Abstract
Trauma is a public health issue, with effects being increasingly harmful for adolescents. While instructors cannot control how students respond to trauma, they can work to create traumainformed teaching practices to support student learning and safety. Based on the principles of trauma-informed pedagogy, this manuscript details how safety, trustworthiness and transparency, choice, collaboration, and empowerment can be implemented in higher education communication courses. Additionally, a sixth principle, responding to the current climate, is introduced. Currently, instructors are grappling with supporting vulnerable students and answering to those in power. These practices offer insights into classroom adaptations to assist instructors in these uncertain times.
DOI
10.31446/JCP.2026.1.08
Author ORCID Identifier
Shannon Pappas: 0009-0008-3108-6974
Nolan Bowers: 0009-0006-1356-830X
Lili R. Romann: 0009-0005-4524-998X
Recommended Citation
Pappas, S., Bowers, N., & Romann, L. R. (2026). Creating safe(r) classrooms: Trauma-informed teaching practices in higher education. Journal of Communication Pedagogy, 10, 112–119. https://doi.org/10.31446/JCP.2026.1.08
Included in
Communication Commons, Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons
