Classroom Strategies

Researchers have a term for the sense of security that arises when the way that our caregivers help us make sense of the world is consistent with how the world actually is: “epistemic trust.” This epistemic trust—being able to rely on the validity of what we experience and what we see and hear as related to us by those in a position of authority—is at our developmental core how we come to feel secure within ourselves, to trust others, and to feel at home in a world that makes sense. This information can be extrapolated for educators as they navigate a highly political environments and news stories with their students.