Unlearning the HUSH with Dr. Marlee Bunch & Brittany Collins

Phenomenal Teaching with PEBC

Listen in as Dr. Marlee Bunch and Brittany Collins join PEBC’s Phenomenal Teaching Podcast with Michelle Morris Jones to discuss planning for ABAR and SEL pedagogy. Both Marlee and Brittany value the importance of telling and understanding one’s own story as well as the stories of others. Oftentimes the stories of history and our own students’ stories are “hushed” and not included in classroom curriculum, conversations, and experiences for a variety of reasons. Marlee and Brittany encourage educators to “unlearn the hush” and to more broadly incorporate stories of oppression and loss into the classroom so that all perspectives and lived experiences can be valued.

This episode highlights Dr. Marlee Bunch’s “H.U.S.H. Framework” which can be applied to any lesson plan or teaching content at the K-12 or post-secondary level. One can think of this framework as a guide and accountability piece to create inclusive learning content that supports all students. This framework considers both student and educator and requires mindful and consistent engagement from the educator. Listeners will find that the H.U.S.H. Framework supports the strands of Community and Planning of the PEBC Teaching Framework.

The four key concepts of the H.U.S.H. Framework include:

• The importance of marginalized histories
• The importance of unlearning and reflection
• The importance of stories
• The importance of healing through connection and relationships

Brittany Collins brings her expertise in SEL and grief-responsive teaching to the conversation by explaining the ways in which the framework can support students’ social and emotional development and directly support the healing journeys of students who have experienced significant loss or trauma. Brittany also helps us think about how we mustn't lose sight of the importance of authentic connection and relationships through integrated social emotional learning experiences.

Marlee is an educator with over 16 years teaching experience. She holds two graduate degrees, and recently completed her doctoral degree from the University of Illinois. Her study illustrates the impact the long history of segregation, Brown v. Board of Education, and desegregation efforts had on the teaching experiences of Black, female educators particularly between the years 1954-1971.

Brittany’s work explores the impacts of grief, loss, and trauma in the school system, as well as how innovative pedagogies-- from inquiry-based learning to identity development curricula-- can create conditions supportive of all learners. Brittany is the author of Learning from Loss: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Supporting Grieving Students, which was published in 2021 and is now available as an audio book.

The “Phenomenal Teaching Podcast” is brought to you by Public Education & Business Coalition (PEBC) and is intended to elevate the strands of the PEBC Teaching Framework illustrated in Wendy Ward Hoffer’s book, Phenomenal Teaching. Those strands include community, planning, workshop, thinking strategies, discourse, and assessment. Thank you for joining us this season as we strive to share the stories of educators who are creating scaffolds for each and every student to ensure that classrooms and schools are places where agency, equity, and understanding can flourish.