Blog Post #6
How can you teach empathy?
Blog Post #1
Co-author Laurie MacIntosh and her husband Cody went on a ten-month giving spree. While you may not have hundreds of thousands of dollars from Ellen to give away, can you see yourself going on a giving spree? What can you give? How will you do it? List all the details!
I have an opportunity each day to teach empathy through my actions by showing kindness and compassion to others. My parents taught me the Golden Rule at a young age – treat others as you would want to be treated. I continue to share this Golden Rule with my students and have conversations about being considerate and understanding of others.
ReplyDeleteWe have, unfortunately, had a couple of very traumatic things happen in our small rural district this year. Two of our elementary students' father was killed in a work-related accident at the age of only 39. Another of our upper elementary students has been hospitalized for several months fighting brain cancer. We have been able, as educators, to take this trauma and use them for several teachable moments. With the guidance of our school counselor, all of the staff; paras, secretaries, cooks, custodians, bus drivers, and teachers have been able to guide our students to think outside of themselves and show empathy for these affected families. We have tried to underscore that it doesn't take a tragedy to th
ReplyDeleteI may sound like a broken record, but I feel I can teach empathy by modeling it to my students. From day one we discuss the importance of being respectful to everyone in the classroom; our classmates, myself, aides, and substitute teachers. You may not agree with what everyone has to say, but you will be respectful of their opinion.
ReplyDeleteHow can you teach empathy?
ReplyDeleteTeaching empathy is an interesting topic. From my understanding empathy is best illustrated and even taught through past life experiences. I like how the speaker, Jonathan Juravich used visualization of placing yourself in the other person's place. In my opinion, this was a great way to illustrate and talk about empathy. In the younger grades, I remember teachers having the students close their eyes as they read to them. What an excellent way of teaching empathy in a chosen, teachable situation. In middle school, I teach empathy by asking their input from previous uncomfortable situations to help explain how someone else feels or is dealing with. In Social Studies, we talk about empathy quite a bit and place ourselves in their situation at that given space in time. Sometimes this helps the students understand history, good and bad, from the past. I also thought it was very interesting, when he pointed out awareness of oneself in related situations. The mind is very strong, it is amazing what the brain can do when you put yourself mentally in a situation.
I think empathy is difficult to teach these days with real life computer games and news stories that desensitize the world. I see all the killings around the world and how difficult it is for some to go about their day, while our world never stops and we continue on with our lives. I really like to include true stories, in movies or videos in my teaching so students can see how others feel or even feel how they feel themselves. Sometimes they get it and sometimes some don't but I will keep trying. Everyone has felt loss one way or anthother and we should all understand how to put ourselves in someone else's shoes.
ReplyDeleteTeaching empathy is very easy for me for two reasons. One - because I am SUPER EMPATHETIC as it is, and two- I actually have to teach this in my suicide prevention (sympathy vs empathy). I believe students can see, feel and hear my empathy just from the way I teach and talk to them. I am VERY understanding of their situations and how they are feeling.
ReplyDeleteI feel like a lot of teaching empathy starts with asking someone how they feel or would feel if the situation happened to them. Once they share their feelings, ask them how they think the other person feels. If the other person is there, I would also ask them to share their feelings. It takes a lot of practice to understand how others feel.
ReplyDeleteAs a first grade teacher I think modeling empathy is important for children to see. Sharing how we feel during scary, hard, emotional situations can help our students to see a different way to approach a situation or their peers. Also, helping kids to notice the body language of their friends and/or facial expressions. These are both great ways to help them see the emotions or feelings of their peers. There are also many many picture books that can be used to teach empathy. One of my favorite books to use in my classroom is Hey Little Ant by Phillip Hoose. Using questions like, "How would that make them feel?". Maybe allowing for practice by role playing situations they find themselves in on any given day.
ReplyDeleteTeaching empathy can be done in so many different ways. I feel like the most important way is to model it for them as situations come up. However, I do start the school year off talking about my own family, which includes my nephew who is special needs and nonverbal. I am very open with my students about him and how special he is to everyone in my family. I talk to them about how other students' actions and words can have an impact on him and our family. The students seem to grasp the concept and realize how important it is to think about the other person in the situation. We talk about how we need to be respectful and caring in every situation, take time to think about your words and actions. It is important to think about how we never know what another person is going through or what they dealt with last night or before coming to school today.
ReplyDeleteI correlate empathy everyday in our calendar time. When we do the weather check, I also do a feelings check in, so students can share their feelings at that time, if they so choose to do so in a large group. Some students don't like to share whole group, so they will whisper in my ear, while others will choose not to share. We also do read aloud stories to help show examples of empathy. Books I have used have been - The Invisible Boy & Each Kindness. Students will share a time when they connected to a part of the text. We also sometimes play the "what if" game. Hearing their answers helps other know how different people would respond to different situations where empathy would be shown. Sometimes we take the time to even act out these scenarios.
ReplyDeleteI am a very empathetic person and try to teach my students about the importance of kindness. I feel with social media our students are seeing so many things on how people just spout off, say mean things about others, make fun of others or are quick to jump on the bandwagon of putting others down for fun. I don't want them thinking this is ok or normal. We talk about the importance of saying nice things to students in the hallway. How younger students look up to them and how they conduct themselves is noticed. I talk about how for girls it is even more important to pick your fellow girls up with kindness and compliments because girls are so self conscious about themselves. We talk about feelings and how we need to treat others because we would not want to be treated badly and we don't like how it feels when we are.
ReplyDeleteI teach empathy as I model, practice and live out every day. My students learn it from experiencing kindness, understanding, and compassion firsthand. The way I respond when a student is frustrated, struggling or acting out matters. They see me pause, listen and respond calmly. This teachers them what it looks like to consider someone else's feelings. I also try to normalize emotions. I remind them that it's okay to feel disappointed, angry, nervous or overwhelmed. I believe this teaches them to extend the same understanding to their classmates.
ReplyDeleteI teach empathy through the books I read, the discussion we have during and afterwards, the lessons I teach, and the way I treat my students. Most recently, we learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The innocence of my 4 and 5 year olds in small town, SD is so endearing. They couldn't fathom not being able to play with someone because of the color of their skin. We talked a lot about treating others with kindness as what matters the most is on the inside. The best part of the lesson was observing them during the short video provided by our Weekly Reader when a student, who happens to be a frequent "lid flipper" got it. You could see it all over his face and boy was he ready to talk about it afterwards.
ReplyDeleteWe do a lot of books as we teach social skills and these lead to acting out situations or discussing feelings. These are all ways I teach empathy.
In my classroom, some of the ways that I teach empathy to my students is when they do something to a peer, I have them reflect and I flip the situation to how that would make them feel. This gives them time to reflect on their actions, but also to think about how their actions affected that peer. Also, in morning meeting, I show a video series on empathy and as a class, we have a conversation of what empathy is and how we can be empathetic to others.
ReplyDeleteThis question just put a BIG smile on my face!!!! Just this week, I subbed for the Guidance council and the topic at hand was "Empathy". We read a book about Emily, we discussed situations where others showed US empathy, and we talked about ways WE showed empathy. We discussed "walk in my shoes" and talked about what that meant.
ReplyDeleteI feel the best way to 'teach' empathy is to SHOW by example. Being a good human!!
I really don't feel empathy can be "taught" but that it can be learned by watching those around us. When a student says a rude comment in class to another student, I flip it and ask them how it would make them feel if someone said it to them. I try to model empathy by asking questions, truly listening, and treating others with respect.
ReplyDeleteI can teach empathy by modeling, asking students how they feel, having class discussions, looking at needs in our community - we saw many families use the food pantry and talked about how we could help and our school did a cereal drive, practice sharing with others, being respectful and noticing if someone is feeling sad etc. and teaching students the proper way to respond, and reflection questions.
ReplyDeleteAs a high school librarian, I believe one of the most important things I can help students learn is empathy. The library is a natural place to nurture this skill because it is built on stories, perspectives, and the idea that every person’s experience matters. I often remind students that every book is an opportunity to walk in someone else’s shoes. Through book talks, displays that highlight diverse voices, and conversations about characters’ choices and struggles, students begin to see the world from viewpoints different from their own. I also try to create opportunities for students to share their own stories through simple conversations in the library. When students realize that their classmates may be carrying unseen challenges, it can shift how they treat one another. Just as important, I model empathy by listening, learning students’ names, and creating a library space where everyone feels welcome and valued. In a busy high school, the library can become a place where students pause, reflect, and remember that kindness matters because we never truly know the full story of the person standing next to us.
ReplyDeleteOne way to teach empathy is to help students be aware of the world around them. If someone is not aware of the problems, poverty, racism etc. around them, they will not be empathetic. The art students in the video are a good example. When they became aware of the problems created by the hurricane in Houston, were able to put themselves in this situation and imagine the problems faced by students in that situation. This led them to donate art supplies. Teaching students to stop and think about how someone else may be feeling, can help develop empathy as well.
ReplyDeleteI teach empathy in my ECSE classroom through a variety of intentional strategies. I model kind and caring behavior by using polite language, sharing, and showing consideration for others’ feelings, so students see empathy in action. I use books that explore emotions and relationships, pausing to discuss how characters feel and why, helping students recognize feelings in themselves and others. Role-play activities allow students to practice putting themselves in another person’s shoes, such as taking turns being a teacher, peer, or friend in different scenarios. I explicitly teach emotion vocabulary, helping children label their own feelings and identify emotions in others. Caring for classroom animals and plants provides real opportunities for students to nurture and show responsibility, reinforcing empathy through action. Finally, I reinforce empathetic behavior by praising and highlighting moments when students help, share, or comfort others, showing that their kind actions matter and are valued.
ReplyDeleteHow can you teach empathy?
ReplyDeleteThis great question is one that is so difficult. As a teacher I try my best to talk about the "why" when it comes to why people are acting as they are. If they can understand why people may be attacking or signing up for the military or grieving losing their home, it may help them feel what those affected may have been feeling. I try to paint pictures of the complicated lives that we read about simplistically in our textbooks. For time, we can't always do this, but when we can bring it down to a personal level for some situations, I believe it can be helpful. Most of us have experienced loss or sorrow. I tap into those shared experiences to help students understand some new ones that they may not be as familiar with.
I feel like I teach empathy everyday in my Junior Kindergarten classroom. One way that I do this is by modeling empathy to each of them. It happens in all the little things that happen every day, from missing their mom to needing a band aide. Showing concern and comfort at this age is so important. Another way I teach empathy, along with our school counselor, is by talking about emotions. This is beneficial so they can understand their emotions, and the feelings of others. I use situation cards and we talk through how to handle that situation. (For example-A friend just tripped and fell down, what should you do?) I also use books that model empathy. Books such as, A spot of Empathy and Be Kind have been helpful in my classroom. I have also found that I’m teaching empathy during my free play time. When situations come up where a student isn’t sharing or being un-kind, I use this as an opportunity to talk about how it would make them feel, if someone did it to them. By doing this I’m also helping to build stronger relationships with my students.
ReplyDeleteI feel like teaching empathy is something that I do daily. I begin teaching empathy with even my youngest students. When we play games I begin by teaching them how to win and lose respectfully. Then, I ask students to look at another students and try to identify how they might be feeling. We then discuss emotions and what we can say to friends that may be feeling sad if they lost the game. I also ask them how they would want to be treated if their team lost. These are ongoing conversations that I continue all the way through their 5th grade year. I think empathy is an important skill to learn as it can help them in their everyday lives as well as in the workforce when they get older.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was coaching, I always asked my team to take their eyes off themselves and focus on their teammates and what they could do for their teammates. I would ask my players how they felt after a win and loss. Being supportive of each other in wins and losses and the feeling that come with both. As a teacher and school counselor and having to deal with tragedies and supporting grieving families helps me show empathy and understanding because we have all dealt with tragedies in our lives.
ReplyDeleteI think teaching empathy takes a lot of modeling and actually showing what students can do to be empathetic towards others. Students are watching and observing every day. When they see teachers using kindness, understanding, and patience then they begin to use those as well. Sometimes they don't see those behaviors at home from their parents so we need to make sure they understand the importance of empathy and how to show it in day to day life.
ReplyDeleteI also like to use questions about others' perspectives in situations. For example, "How would you feel if this happened to you?" "How do you think he/she felt?" I hope this is helping them consider what others might be going through that we may not know about.
Teaching kids to simply care about their classmates and friends by being there is important, too. Asking questions like, "Are you okay?" or "Do you need help?" shows empathy. Most kids already do this.
Empathy isn't taught in one lesson. It's developed with more and more practice in caring environments like classrooms.
Empathy can be a tricky concept for my students to grasp. It is brought up many times throughout our health curriculum. I believe that one of the most effective ways to teach empathy is through modeling the behavior myself. I also encourage my students to think critically about what someone else may be thinking or feeling during hypothetical situations. Helping my students to identify the emotions that they may be feeling either through stories or real life events.
ReplyDeleteEmpathy is mostly learned through observation. You can’t lecture kids on it, they have to see it in action when things go wrong. When a student is having a meltdown or I make a mistake on a math problem, how I react sets the tone. If I stay calm and show them some grace instead of getting frustrated, they notice. It shows them that someone else’s struggle isn't a problem to be fixed, it's just a moment to be a decent human. By modeling that patience, I’m giving them a roadmap for how to handle different situations.
ReplyDeleteHow can you teach empathy?
ReplyDeleteEmpathy is something that the counselor at my school teaches during some of her guidance lessons plus something us teachers teach students during some of our family time groups. It is not an easy concept to teach, however, it is something where you can create the conditions where it grows. It’s less about a single lesson and more about repeated experiences that help students understand and feel with others. The first thing you can do to teach empathy is to model it. Students learn empathy by watching you. You can show interest in their thoughts and feelings as well as respond calmly even when a behavior is challenging. When students feel understood, they learn what that looks like. Another thing you can do is build emotional vocabulary. Students can’t express or recognize feelings they don’t have words for. Us as teachers can regularly name emotions, use check-ins or feeling scales, or encourage statements like: I felt ___ when ___ happened. Teachers can also practice active listening by giving students structured chances to really hear each other. We can use partner shares in our classrooms or teach sentence starters. One other thing we can do is to teach normalizing differences. We should be helping students understand that people think, feel, and react differently, and how that’s okay. The last thing that you can teach is to create a culture of belonging because empathy grows in environments where students feel safe. We can help them by celebrating kindness, encouraging helping behaviors, and making it clear that everyone matters in the classroom.
I absolutely loved these questions: “Tell me about a part of your day when you were frustrated?” “Tell me about part of your day when you were proud?” “Tell me about a part of your day when you were sad?” I can easily add these into our dinnertime conversations for my own children. I think that many times children are just unsure how to express their feelings. Once they are able to share their own feelings, we can “open our children’s eyes to the world around them” as he said in the video. I also think we need to address those feelings right when something happens. At school we talk about empathy a lot with recess issues. I try to make sure that everyone starts to think about the feelings each member of the situation is feeling (sorry if that is confusing). Modeling empathy is key. Kids watch everything. I think we always try to model it in the classroom, but even if it’s adult-to-adult interactions in hallways/classrooms, they are watching.
ReplyDeleteTeaching empathy is something that I am still learning how to do better in my classroom. As I always tell my students, I am still learning and growing as a teacher just as they are still learning and growing as students. One of the best ways I know how to teach empathy is to model and show them myself. By modeling compassion and talking to my students about their feelings and emotions, I can help them understand themselves in those moments, which in return can help them understand those emotions when another student is feeling them. A lot of my students I have learned in the last few years really struggle with naming their emotions or explaining what they are feeling and why they are feeling it. This year I have really had to learn some of my students and how I can help them work through those emotions. I started the year on maternity leave, so when I came back I had to work extra hard to get to know the students and create that relationship with them so they felt comfortable enough to talk to me and allow me to help them through their feelings. Two students in my class this year really struggle with working through their feelings in a productive way. They immediately get mad and the choices they make are not the safest. As I reflect back on the conversations I have had with each of these students, I am reminded of how far they have come this year. They are able to take those breaths, pause, and think about how they can work through those feelings. They are really starting to advocate for themselves and learn what works best for them. I think by just simply letting students know that we are there for them, and showing them how we are empathetic and how we interact with others, it shows them what that looks like and how they can be there for someone else who may be struggling.
ReplyDeleteI think my students learn empathy by watching how I respond to them and others. Staying calm, listening and showing understanding I demonstrate for them every day. Providing opportunities for my students to reflect on real life situations allows them to practice empathy in the moments.
ReplyDeleteEmpathy grows in an environment where students feel safe and valued. When these conditions are met, then the students are more likely to show empathy to others.
I try to teach empathy by consistently helping students notice people, not just content or performance, and by continuously asking them to think outside the box about someone else’s position, trying to understand their situation, and looking beyond their own experience. That starts with awareness, slowing down enough to recognize emotions, reactions, and experiences in real time. In the classroom, that can look like brief conversations, check-ins, and helping students reflect on how others might be feeling in different situations. Over time, those small moments help students develop the habit of seeing beyond themselves.
ReplyDeleteAs a coach, I’ve noticed empathy shows up even more frequently than in the classroom because of the nature of shared experiences, wins, losses, pressure, and time together. But I also think empathy is difficult to truly teach or model without a real relationship. If students or athletes don’t believe you are genuine, or if they feel like you’re just offering surface-level platitudes, it loses its impact. Relationship and trust are what make empathy believable.
Teaching empathy is giving empathy. Talking about feelings and experiences and genuinely listening to the students share but also, share your experiences as well so it is a conversation through connection. An example of teaching empathy in the classroom that I have experienced is a child was having issues in the home and dad went to jail. The student that's father had been taken away was really struggling. This particular student had a meeting with the counselor, and I addressed the class and we sat in a circle to discuss a very important conversation. The classroom students could feel the weight of this conversation and were very respectful as we discussed. We brainstormed on how the student that was going through this situation felt and made a chart. We discussed what emotions we might see from our friend and also what we could do if emotions were experienced during the school day. We also brainstormed on what we could do to help lift the spirits of this student. In this classroom there were other students that had been through this experience in their own home and could speak on how they felt and what made them feel better too.
ReplyDeleteHow can you teach empathy?
ReplyDeleteThis year in our district we purchased the program called "7 Mindsets." It is a very good program. It has videos that we watch together and after their are discussion questions that go along with it. They are very thought provoking questions. We have also done "role playing" in the classroom so that the students can see and discuss situations that are related to things that are real to them. The group I have this year is not shy or keeps to themselves. They are very free with discussing many things in our classroom.
Kelsey Berletic
ReplyDeleteTo teach empathy, I have to model it first. The way I respond to students—especially in challenging moments—shows them what it looks like to be patient, understanding, and present. If I want students to be kind and compassionate toward each other, they need to consistently experience that from me.
I’ve also learned that empathy grows in the small, everyday moments. Taking time to notice when a student is having a hard day, naming emotions, and creating space for conversations helps students begin to understand both their own feelings and the feelings of others. It’s not always about big discussions—it’s often about those quick check-ins that let a student know they are seen.
The population I teach consists of 3-5 year olds with a wide range a disabilities. Many students are non-verbal and are diagnosed with Autism or a cognitive disability. I also have a 2 year old and 4 year old at home. With this population, I feel the best way to teach empathy is to show empathy. One way I do this is that I practice naming my own emotions as I feel them. I also name their emotions as they feel them (if I can). This can help them understand what they might be feeling and why. Eventually this will help them to name their own emotions and hopefully be able to recognize those emotions in others too.
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