Overview of CTE work supporting student mental health in various ways etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc
"Supporting Student Mental Health" for Teaching Assistants
CTE has 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, 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 modules recently received a Learning Innovation and Teaching Enhancement (LITE) grant to examine the efficacy of the online TA module" This research sought to examine the efficacy of the module by comparing survey responses of TAs that completed the module compared to TAs that did not complete the module. The researchers found that those who completed the module
- had higher intentions to support students in distress,
- felt more responsible to support 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 is of tremendous benefit to students whose mental health concerns might cause them to isolate themselves instead of seeking help.
It will help me establish boundaries with my students. With resources that provide this kind of consistent and regular support, there is less pressure for me to play that role for students struggling with mental health. Of course, as their TA, I will support them and remain aware of these struggles, but they know that there are people whose jobs it is to provide support focused on their struggles
Trauma-Informed Pedagogy
In 2022-2023, CTE was involved with two projects focused on trauma-informed pedagogy.
Greta Kroeker (Department of History) received a LITE grant to redesign two courses (HIST 422 and HIST 620, and eventually HIST 347) to reflect a trauma-informed (and feminist) approach. This work began as a research project on the foundations of rape culture in the early modern period (1450-1750), which this eventually translated into exploring how they 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?
At the same time, Serena McDiarmid was exploring trauma-informed pedagogy from her perspective as an elementary school teacher who has worked with students who arrived in Canada as refugees. While working with CTE as, first, a Teaching Assistant Workshop Facilitator and the following year 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?
Simple changes that can make a huge difference:
- Scaffolding content in a way that builds trust and relationships before introducing potentially triggering content. A course on the history of sexual violence might begin, for example, with an overview of the ways that gender and sexuality were viewed, followed by higher stakes content like prostitution before introducing topics on sexual violence.
- A focus on relationship-building. Instructors answer questions and address concerns at the start of every class and learn the names of the learners in their class.
- Flexible approach to scheduling and topics. Instructors reschedule midterms if necessary to support students' work-life balance. Students can email the instructor if they are concerned that a topic might be too upsetting for them; the instructor responds by finding a different approach to that topic.
Teaching with Care and Kindness
Overview of 14th annual teaching and learning conference