Creating Communities of Care: Pedagogies of Mental Wellness and Inclusive Design

As we return to normal ,we might feel pressure to immediately increase our productivity. In terms of self-care, this relatively sudden increase might perpetuate burnout. In terms of pedagogies, we might be tempted to embrace a full return to previous teaching methods. At this time of transition, we suggest that returning to normal might not be ideal, particularly in regards to student and teacher mental health and creating accessible classrooms. During the pandemic, we openly acknowledged that many people were struggling, and we shifted the norm to attend to mental health and accessibility more broadly. As a result, we created more structures that supported communities of care. This workshop suggests that teachers maintain those structures and consider mental wellness as part of inclusive design. Just as the book Hitting Pause argues for intentionally pausing to facilitate deeper learning, we suggest that this transition back to normal is also a time to press pause and consider what aspects of our pandemic pedagogies we should intentionally carry forward. Designed to apply to teachers across multiple disciplines, this interactive workshop will provide participants with strategies and resources for building on the strengths of our pandemic pedagogies and continue enhancing accessibility for mental health