Teaching the Traumatised

Everybody has felt how a headache affects the ability to think straight. Perhaps you have even felt how much energy and mental effort a bad injury or long term illness demand of you. If you have had the unpleasant experience of being bullied you know it will be on your mind months and years. If you had a death in the family, sudden or otherwise, you may have experienced how this can consume your waking and sleeping hours. I think most can relate to these different events as different levels of life's unpleasant surprises that are acknowledged to impact on our ability to get though the day and not least – to learn.  

                                                                                              
Image: demotivationalposters

But what if you are a student and you grew up with an alcoholic parent? What if the your partner beats and threatens you regularly? What if you are a survivor of rape or systematic abuse? What if the thought of suicide is crossing your mind regularly?

If we are not accepting that these kinds of trauma are sure to affect the long term ability to learn, we are ignoring what may be the single most important reason why some students cannot function (Chen et al. 2006, Knox 2010, Basch 2011a, Basch 2011b, Coohey et al. 2011, Karande and Kuril 2011, Krishnakumar et al. 2011, Makrill and Hesse 2011, Afifi et al. 2012, Snyder et al. 2013, Swanston et al. 2013)! Failing to respond when being exposed to individuals caught in such abuse would not only be to fail as teachers, but also as human beings.

In January 2013 I participated in the international conference “Higher Education – Higher Level Learning?” in Tallinn with national and internationally renowned experts in educational development. There was not one word on the importance of social issues in affecting learning outcomes. So, not being an expert, I raised the question myself – several times. In all forums, it was considered important – and that it should be addressed. 

At least I was confirmed that my wonder was justified. But the silence on the matter was deafening.  

Image: Arizona Department of Public Safety

In other institutions, like the military, a stable person is recognized as being of importance for the success of the mission, unit, and the function of the organ as a whole. I was once told that the elite forces in Denmark, and elsewhere, are expected to “clean up” at home before going on a mission. This means that you go home and solve your private problems: settle arguments, say your goodbyes, get issues out in the open, discussed, and closed. A person on a military mission with issues at home is considered unable to function optimally and may be a serious liability to the whole group.

Young persons entering the military and academia are about the same age – but it is not my impression the young adults are helped in academia to address these imperative skills for success.

I currently teach veterinary students in Estonia. So, if I look at my classroom of 100 apparently normal students as a statistical representation of Estonia the group would roughly contain the following:

- around 17 of the females would have been physically attacked by the person they have chosen as partner within the last year (Laanpere et al. 2012). The numbers for males being attacked are unavailable, but likely similar.

- around 4 of the females would have been exposed to sexual violence (rape or attempt of rape) within the last year (Laanpere et al. 2012). The numbers for males are unavailable.

- as the European country with most alcohol-related deaths, many of the students would either have experience with alcoholism themselves or in their network (EUROSTAT, 2013).

- One would have HIV/AIDS (Laisaar et al. 2012)

- With the second highest age adjusted suicide rate in Europe, at least one is likely to have considered suicide or know a person in their network that did commit suicide (Schneider et al. 2009, EUROSTAT 2013). 

- Currently ranking third place in homicides in Europe, there is also a chance of a person having lost somebody to violence (EUROSTAT, 2013).

Or in other words, several of my students are likely to carry some kind of severe trauma that no human should have to endure. Should I as a teacher be aware of that when evaluating my student’s performance or just chase the thought out of my head as somebody else's problem?

Image: triplehelixblog.com

The problems is, that if it is somebody else’s problem in Estonia, finding that person who will actually do something is very hard; at least to my personal intensive experience on the subject. And those persons I have been in contact with have a very high acceptance towards violence (“that is just how it is”), and a much looser view on upholding the country’s laws that I used to think were instated to protect people from harm.  

There is a strong rhetoric from many governments that we need to educate skilled young people with our educational system. My point is: is that possible without addressing the crushing social issues openly and actively in an effort to reshape the culture from its current status of silently accepting abuse? How fragile is your country if you build it on ignoring broken people and only pay lip service to your laws?

I am sick and saddened to my core every time I hear about a child witnessing their parent beat or kill the other, or themselves getting beaten or tortured! I hear some teachers and social service workers almost casually play it down to a “the child also have problems at home and have good days and bad days in school”. It has appeared to be impossible to make psychiatrists, psychotherapists or social services even blink when repeatedly asking if they have considered domestic violence in such a case (I have personal experience of this).   

I was presented with an interesting viewpoint when writing this article. Perhaps education is also a welcome escape to persons who carry a trauma! Schools and university may be a place where they get a feeling of worth to counter a feeling of less-worth that may be imposed by abusive peers or self-inflicted. Or, education may be a physical escape option in life from a secret treadmill of violence. These points may very likely be the case for some individuals. On the flip-side, then are very tough educations, like the veterinary education I am involved with. The pressure of high expectations could amount to an enormous personal stress from both personal and educational life.

TED: Pearl Arredondo: My story, from gangland daughter to star teacher

Improving on the situation will take decades, perhaps generations – certainly longer if we do not address this problem openly.

I can accept that there are finite resources to address the many problems of a country and specifically education. What I personally cannot accept is the silence that allows the problems to continue generation after generation and impair personal development and the society as a whole.

TED: Ken Robinson: How to escape education's death valley

Various traumatic experiences are a natural part of life whether inflicted or naturally occurring. Being silent about the life-long trauma students may experience, such as violence, is also stigmatizing them – even if they are far from alone with their problems. In such an environment, the survivors have to endure two types of attackers: the actual person attacking them and those who cover for the attacker with the silence. In my personal experience, the latter is the one that I find the hardest to accept.

If you are a teacher I urge you to be brave enough to talk about the importance of a stable and violence-free social environment as a perquisite for successful learning. I hope this can be done without falling into the rhetoric’s of only accepting conservative family concepts (a good background can be many things) or accept labeling people as non-fitting as self-explanatory for learning difficulties - which may cause more damage than good if placing these above the need of the persons in question.

Good luck working on your morals and your courage!

More food for thoughts:

Estonian Ombudsman for Children

    

WAVE Country report 2012, REALITY CHECK ON DATA COLLECTION AND EUROPEAN SERVICES FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE, A Right for Protection and Support?

Mindset of an martial artist in academic teaching

Students teaching each other

Learning is not just a skill, but also an attitude. 

The mindset of a teacher in an evolving martial art is that of a relationship where both student and instructor are venturing in a common effort to excel. The training place, the dojo, is a safe place to make mistakes and the instructor-student relationship is based on creating independence by learning how to learn. The Asian-influenced philosophy that is nourishing mindfullness in learning, with the aim to improve skills, can seem somewhat reversed compared to Western thinking that dominates in academia.

A typical class room or dojo

In academia, a lot of time is spent on adsorbing a lot of information with a presumption that students know how to process this raw information. This stands in contrast to the thinking in martial arts, where possessing a text with an important technique would be considered useless or misleading without a moral understanding. The written information of a technique in martial arts cannot be grasped unless one is able, with assistance of a teacher, to contextualize and animate it and appreciate its synergy with one’s present moral and intellectual understanding. With age and experience, the understanding continues to grow. Though the Asian-inspired thinking in teaching is hundreds of yeas old it is only now beginning to gain popularity in Western academia. Alvin Toffler and Roy Leighton are among a few who strongly speak in favour of replacing the overall understanding of education in a modern society from an obsolete form based on memorization, were information is available to anyone anywhere, with the ability of applying the knowledge available.

Wonderful teacher-student interaction when teaching in Japan

As an university teacher with a background in martial arts, the academic education seems incomplete by allowing students to pass a higher education by displaying a mere ability to answer written or oral tests as expected, without simultaneously educating the person how to apply the knowledge for something good.

To become a good instructor in martial arts, the teacher needs to be a leader among equals: respecting the students while destroying his or hers own ego. Developing skills in academia to a higher level (as it is the goal in martial arts) is possible if the teacher embodies the passion for the subject and insists on communication with students. This contact is based on a mutual respect and striving for excellence by example. 

A thought example. Imagine attending a martial art class where you for 45 minutes listened to a power point presentation of a teacher explaining how you should move and behave. Would you come back for the next lesson? Now imagine a university lecturer who takes the students somewhere relevant and interesting for the subject, shows and explains about the subject as examples appear or in response to questions, insist student explore and use their senses. Would you come back for that next lesson? Perhaps even go home and read about questions that appeared in the discussion?

Today's class is under water

Promoting passion and healthy self-criticism above long-term purely academic aims, such as degrees, might also result in overall better-doing students. In addition, constant self-reflecting empowers students to adapt to inevitable changes in life and constantly reflect on their roles in collaborations. One aim of higher education should be that the students would find they have an excess of passion and begin teaching back on their own initiative - thus showing they have developed a heart for learning. 

Students teaching and learning, and smiling!

Link: Bujinkan Estonia Tartu Dojo

What I learned as a scientist from the 7 steps in alchemical transformation

I am a scientist, and I use the current method that applies for investigating theories. It is my opinion that I would be an arrogant scientist if I think previous students of nature such as Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, Issac Newton, and Nicolaus Copernicus could not teach me thing of two about learning new things. Since they studied by the Alchemical method of Transmutation, I looked into this and tried to understand how this mutated into the modern scientific method, and how I could perhaps improve my own approach to understanding a subject.
Apparently I am not the first scientists to look back on this old philosophy. People like Albert Einstein and Ernest Rutherford also spent their later years studying these principles.

In the alchemical transmutation the seven steps are: Calcination, Dissolution, Separation, Conjunction, Fermentation, Distillation, and Coagulation.

Before we begin I must make a note that these steps not only applied to the study subject in this method, but also the investigator. The understanding of the study subject was also to change (transmute) the mental and physical aspects (as close to perfection as possible) of the alchemist.

Calcination
Basically this means to destroy the substance. Normally by burning it to ashes. Mentally it is the destruction of the ego.
Scientifically we still do this. Breaking down something into components we can understand. Dissecting and describing. Testing endurance and limitations. Fundamental in understanding something as the components. Sometimes this knowledge seems to boost the ego in those who study, rather than humble it, and can be worth a thought. I think this step is supposed to give the impression of how little we actually know, or can hope to know.

Dissolution
This is an extension of the calcination (as are the rest of the steps). This is the process of getting the calcinated ashes dissolved and create a solution. Mentally this is a process of flow, and accessing parts that is normally restrained or inaccessible.
In scientific work this could be understood as finding the relations to which the essential parts connect (dissolve) by attributes. The mental part, the lesson to be learned, is kind of rediscovering playing, or removing the boundaries (such as ego or prejudices) that allow us to make discoveries. This is basically what my kid do in the kitchen sink every time I turn my back - mixing everything he can find, just to see what happens. Or, what we do in cooking, pulling on experiences from what happens when the contents in the pot mixes together. For example, it is not irrelevant when the milk goes in or at any temperature. It is one of my most favorite activities.

Separation
At this step the dissolved material is processed by filtering and removing the unwanted materials. Mentally it is the exercise of discovery. Finding the essence and looking beyond rationality.
Here science begin to fall a little short. Or, rather this is the end for most modern studies. We want to find the important and surprising discovery nobody thought of, or was just at our nose tip. Physics is probably the best metaphor, since it uses imaginary models such as quantum theory, which works very well in practice too. But though finding this beautiful simplistic model of understanding something like matter, we still know we are not quite there yet. I understand this part as being able to understand when you reached something of quality. Really good evidence or model of your subject, and know what to ignore/reject (probably the latter is the hardest part).

Conjunction
Now knowing what is of quality/essence from the previous steps the experimentation continues as combining them into something else. Something new. Merging experiences and parts of the investigator into intuition and freeing himself from previous constraints on his perceptions such as social and programmed morals.
If we as scientists ever reach a point like this, where accumulated wisdom is allowed to correlate and come to word, it may often contradict with the established norm, data, and moral status quo. I would say only the bravest of our scientists speak aloud if they have such insight. And often we probably are likely to think of them as arrogant or nuts (especially if we have not passed step 1 ourselves). In other words, a scientist reaches a point where the freedom and flow of his mind makes new unexpected connections that he previously would not even consider of find possible. I think it is this kind of insight that has led our great physicists to conjure the amazing theories of our time - and often succeed in proving them too within their lifetime.

Fermentation

Alchemically this is a two-step progression of the Conjuction step above. Firstly the subject is broken down, not by chemicals, but by living things (yeast, fungi, bacteria etc.) Secondly, it is adding of new life into the subject. Mentally this is a spiritual awakening that the alchemist is now intellectually ready for. The miracle of life and its diversity unfolds like a "Peacocks Tail".
I think this is to be understood that this is the step where it is possible to understand the life of the subject in its natural life (death and rekindling of itself) since the connections are now understood (Conjuction). I can understand many scientist split at this point. Some being reductionists in their beliefs would not be likely to accept elements beyond control. But we do hear scientists being awe of the never ending source of inspiration something as simple as a drop of water can be to them. Interestingly the difference between yoga-masters and such scientists begins being a matter of titles.

Distillation
The fermented subject is now distilled to remove impurities and obtain the pure version possible for the last step following. The process of evaporation and condensation is as if letting it go and creating the conditions of it to return in its pure form. Mentally the alchemist also seek to remove the final elements of his ego and attitudes that hinder his true understanding. This is to raise the power of his psyche to the highest level possible.
As a researcher I choose to interpret this as a humbling of one-self. Knowing so much, only having more questions, could or should lead to a state of acceptance that ones study subject is beyond you. And that you will only be allowed a glimpse of what might be its place in everything. Truth or facts do not exist, but something can be experienced as an almost disillusioned state.

Coagulation
The final state is the control over matter. The subject comes into existence in its purest form with perfect attributes. Its existence itself allow it to transmute other elements/subjects. This is also known as the Philosophers Stone. The mental aspects of the alchemist is now reborn. A threshold has been reached where he can leave his old life behind and redefine himself in existence (the phoenix metaphor). The aim of all experiments was the wisdom of a God: the ability to differ good from evil, right from wrong. The alchemists knew that is an unachievable goal, but the Coagulation is the closest man could hope to aspire.
As scientists we aspire to control matter and life too. Nanotechnology, chemistry, gene-modifications, cloning, etc. However, I see an important lesson from the 7 steps of transmutation. In alchemy it is imperative that the researchers undergo a mental development that lead to a humbling and redefinition of himself and his morals. Without this purification, science can be Thor's hammer in the hands of ignorance - or worse, arrogance. Not a merry picture.

Learning is not a 9-5 job - it is an experience we are supposed to constantly change ourselves with. Adaptation according to wisdom accumulated. I think we scientist have to a large degree lost this most fundamental power of all. We got the know-how, but not the know-why.

Further reading