Enjoyed your thoughtful take on this. The one thing I would add to this is student choice. My mother was a child-psychiatrist and saw a lot of patients with trauma. She emphasized to me that students who experience trauma can feel like they have no power or agency. Their responses in class (shutting down, defiance) are them fulfilling their own need for agency and control. We can assist them by giving them choices (which book would you like to read, where would you like to sit, etc.) Obviously we can’t let them make decisions that are harmful to others or impede their own learning, but it is helpful to find room for student choice.
I agree about student choice, though I have seen a trend toward pretty hollow student choice that I don't find helpful. My current curriculum has a section of each lesson where students are supposed to choose one of two problems to solve. That's silly, I just don't use it because it would be hard to discuss as a class and that's not a very meaningful choice that helps students feel a sense of agency. But other choices, particularly around the physical environment, can help students feel safe in that space, so I agree there.
Excellent essay. Though this is hard to conceive: "Susie realizes scrolling TikTok is more fun than Mr. Kane’s math class."
Enjoyed your thoughtful take on this. The one thing I would add to this is student choice. My mother was a child-psychiatrist and saw a lot of patients with trauma. She emphasized to me that students who experience trauma can feel like they have no power or agency. Their responses in class (shutting down, defiance) are them fulfilling their own need for agency and control. We can assist them by giving them choices (which book would you like to read, where would you like to sit, etc.) Obviously we can’t let them make decisions that are harmful to others or impede their own learning, but it is helpful to find room for student choice.
I agree about student choice, though I have seen a trend toward pretty hollow student choice that I don't find helpful. My current curriculum has a section of each lesson where students are supposed to choose one of two problems to solve. That's silly, I just don't use it because it would be hard to discuss as a class and that's not a very meaningful choice that helps students feel a sense of agency. But other choices, particularly around the physical environment, can help students feel safe in that space, so I agree there.