empathy – Clif Mims

What:

Building empathy in your classroom is crucial. “Empathy is a key part of being a responsible and helpful community member at school and elsewhere. For example, young people who show empathy are less likely to bully” (source). It does not take a lot of effort to build empathy but it does take attention and commitment to consistency (source). The following five suggestions can help build empathy in your classroom and have been culminated from various sources.

Model Empathy:

“When frustrated with students, pause and take a deep breath and try to see the situation from their perspective before responding.
When a student is upset, reflect back his feelings or the rationale for his behavior before redirecting the behavior.
Be aware of students’ non-verbal cues and follow up on them. For example, if a student is slumping in her chair and appearing withdrawn or angry, say something like “I noticed that you are quieter than usual today. Is something bothering you?” rather than immediately reprimanding her.
Ask for students’ input when appropriate and feasible (for example, when establishing classroom rules or generating ideas for group projects) – and really listen. Find opportunities to incorporate their feedback and respond to their needs” (source).

Set Clear Expectations:

“Be clear that you expect students to care about one another and the entire school community. Don’t just put it in the mission statement or on a poster – talk about it, model it, praise it, and hold students to it.
Do an exercise with students to help them reflect on who is inside and outside their circle. Discuss why and how they can expand the circle of who they care about.
Establish specific guidelines for unacceptable language and behaviors. Ban slurs or hurtful language like “that’s retarded” or “he’s so gay,” even when said ironically or in jest — and step in if you hear them. Encourage students to think about why these words can be hurtful.
Enlist students in establishing rules and holding each other accountable.
Use restorative justice practices and peer mediation when conflicts arise” (source).

Lean Into Discomfort:

Conversations about our own role in history or currently in society can be difficult. “Encourage students to embrace difficult and courageous conversations to build understanding and empathy” (source).

Design a Curriculum that Promotes Active Listening:

Creating projects that allow students to practice listening actively to others and their perspectives. For example, you can utilize skills in projects that partner students together in an effort to promote the skills of active listening by “following specific prompts such as eye contact when your partner is speaking, not interrupting and making insightful comments that acknowledge a student has been applying his or her whole self to what the partner is saying” (source).

Create Global Literate Students:

Create a classroom environment that regularly looks at other cultures in order to broaden their own perspectives. Listening to someone else’s story is a powerful way to increase empathy in your classroom. You can read books by international authors, create video chat connections with students in other countries, and you can volunteer locally (source).

Next Steps

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information.

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

@hollandkaylah

What:

Empathy is a crucial skill to build in your classroom but before you can build empathy in your classroom you must first build empathy in yourself. “Empathy is a concerned response to another person’s feelings. It involves thinking, feeling, and even a physical reaction that our bodies have to other people when we relate to how they feel. To have empathy, we have to notice and understand others’ feelings, but that isn’t enough. We also need to care about and value them” (source). There are several ways we can build empathy in ourselves. I’ve listed a few of them below.

Broaden Your Circle:

Broadening your circle of friends and influence is crucial to building empathy in yourself. Try one of all of the following suggestions to broaden your circle.

“Start conversations with strangers or invite a colleague or neighbor you don’t know well to lunch. Go beyond small talk – ask them how they’re doing and what their daily life is like.
Follow people on social media with different backgrounds than you have (different race, religion or political persuasion).
Put away your phone and other screens when you’re having conversations, even with the people you see every day, so you can fully listen and notice their facial expressions and gestures” (source).

Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes:

The next step in building empathy is to physically walk in someone’s shoes by “Attend someone else’s church, mosque, synagogue or other houses of worship for a few weeks while they attend yours, or visit a village in a developing country and volunteer. Spend time in a new neighborhood, or strike up a conversation with a homeless person in your community” (source).

Volunteer:

The final suggestion is to volunteer. “Working on a project with other people reinforces everyone’s individual expertise and humanity, and minimizes the differences that can divide people” (source).

Next Steps

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information.

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

@hollandkaylah

Tag: empathy

Building Empathy in Your Classroom

Building Empathy in Yourself