Embedding Climate Trauma-Informed Pedagogy in Teacher Education Courses through a Novel Approach of Drag-Pedagogy

TitleEmbedding Climate Trauma-Informed Pedagogy in Teacher Education Courses through a Novel Approach of Drag-Pedagogy
Faculty/College/UnitEducation
StatusActive
Duration2 Year
Initiation04/01/2025
Project Summary

Given the impact of environmental disasters and uncertainties surrounding the climate crisis among students, we propose Climate Trauma-Informed Pedagogy (CTIP) as a transformative educational framework designed to equip teacher candidates with skills to address and mitigate the effects of eco-anxiety, climate injustice, and climate trauma among K-12 students. The project will document effective pedagogical strategies to establish the CTIP framework, using drag pedagogy as a healing-centered method. Informed by decolonial ethics and Indigenous epistemologies, we will implement three workshops in two sections of ‘Education, School and Social Institutions,’ taught by the principal applicant annually within the B.Ed. Teacher Education Program. With teacher candidates, we will generate resources: adaptable guidelines, trauma-informed curricula, and a set of filmed workshops. These materials, along with a podcast series for wider outreach, will be designed for use within the B.Ed. program. We’ll deliver workshops to faculty and GTAs to integrate CTIP into broader educational practice.

Funding Details
Year 1: Project YearYear 1
Year 1: Funding Year2025/2026
Year 1: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 1: Principal InvestigatorPetra Mikulan
Year 1: Funded Amount20,967
Year 1: Team Members

Petra Mikulan, Sessional Lecturer, Educational Studies (EDST), Faculty of Education
Daniel Gallardo, PhD Student, EDST, Faculty of Education
Hartej Gill, Associate Professor, EDST, Faculty of Education
Deirdre Kelly, Professor / Deputy Head, EDST, Faculty of Education
Jamilee Baroud, Curriculum and Evaluation Consultant, Learning Design and Digital Innovation, Faculty of Education
Trish Varao-Sousa, Evaluation and Research Consultant, Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology