Practical Trauma-Informed Teaching and Learning Strategies for the College Classroom

Studies suggest that rates of anxiety, depression, and panic attacks among college students have been on the rise over the past decade (Oswalt et al., 2020). A history of trauma is associated with the presence of such mental health disorders (Artime et al., 2019). According to Read and colleagues (2011), 75% of female students and 54% of male students entering college reported that they had experienced a traumatic event in their lifetime. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are a common source of trauma. ACEs include abuse (physical, emotional, sexual), neglect (physical, emotional), and living in a situation in which any members of the household were experiencing mental illness, physical abuse, divorce, substance abuse, or incarceration. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC; 2019), 61% of adults experienced had at least one ACE before the age of 18, and 16% of those surveyed reporting they had four or more ACEs. Another considerable cause of traumatic stress includes repeated, though possibly subtle, experiences of marginalization, microaggression, and stigma based on race, ethnicity, disability status, mental health status, body size, gender identity/gender expression, or sexual orientation (Catrone & Koch, 2021; Ezell et al., 2018; Matheson et al., 2019; Nadal, 2018; Panza et al., 2020). These may be referred to as micro-traumas (Crastnopol, 2015). Because traumatic experiences are pervasive, we should assume that we are teaching students with trauma histories in every class (Ludvik, 2020). As part of our commitment to student success, we can make simple shifts in our instructional practices to align with a trauma-informed approach to teaching and learning. This presentation will: provide general information about definitions, mechanisms, and consequences of trauma as they relate to teaching and learning; describe Carello’s (2020) seven principles of trauma-informed teaching and learning (TITL): and, provide concrete examples of trauma-informed teaching and learning practices, grounded in the work of Carello (2020) as well as in the frameworks of Transparency in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (TILT; Winkelmes, 2014), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL; CAST, 2018). Audience participation and engagement activities: Role playing (with willing volunteers) Think-pair-share (with alternative to generate ideas individually if preferred) Mini-cases (e.g., identifying possible trauma-informed strategies that would be beneficial for students with various trauma-related learning difficulties