Creating a Trauma-Informed and Healing-Centered Space Before CRSE

• In Event: Teacher Research Into Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Science Teaching: Not Going Back to How Things Were Before

Abstract

Objectives

I teach at a transfer Expeditionary Learning high school, where I work to build trust between students and myself and amongst students. If there is no trust, I cannot learn enough about my students to be that culturally responsive teacher that they deserve (Souto-Manning et al., 2018). I hypothesized that interdisciplinary work as a trauma-informed, healing-centered practice that guided students through the pandemic might be helpful in transitioning to in-person teaching in the fall. Thus, I investigated: Does the approach of interdisciplinary work as a healing-centered practice meet students’ needs?

Theoretical Perspectives

Transfer schools serve more than 13,000 students in our city who move into them after having left a previous school, stopped/dropped out, or fallen behind in credits (Baum-Tuccillo et al., 2020). Students who attend these schools disproportionately experience high economic need, housing instability, and lower eighth-grade proficiency. They are also more likely than other students to be classified as Black or Hispanic, English language learners, and in need of special education.

In my school, healing-centered spaces (Ginwright, 2018) and culturally responsive approaches go hand-in-hand. My school is a place where healing is not only necessary for individual students, but for the community (Manekem, 2017) and needed for social justice education (Valenzuela, n.d.). CRSE connects rapport with affirmation of acknowledging and caring about students (Hammond, 2015). I work to truly “see” my students so that I can know how to best teach them, understand their specific needs, and see who they want to become.

Methods and Data

To increase student engagement and attendance in science during the pandemic, I designed and taught an interdisciplinary studies (IDS) course, “Climate Change,” for science, art, statistics, and global credits. Data include mastery scores from this semester and the previous semester, attendance records, and scores in my science class and the other subjects in our IDS. Students provided feedback through a survey, class conversations, and messages to teachers. I analyzed my teaching practices through discussions with other teachers in my school and in the professional learning group.

Results

Our IDS class had 34 students and met three times weekly for two hours. Students could join tutorial sessions at different times for individual or small group help. Twenty-three students were enrolled in our full cohort. Of the 18 students who attended online class at least once, all 18 earned full science credit, 15 earned art credit, 14 earned advanced math credit, and 15 earned global credits. Of those 18 students, only one had previously earned all of her credits the previous semester. Thus, 17 students did not pass at least one class last semester. In our IDS class, 13 students earned all of their credits this semester. Results indicate that students are more likely to pass one or all classes in an IDS online class.

Significance

I believe that this model supported by a healing-centered community successfully met many students’ needs. In this presentation, I will describe the IDS course, the cohort model, and the students’ experiences and feedback.

Author

• Caity Tully