s ability to process information, make choices, and stay focused. Trauma-informed teaching incorporates the principles of predictability, flexibility, connection and warmth, relationship, and empowerment. These principles, combined with culturally responsive pedagogies, involve using consistent routines, providing choices whenever possible, prioritizing compassion, getting to know students, and giving them voice and choice. While many TAs and course instructors already demonstrating elements of trauma-informed and culturally responsive pedagogy in their teaching, this workshop aims to expand upon these teaching strategies and situate them within a framework that approaches trauma as an important pedagogical concern rather than an individual or social problem that only exists outside the walls of the classroom.