teaching students empathy transcript - sanford inspire · empathy is the ability to understand and...

1

Copyright © 2017 Arizona Board of Regents, All rights reserved SanfordInspireProgram.org

For a complete list of references, refer to the On-Demand Module ‘Teaching Students Empathy.’

Teaching Students Empathy

Transcript

Chapter 1: Introduction

Opening

Transcript:

“I tried out for the high school dance team and didn’t make it. Mr. Mulé said to me what, you’re the best dancer

on the middle school dance team. How could you not make the high school dance team?

But the fact that he cared so much to, one, know that I was such an enthusiastic dancer, he knew that about

me and to help to try to make me feel better. To try to find out why…the other teacher…really meant a lot to

me. It kind of just continued to motivate me to while in his class because it was like, hey, I know Mr. Mulé really

cares about me and he wants me to do well.”

2



What is Empathy?

Transcript:

Empathy is the ability to understand and relate to another person’s feelings and experiences (The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, 2017; Wilson & Conyers, 2017).

By sharing an emotional response with someone I can better understand why they’re experiencing that emotion. Or, if I understand why someone is feeling a certain way, that can help me - on some level - to share the emotion they’re experiencing.

In this module, you will learn why it is important for empathy to be a part of your classroom. You will also learn different ways to model, establish, and nurture empathy throughout the school year.

3



Why Empathy is Important

Transcript:

Regardless of the grade-level or content area that you teach, building a classroom culture based on empathy benefits students in many ways. Click to see a few reasons why.

Second Reason

4



Third Reason

Fourth Reason

5



Video Intro

Transcript:

You just learned a little bit about how empathy benefits students. Now take a moment to watch as social

worker and therapist Kristy Baker explains why it is important for students to have an empathic teacher.

Video

6



Transcript:

I think if a teacher comes from a place of empathy, then they are really able to see that there is something

deeper going on with that child. I really believe as Ross Green talks about in the Explosive Child that kids do

really well if they can. So, if kids are acting out at school they don’t want their color clip down, they don’t want

to be singled out and have the teacher want to talk to them all the time. I think an empathic teacher would have

to come from a perspective of really saying to a kid, I see you, I see that you’re struggling, and I’m here on

your team to help figure out how you can be successful.

Chapter 2: Model Empathy

Model Empathy

Transcript:

Moving forward, we are going to explore how to model, establish, and nurture empathy in your classroom.

Research shows that the skills associated with empathy need to be explicitly taught and modeled for students throughout the school year (Cooper, 2010; Wilson & Conyers, 2017).

Increasing empathy in your classroom begins with demonstrating it yourself (Cowhey, 2006; Wilson & Conyers, 2017).

7



Actively Listen

Transcript:

Here are three ways to model empathy for all students:

Active listening is at the heart of empathy (Cooper, 2005; Levine, 2005; Wilson & Conyers, 2017). Listening to

and hearing another person’s feelings and perspective sets the stage for better understanding. Here’s how you

can model and teach students to use this skill when they engage with one another.

8



Show Compassion

Transcript:

Next, you should strive to show compassion for students. You can accomplish this by imagining what the student may be going through and validating the student’s feelings by saying things like:

You can also repeat and rephrase what someone just said as a way of ensuring you’re understanding them properly. For example:

Learn Why

9



Transcript:

Another powerful way you can model empathy is to learn why students exhibit some of the behaviors they do. Behaviors are often a way that students communicate met or unmet needs (Levine, 2005). Make sure to respond to a student’s feelings and emotions. Don’t just respond to a behavior - even if the behavior created a disruption.

Taking the time to learn about the causes and emotions behind a behavior demonstrates your commitment to understanding a student, rather than simply giving her a consequence. In this way, you model empathy.

Here are some questions that can help you learn the “why” behind a student’s behavior, and create space for discussing emotions.

If a student is having difficulty expressing his feelings, provide supports. This can be as simple as having a

10



feelings chart like the one you see here to help him correctly label the emotions he may be feeling.

One thing to note: older students are especially sensitive to being patronized. In order to keep questions about feelings from being misinterpreted as condescending, simply explain why you’re asking them. This could be as simple as saying something like…

Check for Understanding

Transcript:

Based on what you just learned about modeling empathy, decide whether each statement is true or false. Click Submit when you are finished.

11



Feedback

Transcript:

Click each statement if you would like feedback. Otherwise, click Proceed.

First Feedback

12



Second Feedback

Third Feedback

13



Fourth Feedback

Chapter 3: Establish Empathy

Establish Empathy

14



Transcript:

If you are new to teaching, or just starting the school year, it’s important to establish empathy as part of your classroom culture.

Students may not come to the classroom readily able to identify emotions in themselves or others. As a

teacher, you may have to explicitly teach how different emotions can look, sound, and feel (Levine, 2005;

Wilson & Conyers, 2017). Consider projecting cartoons or real-life photos of people with different emotions and

asking questions about them.

Click on the buttons to see some examples of appropriate questions for different age levels.

Take a moment to watch Kristy explain another strategy for establishing empathy in the classroom.

15



Elementary

Secondary

16



Video

Transcript:

“I think if the teacher wants to implement this into their classroom they really have to be willing to make a

commitment to being willing to check in on their own number. And be a little bit transparent about that. So that

they can really model this for their kids. ‘Cause I think that’s really important. Kids don’t learn by us telling them

what to do, we need to show them and it helps them to gain some empathy. To know oh, my teacher isn’t

having the greatest day, they’re at a seven so we probably should be quiet today, or something. I think to

introduce it, feelings faces are great, being able to draw what it looks like or using colors to show the difference

between one and ten of a certain emotion. And…just checking in. Making it a part of your morning check in, or

after recess, or after lunch check in. So that everybody kind of gets to go around and state what their number

is. And then moving from there, having kids kind of figure out ok, what works for you when you’re at that high

number? So that everyone else in the class can be aware

You’re teaching kids to be a detective. So they’re looking for body language. They’re looking for little cues that

help think that somebody is at an emotional level. Whether you’re even close to that person or not, friends with

that person or not, you can still ask them: “Do you feel like telling me your number?” Or something like that just

to help them…kind of…understand and read other kids better.”

17



Chapter 4: Nurture Empathy

Nurture Empathy

Transcript:

Once you have worked to establish empathy, the focus changes to nurturing it over time. One way to make this happen in your classroom is to identify opportunities for students to share information about themselves with their peers. These opportunities may arise as students transition from one subject to another, or when waiting for a bell to ring. It allows them to connect with someone they may not normally interact with.

Click on the buttons to see examples of questions that students could discuss to learn more about one another.

18



Elementary

Secondary

19



Teachable Moments

Transcript:

Another way to nurture empathy throughout the school year is to incorporate it into your curriculum. Locate the supplemental document entitled Curriculum Connections for ideas and links to resources you can use in your classroom.

Finally, you can nurture empathy by taking advantage of teachable moments as they arise. Instances of conflict, hurt feelings, or frustration are all opportunities for students to “practice” empathy with guidance from the teacher. Here are some questions that can help students step into another person’s perspective.

20



Closing

Transcript:

The hustle and activity of a school day can sometimes cause us to ignore a student’s emotional state in the interest of completing a task, or moving on to the next item on an agenda.

Just remember, one of the most powerful things you can do to empathize with students is give them your time

(Cooper, 2010). As we close this module, listen to Kristy share a story about an empathic teacher who took the

time to understand and respond to a student’s needs.

21



Video

Transcript:

“I was working with a young girl who had a lot of anxiety about going to school. And her teacher really noticed it

and took the time to talk to her about it and even then say something to mom about it. And as we brainstormed

ways that she could feel more safe at school, her teacher came up as a resource to her and that teacher really

went above and beyond because she knew that there was something going on. And she agreed to walk to the

office every morning to escort the girl back to…her classroom. And it took about two weeks. And after two

weeks, the little girl didn’t need it anymore. She knew that her teacher was a safe space for her and she was

able to leave mom and go into school confidently for the day. And that was just an example of how a teacher

really looked beyond what was going on with this little girl.”

22



teaching students empathy transcript - sanford inspire · empathy is the ability to understand and...

Documents