This year's Teaching and Learning Conference explored pedagogies of kindness and care in higher education. Educators using these learner-focused pedagogies undertake purposeful strategies to demonstrate kindness, care, compassion, sympathy, and empathy when they interact with students. Beyond the conference theme, CTE supported Waterloo instructors and students by developing TA training, funding research, and supporting graduate work on this very important topic.
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Teaching and Learning Conference attendees listen to speakers during the "Igniting Our Practice" session. IMAGE CREDIT: Office of the Associate Vice-President, Academic, University of Waterloo
The 14th annual University of Waterloo Teaching and Learning Conference delved into pedagogies of care and kindness in higher education, with a focus on building meaningful relationships between learners, instructors, and peers and recognising that a sense of belonging is crucial even in the complex and demanding learning environment of a large post-secondary institution.
Throughout the two-day conference, day two of which was in person for the first time since 2019, attendees explored the ways in which support, care, and relationship-building can manifest in assessments, teaching and learning activities, and various learning modalities. Aligning with the overarching theme of nurturing a compassionate and supportive educational community, the primary agenda of the conference was to bring Waterloo colleagues together to discuss their research and experiences.
Key sessions focused on the following topics:
- The use of circle pedagogies to nurture relationships
- Trauma-informed and feminist pedagogies
- Virtual working communities that combat student isolation and loneliness
- Use of virtual and augmented reality technology to promote inclusivity and accessibility
- Educational tools that foster constructive classroom dialogue
- Alternative assessment methods, like "un-grading"
- Discussions on integrating generative artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT, into teaching
- Development of open educational resources that make it possible for students to explore complex course content at their own pace using virtual reality and simulations
- Slow pedagogy that emphasizes deep and meaningful learning over intensity and speed
Keynote speaker Dr. Barbara Moktthewenkwe Wall from Trent University shared insights into Bodwewaadmii Anishinaabe philosophies and their practical application in course design and interactive learning communities. Her presentation also featured a "kitchen table" dialogue with Leslie Wexler (Senior Educational Developer, Indigenous Knowledges and Anti-Racist Pedagogies, CTE) and Kelly Laurila (Lecturer, School of Social Work), who shared ideas and experiences related to cultivating learning through pedagogies rooted in kindness and care.
The "Igniting our Practice" session featured two exceptional educators who are deeply committed to enhancing the teaching and learning experience. Tamara Maciel, Program Director for the School of Anatomy and an instructor in the Department of Kinesiology, shared her extensive teaching experience, particularly in the challenging field of human anatomy. Sanjeev Bedi, Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering and Director of the Engineering IDEAs Clinic, also shared some of the ways he engages his students.
Tamara Maciel (Program Director, School of Anatomy) directs conference attendees to move their body in a way that facilitates appreciation for and understanding of complex anatomical concepts like the variety of muscle fibres that can contribute to shoulder abduction. IMAGE CREDIT: Office of the Associate Vice-President, Academic.
IMAGE CREDIT: Liza Summer on Pexels
Trauma-Informed Pedagogy
In 2022-2023, CTE was involved with two projects focused on trauma-informed pedagogy.
Greta Kroeker and Rebecca MacAlpine (Department of History) received a Learning Innovation and Teaching Enhancement (LITE) grant to redesign two History courses to reflect a trauma-informed (and feminist) approach. This work began as a research project exploring disturbing and painful--and socially relevant--historical material from the early modern period (1450-1750), which eventually transformed into exploring how the researchers might teach these kinds of topics. The need for trauma-informed teaching grew out of the subject matter of these challenging courses: could pedagogical models of trauma-informed care and feminist pedagogies support instruction of triggering topics in the classroom? Rebecca joined CTE in spring 2022 and transitioned into the Arts Liaison role this past winter.
At the same time, Serena McDiarmid was exploring trauma-informed pedagogy from her perspective as an elementary school teacher who has worked with students arriving in Canada as refugees. While working with CTE as a Teaching Assistant Workshop Facilitator and then as a Graduate Educational Developer, Serena developed an online workshop introducing participants to the concept of trauma, explaining the effect of trauma on the body and, consequently, on one’s ability to learn—in addition to exploring best practices. The workshop has been delivered three times at Waterloo and is currently being re-designed as an in-person workshop. Serena has also delivered the workshop to an audience of education students (future teachers) at the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California in Mexico.
What is trauma-informed pedagogy?
Trauma-informed pedagogy is teaching that takes trauma, its effects on the body, and its prevalence into account. Trauma-informed strategies can make a huge difference to students and their learning:
Focus on relationship-building. Relationships help students feel secure and motivated to learn. Instructors cannot encourage their learners to engage with traumatic material if the students do not trust the teaching team and their colleagues to engage effectively. Relationship-building can begin on the first day of class and should be emphasized throughout the course.
Establish predictability during a course. Students feel safer and in control in predictable environments. Instructors can craft and follow a plan for the term and provide timely updates to students when things change. Classroom expectations are be enforced consistently; the instructor maintains a calm, even manner while teaching.
Take a flexible approach to scheduling and topics. Flexibility provides more opportunities for students to succeed. Instructors respond to students based on their individual needs and, when possible, offer choices for meeting times and formats, assignment formats or topics, and due dates.
When teaching content that could be traumatic for students:
Promote voice and choice in assessment design. Provide students with assignment options to ensure that they do not have to research a topic that they are uncomfortable with and that builds upon their own interests and skills. Choice in final assignment allows for the promotion of academic rigour while still accounting for a student’s socio-emotional wellbeing.
Design a course that scaffolds challenging content. Build competency with respect to contextual factors that impact the interpretation of difficult material so that students have the necessary content and tools to engage with it.
Image credit: University of Waterloo image bank
"Supporting Student Mental Health": A Course for Teaching Assistants
Kristin Brown (Educational Developer, TA Training and Writing Support, CTE) and Kristen Archbell (Educational Research Associate, CTE) developed two self-paced mental health modules designed to help instructors and teaching assistants (TAs) support student mental health.
The modules cover both proactive teaching strategies and how to recognize, respond to, and refer students in distress, while emphasizing the importance of balancing these strategies with their own self-care.
The TA module is offered through the graduate student Fundamentals of University Teaching program and was previously available on the TA training LEARN site. The module has been delivered to over 1700 graduate students since 2020.
The team responsible for developing the modules recently received a Learning Innovation and Teaching Enhancement (LITE) grant to assess the online TA module. This research sought to assess the online TA module by comparing survey responses of TAs who completed the module compared to TAs who did not. Results indicated that those who completed the module had higher intentions of supporting students in distress, felt more responsible for supporting students in distress, felt more prepared to support students, and reported higher levels of self-care.
Teaching instructors to recognize warning signs even before a student confides in them and showing how to reach out with compassion benefits students whose mental health concerns might cause them to isolate themselves instead of seeking help.
I learned how to establish boundaries with students who are struggling with mental health. Of course, as their TA, I will support them and remain aware of these struggles, but there are people whose jobs it is to provide direct support.