Trendsetter Webinar 2021: Cultural responsiveness and providing culturally safe spaces for children

Contemporary research highlights the importance of educators and teachers understanding how trauma and complex family lives can impact the ways children behave and learn (Howard, 2020). Relational pedagogy incorporates being responsive to children’s lives and applying trauma informed practices to create safe spaces for children and young people (Barfield et al., 2012).

Educators and teachers draw on attachment theory and research to enact responsive and meaningful interactions with children that builds trust, confidence, and security with important adults. In response to this there is a call to move beyond cultural competence to taking culturally responsive actions and providing culturally safe spaces for children, families, staff, and community members.

Macquarie University will host a panel of researchers and academic staff who will explore and discuss this concept in more detail.

Our Chair for this webinar is Professor Mary Ryan, Dean, Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University.

Our panel:

Dr Michael Donovan - Academic Director, Indigenous Education in the Macquarie School of Education

Associate Professor Alice Chik - Associate Director of Multilingualism Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

Dr Sue Ollerhead – Director, Secondary Education in the Macquarie School of Education

Associate Professor Fay Hadley - Director, Initial Teacher Education in the Macquarie School of Education

Associate Professor Neil Harrison – Macquarie School of Education

View panel bios

This webinar is suitable for primary and secondary teachers, school leaders, early childhood educators, parents and carers, and anyone that is interested in the future of education.

At the conclusion of the webinar, participants will:

Have a greater understanding of trauma informed practices that create safe spaces for children and young people;

Be able to reflect on their own role in supporting culturally safe spaces;

Identify the key aspects of culturally responsive actions;

Understand their role in creating and maintaining culturally responsive environments that are inclusive of diverse learners.

Register to join us live and receive the recording of the session or register to be emailed the recording after the event.