There comes a time somewhere in our professional careers that we begin wondering how we can grow professionally and personally. I wondered this too, I felt the pull towards something new. The transitional journey for me begun in 2021 when I started as a casual teaching lecturer (previously known as the sessional tutors) and an industry expert (Social Worker) across multiple social work and human services courses. What I discovered was more that I had originally anticipated. I have learned more about myself then I had anticipated.

As a Czechoslovakian refugee I settled in Australia with my family in 1986. During my earlier years and throughout my adulthood within the Australian education I faced several obstacles as a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD). These obstacles were mainly environmental, cultural, language, social and emotional.

As a learner with intergeneration trauma experiences of war and migration to Australia I have encountered various systems of knowledge and meaning of new cultural norms, different historical narratives and experiences of marginalisation as a culturally and linguistically diverse student belonging to a minority group. Loss of language and connection over familiar language phrases, greetings, movies and music was incredibly difficult and isolating. My knowledge of the world has been influenced by how knowledge is formed and accepted through lived experiences within the three generations of my family. My beliefs are constructed through intergenerational storytelling where families’ experiences of war and trauma constructed from individuals’ perspective and view of the world . These were reinforced through cultural practices. My experiences as a refugee influenced my understanding of social context in Australia and during displacement and resettlement which are reflections of the experiences of living within the Soviet regime, migration policies and education systems .

As an adult now, living in Australia, first generation graduate from university, I find myself in a PhD program, reflecting on my education experiences and creating meaning. I found myself sharing a (trauma-informed version) of my refugee story with undergraduate students in social work programs to normalise their difficulties in learning and I would encourage them to use university study support resources throughout their studies. These support services over time became my source of guidance, support and a space where I was able to be myself.

What I have learned along this learning journey, particularly in the last two years; is my teaching philosophy is deeply grounded in the values and beliefs that education must be a space of enjoyment, compassion, empowerment, transformation and hopefully some fun. Having experienced the classroom as a place of struggle and joy myself, I understand first hand the value of a trauma-informed approach to learning.

Trauma-informed pedagogy in classrooms

Long before I became an educator, through practice as a social worker I learned the value of Trauma Informed Care. It was only through additional training in scholarship literature as a tutor in 2021 I discovered Corello’s (2018) Trauma-Informed Education Principles Framework. What I like about this framework is that it does not require expertise in trauma at all, we do not have to have extensive skills in this area, this should be left for the mental health and counselling professionals.

What it does require is to step into compassion and care for other human beings and have generous assumptions that students (and educators) are doing their best.  I’ve been able to incorporate it into my classroom teaching in small ways that may already feel familiar to educators, these are;

1. Thriving for safety – At the start of each course we develop shared group norms, and we all agree to follow them. We also talk about wellbeing and academic support services available on campus.
2. Creating transparency, leading to trustworthiness – I share my approaches to marking with the students and encourage an open dialog. A big part of this for me as an educator to gain a shared understanding of the assessment. I also continue to share support resources with students throughout their learning journey and as part of the assessment feedback.
3. Creating a community through peer support – In my classroom we work as a team and all students strived to provide support to each other through active listening, sharing resources, allowing space to debrief, being respectful to each other, and making time to connect outside of the classroom. If I see students struggling to make connections in class, I pair them up with someone I know they would have a positive connection with in-class and hope their friendship will grow.
4. Supporting collaboration and mutuality – We problem solve issues together; I would often seek solutions from the students and collaborate with them when an issue arises. I let students help in class wherever possible and share the load with setup for activities and troubleshoot tech issues. This was particularly helpful during the transitional period this semester when we started to settle into new systems at Adelaide University. We found that this is closely linked to transparency, if an issue is out of ones control it is important to talk about it.
5. Supporting voice and choice to achieve empowerment - As a class we practice strength-based language and together (because student voice is important!) we decide which activities we prioritise during class time, and which ones can be completed independently. I am mindful that sometimes academic support of looking over a draft assignment maybe be helpful for those students who are not clear on the instructions or struggle with their own self-doubt.
6. Inclusiveness of culture, history and gender - We incorporated the Acknowledgement of Country at the start of the lesson and take turns each week. We learn Kaurna greetings in the first two weeks of the course and then greet each other using Kaurna greetings when I mark attendance (because we are gathering on Kaurna country) and it is a great way to learn students’ names. I strived to be inclusive in my language and terms I use by using culturally sensitive, gender-affirming and neuro-affirming communication style.
7. Resilience, growth and change - Students are encouraged to be supportive of each other and promote well-being, this includes sharing existing self-care strategies as part of class conversation. We work through difficulties in tasks together, sometimes I meet with students outside of class for extra help and always encourage or refer students to counselling services or study help services the university offers.

My key take aways

Trauma is deeply intrenched in institutions within colonial Australian context and the prevalence of trauma in the Australian population is approximately 75%. Practicing my own self-care continued with me from social work practice to education. Incorporating a healthy balance of rest, work, exercise, hobbies, spirituality/religion, mental health support, physical health, journaling and connecting with supportive people helps maintain resilience.

Janice Corello, PhD, blog provides educators with more resources to use in the classroom About – Trauma-Informed Teaching & Learning

References for this blog.

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