{"id":14306,"date":"2024-02-21T08:01:46","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T08:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.teacherhorizons.com\/advice\/?p=14306"},"modified":"2024-07-26T22:42:29","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T21:42:29","slug":"empathy-week-and-empathy-in-teaching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teacherhorizons.com\/advice\/empathy-week-and-empathy-in-teaching","title":{"rendered":"Empathy Week: developing empathy in teaching"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The importance of empathy in teaching<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I once read about a really cool organisation called Roots of Empathy<\/a>. A baby of two months old is invited to join a class of children at an Elementary School on a monthly basis throughout the school year. They come in with a parent and a specialist instructor who facilitates the session, allowing the children to forge a relationship with the baby. The idea is that the students observe and label the baby\u2019s feelings and intentions and, by doing so, better understand their own emotions and those of the others around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had my first baby when I was teaching at an international school in Thailand. My home was on the school campus, and this meant that I could have a go at this approach myself. It was a truly lovely experience. My Grade 6 students were incredibly kind to my son and clearly enjoyed his company. I sat him on the carpet in the middle of a circle of students and let him roam around. It was really interesting to see how my students engaged with him: often it was the ones who struggled socially with their peers who had the greatest affinity with my baby. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As educators, we constantly need to think about how we use empathy in teaching. Of course, we need to demonstrate<\/em> empathy ourselves in order to fully understand and connect with the young people we work with. But we also need to teach<\/em> empathy to our students: it is a skill that can only develop effectively through active engagement with others, and we need to cultivate opportunities for this engagement within our classrooms. It\u2019s not enough to just stick up a few quotes about empathy on the walls. The IB agrees that \u2018using empathy\u2019 is something we need to teach, and this is listed as one of their \u2018Approaches to Learning\u2019 in the Middle Years Programme framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it\u2019s not easy to find a spare baby to make monthly visits to your classroom, especially when your own has turned into a six-year-old! This is why the idea of Empathy Week is so exciting\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"empathy<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is Empathy Week?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ed Kirwan<\/a>, the founder of Empathy Week<\/a>, used to be Head of Chemistry at a school in North London before he became a filmmaker. He states that empathy is the most important skill to develop in the 21st century, that it underpins the rest of the skills we want young people to learn. That it helps us develop and keep strong relationships, allowing people to connect with one another. He fervently believes in the importance of teaching empathy to children and young adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Empathy Week<\/a> is an organisation that runs an annual festival of films, events, and classroom resources that develop the skill of empathy in students aged 5-18. This year the festival runs from Monday 26th February to Friday 1st March, and all schools can get involved, no matter where in the world they might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running in over 40 countries, the programme uses film as a means to help learners unlock their emotional intelligence \u2013 and all the benefits that come with it. The team defines empathy as \u2018the skill to understand another person and the ability to create space for someone to reveal their authentic self whilst reserving judgement\u2019. Through the use of film, they tell the stories of people students might not otherwise come into contact with, allowing young people to broaden their horizons and get to know about lives different from their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n