Sandra VanderKaay

How did you come to this work? What is the research behind this resource?

In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I began teaching online (like most educators). In my interactions with students both in-class (online) and outside of class (e.g., virtual office hours) I noted, at a very deep level, that many students were struggling, and there was more to the struggle than the transition to online learning. I became gravely concerned about learning. I wondered if students were even in the position to learn given the stressors of the international, national, and local contexts (i.e., COVID-19 pandemic, Truth and Reconciliation, Black Lives Matter demonstrations). I even wondered if learning was an appropriate priority. Furthermore, although I was very invested in teaching and learning through the COVID-19 pandemic and attempted in earnest to make beneficial changes, I was not aware of how to best adapt my teaching to better support learning in the described milieu. I began to search online and in the literature related to the scholarship of teaching and learning to educate myself on how I could best support positive learning outcomes for students despite the contextual stressors. Thus began my journey with trauma-informed pedagogy (TIP). I applied for research funding and was awarded two grants from MacPherson Institute at McMaster University, including a Leadership in Teaching and Learning Fellowship and I was able to conduct several research studies related to TIP including an integrative review of the literature, a survey of traumatic experiences/ACEs, and three implementation studies. Through this research I have created a website entirely devoted to TIP at www.doitanyway.ca with an online learning module with a downloadable PDF containing many TIP practices and a downloadable infographic. Two of the studies have already been published with others under review.

Click to download the infographic with TIP practices (PDF)

How have the strategies highlighted in the infographic shaped your classroom practice?

I consistently implement several TIP practices in my classroom teaching. In 2023 I had the opportunity to purposefully and explicitly implement 11 universal TIP practices in one course, as part of a research study, and a research assistant conducted focus groups to gather feedback regarding how the students experienced the TIP practices. Findings helped me determine which practices I would continue implementing and which I might not. However, one finding of note is that students reported that they appreciated that I would even take the time to implement TIP practices irrespective of what the practices were. In considering this feedback I would encourage educators to try implementing some TIP practices, it does not have be a lot, even just one. And, let students know that the practices are being purposefully implemented. This awareness will, in and of itself, be meaningful to students.

What is one thing you have learned along the way?

As educators, one of the most essential dimensions of trauma-informed pedagogy is engaging with and addressing our own experiences of trauma and trauma histories. By doing so, we reduce the likelihood of being triggered by students’ expressions of trauma within the learning environment and are better positioned to respond with clarity and support.

Additional resources