With a new semester right around the corner, you may be looking at revising your course outlines so that they reflect your plans and new ideas for the semester. One way to refresh a syllabus to be inclusive and welcoming to students is to draw on principles of trauma-informed practice.

Trauma-informed practice

Trauma-informed practice has its origins in a number of disciplines and social movements including psychology, social work, counselling, child welfare, feminist theory and public health. In Renee Linklater’s Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies, Lakota social worker Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart asserts that long before trauma-informed practice became a popularized, Indigenous people have been advocating for and living trauma-informed care in response to the violence of colonialism. When we speak about trauma-informed teaching, we are affirming our responsibilities in this time of reconciliation as well.

A broad range of applied and research efforts have led to the evolution of trauma-informed practices that aim to support all people, including those who have experienced trauma, in navigating the world, and large systems like healthcare and education. Trauma-informed practice extends beyond the individual: it is an organizational change approach centering equity and inclusion while seeking to minimize harm and enhance healing and repair.

Principles of trauma-informed practice

There are many different models articulating principles of trauma-informed practice, however, almost all models feature the principles that Dr. Janice Carello highlights in her blog Trauma-Informed Teaching & Learning. These are:

Safety	Trustworthiness & Transparency	Support & Connection	Collaboration & Mutuality	Empowerment, Voice & Choice	Diversity, Equity & Inclusion	Resilience, Growth & Change
Creating an environment that feels safe enough to take risks and learn from mistakes.	Making expectations clear, ensuring consistency in practice, maintaining appropriate boundaries, and minimizing disappointment.	Connecting with appropriate peer and professional resources to support academic, personal, and professional success.	Acting as allies rather than as adversaries and creating opportunities to share power and make decisions.	Building in opportunities to make choices, be heard, build skills, and develop confidence and competence.	Respecting diverse experiences, perspectives, and identities and cultivating a sense of belonging.	Recognizing strengths and resilience and providing  feedback to help each other grow and change.

How does trauma-informed practice relate to post-secondary teaching?

As we continue to make advances in our understandings of trauma and the brain, the relationships between trauma and learning become more evident. We know that students need to feel safe in order to learn, and we know that students, especially and disproportionately marginalized students, are at a great risk of experiencing or witnessing trauma while attending post-secondary. Building educational institutions that are trauma-informed is necessary if we want to ensure we are teaching in ways that are holistic and exist in consideration of the diversity of experiences students and faculty bring into the classroom.

What is a trauma-informed syllabus?

A syllabus does more than outlining the essential elements of a course. It sets the tone for how we interact with our students, and lets them know the ways we are available to support them. Creating a syllabus that expresses your trust in your students, and your confidence in their capacities, can have a profound impact on the way you and your students co-create a learning environment together.  In addition to prioritizing clarity, transparency and highlighting available support, a trauma-informed syllabus can promote student well-being, sense of safety and can contribute to a learning environment that is more inclusive and equitable. 

Trauma-informed course outlines, sometimes referred to as “cruelty-free syllabi,” are championed by a number of academics and educational developers around the world. Jesse Stommel, a faculty member at the University of Denver, has shared an example of his unique style of syllabus, in which he emphasizes trusting his students and working with them to find solutions to any challenges that may emerge.

Matthew Cheney, Director of Interdisciplinary Studies, at Plymouth State University, has a presentation in which he shares how he adapted his syllabus over time. He was also interviewed on the Teaching Higher Ed podcast. His work is premised on the assumption that faculty members:

• believe students are central to their courses
• want students to be successful
• respect students as human beings
• have the capacity to trust students.

While every program will have different requirements, Matthew Cheney argues that attendance and late policies are strengthened by having the following perspective:

“Attendance and late work policies should acknowledge the barriers students may face, while also emphasizing the positive value of attendance & turning work in on time for both the individual student and the class as a whole. Seek to make policies that create conversation when things go wrong.”

First Steps

Some educators totally transform their syllabus in the pursuit of creating a document for students which is inviting and inclusive. If you’re looking for ideas on the first steps you could take to make your syllabus more trauma-informed this semester, focus on the tone of your syllabus and whether it is punitive, or inviting dialogue. You could also consider including:

Territorial acknowledgement

Our commitments to being trauma-informed exist in relationship to our responsibilities in a time of Truth and Reconciliation. Learning whose territories you live and work on, and including an explanation of that in your syllabus, not only orients people to the Indigenous people in the area, but can also make Indigenous students feel seen and supported.

A clear outline of the course

Clarity is kindness. Organized by week, or by module, providing students with an idea of the course schedule, weekly topics, and potential assignment deadlines allows them to plan for their semester and manage their time accordingly. Naming the possibility that things will change can easily be included to allow for transparency and the inevitable adjustments that the semester can bring.

Content warnings

If your course has the potential to cover issues that may be distressing to students, it’s a good idea to let them know ahead of time that you’re aware of this and will be mindful to give them plenty of warning and options for participating. In addition, you can let students know that you are open to feedback on content, while also clarifying that learning involves contending with difficult subjects at times. In this section, what is important is assuring your students that you are committed to their learning and their well-being, and are open to further discussing this at any point throughout the semester.

Support resources available for students

There are numerous services available to VIU students. Familiarizing yourself with the resources available, and communicating to your students the ways in which you and others are available to help them,  can help them feel supported before class has even begun. Rather than simply listing the resources, you could include information about how you intend to avail yourself, within the boundaries that feel appropriate to you, in order to help refer them to the services available. For example, in addition to the essential supports that Accessibility Services provides, you may be open to other forms of flexible assessments, and you could let your students know about this in your syllabus. Or, you could let students know that you’re committed to the Early Alert System, and will seek their consent when supporting them with this service.

If you’re unsure what supports are available for students, a good place to begin is this document: VIU supports available for students in distress

Upcoming CIEL workshops on implementing a trauma-informed approach to teaching

Creating a trauma-informed syllabus is one of the first steps of trauma-informed teaching. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can build your practice as a trauma-informed educator, you are invited to join our workshop series this fall.

Introduction to Trauma-Informed Teaching

In this session, we will explore the history of trauma informed care, and how it has come to inform teaching in post-secondary institutions. Drawing on recent research in neuroscience, counselling, social work and education, we will explore what trauma is, and how it affects learning. Faculty will have an opportunity to reflect on the personal and systemic dynamics of trauma, and will learn the principles of trauma-informed teaching. From a strengths-based perspective, faculty will address areas in which their teaching is already trauma-informed, while identifying areas for new learning moving forward.

Trauma-Informed Teaching: Planning for Safety and Inclusion

Student well-being has become a crucial aspect of the teaching experience. Trauma-informed teaching principles teach us that, with planning, we can create a classroom environment that is supportive to students. In this session, we will explore how Universal Design for Learning and Trauma-Informed Practices are complementary, develop strategies for cultivating belonging and community in the classroom, and plan for safety and transparency in our teaching. It is recommended that faculty complete the Introduction to Trauma-Informed Teaching workshop prior to attending Planning and Preparing. Planning for Safety and Inclusion

Trauma-Informed Teaching: Responding to Conflict and Trauma in the Classroom

One of the greatest challenges we face as instructors comes when conflict arises in the classroom. In this session, we will explore how the principles of trauma-informed teaching, and the research on the neurobiology of trauma can inform our responses in these moments.  We will explore dynamics of power and privilege, safety and harm, as well as de-escalation strategies. Faculty will have an opportunity to deepen their understandings of how to respond to disclosures and how to refer students to specialized supports. We delineate the role of educator as distinct from counsellor, and will explore the boundaries and care required as we strive to be trauma-informed instructors. It is recommended that faculty complete the Introduction to Trauma-Informed Teaching workshop prior to attending Responding to Conflict and Trauma in the Classroom

The Trauma-Informed Educator: Teaching in Changing Times

Studies have shown that trauma-informed educators possess certain qualities and skills that they develop over time. This workshop is an opportunity for supported self-reflection: we will explore who we are, who we are called to be, and how we are doing, both as educators and as whole people.  Exploring the qualities and skills of trauma-informed and strengths-based educators, we will identify our desired growth areas so that we can continue to support our students in doing the same. Each participant will each be invited to commit to one strength and one growth area to focus on for the next year. It is recommended, but not required, that faculty complete the Introduction to Trauma-Informed Teaching workshop prior to attending this workshop.

If you’re unable to attend these sessions, but are interested in learning more about trauma-informed teaching, please contact learnsupport@viu.ca to schedule a consultation with a Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Specialist.