[Kieran]

Hi Mariana,

Thanks very much for your great analysis of Carl Rogers and his active listening.

It was very interesting to watch, and get this behind the scenes look. His body language is very empathic. He is leaning forward, nodding his head, mhhhs to signal he is actively listening, pausing.

It is wonderful to watch Carl Rogers in action! His active listening does seem genuine and not something he’s doing for the camera. The way he leans forward, nods his head and his ‘mhhhs’ seem very natural and make the client feel listened to and comfortable in his presence.

I think he uses silence in a very strategic way. It allows for others to find the space to speak.

Absolutely. He does use silences beautifully. This is such a difficult thing to do and most of us feel uncomfortable with silence.

By paraphrasing the other person’s ideas, he is supporting them, and the other person is able to talk through the issues and self-regulate.

He paraphrases beautifully and this lets the client feel they are really being listened to.

Thanks again for your great analysis, Mariana.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Julie,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of Extensive Reading.

I want to use The Curious Incident of the Dog in the night time by Mark Haddon to learn about this type of autism with a group of B 2 students. Asperger’s disease will perhaps be something new to them, and the fact that the novel is hilarious and has straightforward language will engage them. The topic will allow the group to discuss other types of syndromes and perhaps personalize the subject. Most families have many conditions that they can relate to and eventually open up and want to share. This story will be a tremendous empathic activity that can benefit them all.

You analysed very well why you’d like to use The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time with your students. The book is a great introduction to Asperger’s Syndrome. The fact it’s relatively easy to read and very funny, make it suitable for the language classroom.

2 I’ve used Nelson Mandela’s graded book with my pre-intermediate students. Mandela’s unique legacy and personal endurance are why I chose this book; students have always empathized with him.
https://readers.english.com/active/detail/9781292110356

This is a great reader about an extraordinary person and leader. This type of graded biography appeals to teenagers and adults, but also to business professionals.

I also agree with Angie Extensive reading takes time, and teachers might feel less in control of what their students are reading. It is a shame because the enjoyment that comes from the reading experience is priceless.

Very good point. Some teachers are reluctant to release this control but, as you point out, it is a real shame as the benefits of Extensive Reading are so great.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Julie.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Julie,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of Extensive Reading and the Extensive Reading books.

I’ve worked with We Should All be feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. I chose this book for a group of fifteen-year-old girls who are out-and-feminists in Argentina.

I haven’t read this book but will check it out. I think it’s important to recommend books that match your students interests and concerns and you seem to have done just this with this book.

My students are a B1 + level, so although this wasn’t a graded book, I did a lot of scaffolding by selecting vocab that had to do with the pre-taught topic before they started reading.

I think you did the right thing by scaffolding selected vocabulary. If the book is not graded you need to pre-teach a lot more vocabulary. The same applies when you use a feature-length film – you have to pre-teach or prime a lot of vocabulary.

The book is a personal and powerful essay from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, based on her 2013 TEDx Talk of the same name. Adiche is great at fostering empathy in her writing. For example, she proposes to raise awareness that a fairer world, both happier for men and women, could be achieved if parents raise their sons differently.

Although I haven’t seen the TED Talk or read the book, I would agree with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that the way sons are brought up is fundamental to the feminist movement.

Circle of Viewpoints
It is a valuable routine that students can engage in at the beginning or end of the chosen text. I agree with María that It can be very enriching to foster empathy in general and, more specifically, better to understand the different personalities and viewpoints in the narrative. Very practical for us teachers as well. We can resort to the framework for various texts, provided we scaffold material and choose the proper text levels accordingly.

Absolutely. This is a very robust and flexible routine for fostering empathy.

Empathy Fostering Qs
I am on the same page with Angie!! Helpful to take the emphasis of the what and put it on the why. Then what is there and the why makes students empathize and reflect. So, excellent triggers for fostering empathy!

Definitely. Moving from the ‘what’ to the ‘why’ seems a very small shift but is, in fact, a huge one for understanding different perspectives.

Reader’s Empathy Workshop
An excellent group activity that wraps up with a plenary discussion and boosts more empathic involvement!

Yes. The Reader’s Empathy Workshop is one of my favourite empathy-building activities.

Character Qs
I agree with Anthony that some of the questions could perhaps be a bit complex for not-so-advanced students, but as you say, Kieran, you can constantly adapt them!

Yes. I agree with both you and Anthony. As you point out, we can adapt the questions quite easily.

Roleplay Questions
I like this activity for students at large, but I would perhaps be more careful with shy students in my lessons.

Very good point about keeping in mind more introverted students when we do roleplays.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Julie.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Encarna,

Thanks very much for your great answers!

1. How do you feel about the way empathy is taught in schools in Denmark?
I was quite surprised to know that teachers devote six months to foster intensive mediation among students themselves and how this practice helps students’ academic performance later on. So it seems it is worth the effort.

Yes. Research in Denmark seems to indicate that this intensive mediation helps students’ academic performance later on.

In the video one teacher mentions that parents are also involved and I think that that is essential and very important. If educators and families work together go hand in hand, the chances of showing an empathic attitude are greater.

Yes. The involvement of parents seems to be fundamental. As you point out, teachers and parents working hand in hand, increases the possibility of effectively fostering empathy.

I wouldn’t use the word “teaching” empathy. Maybe “revealing” or “recalling” a human value that we all have?

Yes. I think you’re absolutely right that rather than talking about ‘teaching’ empathy, it would be more helpful to think in terms of ‘revealing’ empathy.

2. Can you think of any other reasons why empathy is important in education?
I think it can also help strengthen trust bonds between teachers and pupils and create a good atmosphere in the class, in general.

Excellent. Empathy definitely helps to build strong bonds of trust and create a positive classroom atmosphere.

3. How could empathy be better integrated into the school curriculum in your country?
Maybe by first devoting some daily time to let students get to know themselves better. There are practices such as Mindfulness or meditation techniques that help or are a guide in that sense. A steady practice would probably lead to show an empathic and compassionate attitude in life.

Yes. These mindfulness or meditation practices would very likely lead to greater empathy.

Thanks again for your excellent responses, Encarna.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

You’re very welcome, María Penya 🙂

[Kieran]

Hi Maria Penya,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of the short films.

We’ve All Been There – The shoes in the desert land, la far away voice, the feeling of the scorching sun. The close-up of the girl getting off the bus, the close-up of the overdue rent and of the note in the napkin. The truck driver’s look on the money.

Yes. The scene in the outback really puts us in the shoes of the older woman. The close up shot of the overdue rent makes us empathise with the young woman.

Moments – The use of nighttime versus the light and color in the video. The repetition of the teddy bear.

Yes. The contrast of light in striking. The images of the teddy bear make us feel empathy for the daughter.

The Alphabet of Illiteracy – Undoubtedly, the music and lyrics, but also the selection of colors for the illustrations.

Yes. The contrast between the music and the harsh images is striking.

The Reader – The ascending music tone, the sepia color of the film, facial expressions.

Yes. The sepia colour makes us feel some sort of nostalgia. The close up of the facial expression make us feel empathy for both the father and the son.

We’re the Superhumans – The lyrics, the happy triumphant tone of the music, the final close-up.

The music does create empathy. The final close-up shot is brilliant.

Stand Up – The background voices, the look between both in class.

Yes. The background voices make us feel like it could be an everyday situation in our own lives. The tender look between the two boys help us feel empathy for them.

Mankind is no Island – The speed of the images, the need to read, the selection of words.

Yes. The director deliberately makes this film quite difficult to watch and it requires cognitive and affective effort from the viewer.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Maria Penya.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Maria Penya,

Thank you for responding to Mariana’s comment on the Superhumans film. yes, as mariana argued, the film could be seen as perpetuating the narrative that disabled people are only worthy of our attention when they do something extraordinary.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Maria Penya,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of the Extensive Viewing framework and the viewing guides.

Like Anthony, I do see some setbacks here, mostly with the lexis but also regarding listening comprehension. As we mentioned in one of the webinars, grading films is almost impossible, whereas we have a plethora of graded books. I think that the vocab list should be rather short, around 30 words, for students to remember the meaning during the viewing.

A good point. The argument for having a more extensive glossary in Extensive Viewing is that the average feature-length film has about 9,000 words many of which students won’t have encountered before, so students need to primed for a certain amount of words. I love using short films in the classroom, but, in general, there isn’t enough dialogue in them for Extensive Viewing.

On the other hand, I feel that students would be more willing to watch a film than to read. Plus, since the reading is alone and the viewing in group, this could seem more appealing and we would get rid of the “laziness factor”.

Yes. Many students are much more willing to view rather than read.

The viewing of series sounds more beneficial to me, since the vocabulary is bound to repeat itself throughout the different episodes, and the listening comprehension gets easier due to practice.

Tv series are probably even more beneficial than films as vocabulary and expressions are repeated, the narratives are similar and students know the characters.

The way I see it, extensive viewing is excellent from B2 onwards, for lower levels, maybe animation short-films with very short and simple dialogues.

Yes. Although Extensive Viewing is probably best suited to students at B2 and above, Extensive Viewing can be used at lower levels, but as the cognitive load for lower levels is so high we have to make the text more comprehensible by using subtitles in the L1, giving the synopsis and extensive glossary.

The Green Book is an excellent film to foster empathy due to the variety of topics it covers: racism, gender issues, violence, civil rights.

Yes. There are a number of topics which can be exploited to foster empathy.

A Beautiful Mind is also a complex, multilayered film that can give rise to lively discussions different from the above but equally challenging. Therefore, empathy is sure to be fostered and felt.

Yes. It is a multilayered and complex film.

In both cases, I feel that the discussion questions are insightful but a bit difficult for second language students, in my opinion. The guide gives the opportunity of thoroughly understanding the film and its multiple layers, but I think a lively discussion would be hard to bring about in young groups, low levels and groups where students don’t know the rest very well.

Yes. The questions could be adapted or simplified for younger students.

Thanks again for your great evaluation.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Anthony,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of the Extensive Viewing framework and viewing guides.

I’d first like to point out to what could make such a framework dissuasive : (1) while extensive reading requires very little intervention from the teacher, extensive viewing does ; (2) while extensive reading is for pleasure only, extensive viewing via this framework seems to involve pre-teaching, practice of lexis, and focus on language ; (3) effectively remembering around 150 lexical terms may make the return on investment (eg, the understanding and enjoyment of the film) seem unworthy; (4) the framework would require considerable time invested on a the viewing and understanding of a single film.

All very good points. Extensive Viewing does require more teacher intervention than ER but I don’t think it’s so great. The justification for such a large glossary is that students won’t understand so much without pre-teaching or priming a lot of vocabulary. The Extensive Viewing framework does involve a lot of work but I feel is completely justified as the benefits are so great. Many teachers argue that although they understand the benefits of ER, their students don’t reading so they can’t use it. However, most students do enjoy watching films and we can apply the same principles of ER to Extensive Viewing. The amount of time spend on one feature-length film would be considerably less than the amount of time spent on one novel.

Now, what I see as beneficial for teacher and learner are: (1) the feeling of reward from having understood the film and been able to share and discuss its meaning, (2) The framework would effectively immerse the viewer in the context and language of the film over the course of several lessons, (3) The framework would allow phases for language focused learning, meaningful output and input, so it would be quite comprehensive.

Yes. These are all definitely benefits of Extensive Viewing.

The two films I have downloaded, “The Green Book”, and “Little Miss Sunshine” would go a long way in promoting empathy. The first because it exposes the learner to racial issues in the US, as well as putting them in the shoes of a minority, the second because it defies many standards (beauty, family) and fosters empathy towards atypical families and people.

These two films are excellent for fostering empathy.

I think that the guide’s aims are multiple and fostering empathy is only one of them. The other aims also seem to be to render meaning of a text accessible (pre-viewing section),to test comprehension (while viewing, after viewing section), and to encourage meaningful output.

Yes, the guides do aim to make the text more comprehensible, test oral and visual comprehension and encourage meaningful output and a personal response to the text from students.

I would adapt this for my learners in several ways. One way would be to select only a couple of questions from the pre-viewing, or to give this in preparation to the lesson. Another would be, for A2 (perhaps B1) learners, to give the synopsis in L1 in order to prevent cognitive overload. At this level, we are focusing solely on the meaning anyways (L1 subs), because the language will be way too difficult.

Yes. These adaptations all make perfect sense to me.

Secondly, I would not find it realistic to expect my learners to memorise (that is, effectively recall the meaning of) such a long list of words.

The idea is not for students to memorise the vocabulary. it’s much more to prime them for the vocabulary they encounter in the film.

This relates to the problem of insufficient vocabulary. One way I would deal with this problem is to ask learners to watch the film in their L1 first, or with L1 subs, and in class introduce the synopsis in English.

Getting students to watch the film first in their L1 is a good strategy. Another similar strategy is to get students to watch films in English they’ve already watched in their L1.

I could also focus on a scene and analyse the discourse and words (which raises another problem: can we extrapolate language that can make viewing in general easier? Or can we teach decoding strategies in that sense?).

Specific scene analysis is a good strategy and recommended in the final part of the framework.

Finally, I might chose either the discussion or the task. As with all “lesson plans”, you can’t always tell how your learners will engage with the task, so it’s better to have a minimal set of things to do or discuss, and adapt from that.

Yes. As with any framework, there has to be enough flexibility for teachers to adapt it to their contexts and students.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Anthony.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Anthony,

Thanks very much for your great answers!

1 How do you feel about the way empathy is taught in schools in Denmark?

The video doesn’t go in to showing exactly how empathy is taught – and by the way, can you “teach” empathy? The article for this lesson suggests that empathy is first and foremost generated through example. It’s an intentional inner posture guiding our decisions and actions towards others.

Excellent point. It’s not actually explained how empathy is taught in Denmark. As I understand it, the Danish approach is based on the principle that empathy is a learned skill that comes with listening and understanding others. In the ’empathy class’ students are invited to talk about problems they have been experiencing. During this time, the entire class works together to find a solution. This teaches children to respect the feelings of others without judgement. The empathy classes are believed to help them strengthen their relationships and sympathise with other people’s problems. They also allow each child to be heard, feel valued, and become part of a community.

My impression is that this course is about teaching empathy via subject manners like visual arts.

Yes. The approach to empathy on this course is about teaching empathy via subject manners like literature and the visual arts.

2 Can you think of any other reasons why empathy is important in education?
In the EFL ESL context, empathy can play a large role in lowering the affective filter, and leading to a state of relaxation that is optimal for learning.

Yes. One of the main reasons for teaching empathy in language education is that it helps to lower the affective filter.

It can also lead (or is it more a consequence?) of self expression and accepting of differences*

Yes. Empathy can definitely lead to improved self expression and acceptance of differences.

3 How could empathy be better integrated into the school curriculum in your country?
I think that in France there is a “discipline problem” which is directly related to the social climate and eroding education structure. The curriculum should change to include more real world skills. Empathy can be part of it. It would have to do with giving more means of expression.

I like your focus on the importance of self expression in education and indeed in life.

*I think that opening ourselves to others is a central tenant of Levinas’ philosophy.

I hadn’t heard of Levinas but will check out his work.

Thanks again for your excellent responses, Anthony.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Encarna,

Thanks very much for your great answers!

1. Roman Krznaric defines Empathy as the art of stepping imaginatively into the shoes of another person, understanding their feelings and perspectives, and using that understanding to guide your actions. His definition contains the main components of Empathy. First of all, Empathy has a cognitive part which allows people to take perspectives and “see” people’s different points of view. Secondly, Empathy has an affective component which related to shared emotional response. And finally, Empathy also includes an empathic concern, that is to say, the will to do something for other people.
From the neurological point of view, some experts suggest mirror neurons play an important role in being empathic but there is also a much more complex ‘empathy circuit’ comprising a series of interconnected brain regions.
There are different theorists that consider Empathy as a key element in society because it holds society together, it helps to solve problems and it is very important for a healthy democracy.

This is an excellent summary of what empathy is, how it works and why it’s important in society.

2. Yes, I agree with Simon Baron-Cohen’s opinion which states that Empathy acts like “a universal balm”. I think that it is universal because it has no boundaries, it is welcomed by all human beings, no matter their nationality, their political or religious beliefs, etc. And it acts like a balm as it helps to alleviate other people’s physical, emotional or spiritual pain.

Great! You explain very well what Baron-Cohen means when he states states that Empathy acts like “a universal balm”.

3. I would say that there is an empathy deficit, especially after the Covid-19 situation. All the restrictions (lockdowns, social distancing, people’s fears, an increase in the use of technology) have caused a kind of “cooling of relations” among people.

Yes. Even though the pandemic may have helped to raise empathy in some ways as we are in the same boat and see any of us can be affected by the virus, I feel the long term consequences of the pandemic, will, in general, reduce empathy in society.

Thanks again for your excellent responses, Encarna.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Angie,

Thanks very much for your superb evaluation of the Active listening approach and activity sheets.

I do. Sounds pretty good to me.

Yes. The 6 things covered most if not all of the bases.

2 Do you agree with the six “high-risk” responses bad listeners do? Can you think of any other things do listeners do?
I do. I have had some tough times the past couple of months, and reflecting on some conversations, I realize how I didn’t fully open up beyond the facts of what happened, as the opening was shut down by judgement or advice. I think if I could have fully opened up, I would have gone deeper on the feelings/interpretations aspect, and maybe even have reached the shame aspect.

Excellent point. Opening up fully certainly aids listening actively. At the same time, opening up fully is challenging.

I also realize when I intentionally do it to not be engaged in conversations that I don’t want to be in.

Show you’re listening:
I feel just the same – I feel in conflict about this one. Doesn’t it go against the pointer saying that you are diverging the attention back to yourself? Kind of like saying “I hear you” instead of continuing to listen?

Great point! Yes, it can certainly be argued that the ‘I feel just the same’ response brings the subject back to yourself.

Though I do love sharing about their feelings about speaking English. I think I might use this in a first class to set the standard of active listening in class and creating a safe space where it is ok to be a little vulnerable.

I really like the idea of doing this in the first class to set the standard of active listening in class.

Listeners – Good reflection exercise.

It is a good reflection activity.

Silent listeners – I’ve done this exercise before with strangers on a sensitve topic. It was interesting how quickly I opened up, and how compassionate that moment felt. Could be done in class.

I’m interested to know you’ve already tried out something similar in class and that it worked well.

Good listeners – Good for reflecting, but students might just say I can’t think of any more examples.

Another good reflection activity.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Angie.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Angie,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of Active Listening.

Similarities: Full concentration on what is being said, listen without judgement, don’t interrupt to give advice or opinion, but give time and space for full expression, attention to non-verbal communication
Differences:
In article: Mention of difficulty of applying active listening in large classrooms, other references to teacher/student scenario
In video: Listener egging on, helping speaker to gain more clarity on own thoughts, getting to the why of things

This is an excellent evaluation of the similarities and differences between the advice given in the video and the article.

He paraphrases, he doesn’t take their responsibility away to come to their own conclusions, he doesn’t judge them for being in a tough spot, he eggs them on to reach clarity, he notices their physical state

You’ve beautifully analysed what Carl Rogers does to be such an active listener. He definitely put into practice waht he preached.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Angie.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Maria Penya,

Thanks very much for your excellent answers.

Yes, I think so, everything that adds up to observation and reflection in a fast paced society is positive. If we are able to carefully view and understand photos, paintings, etc, we will be able to understand people around us and thus, society at large… with a lot of training, that is.

Yes. Teachers need a lot of training to teach this skill effectively to their students but, as you point, out the introduction of this skill is necessary where the vast majority of texts are visual texts or multimodal texts that use visuals.

Yes. I think they are enough but adding viewing maximizes the students’ general performance. In fact, the Speaking part in Cambridge official exams is based on picture viewing. I find the routines very useful for this purpose. Besides, viewing is excellent to allow the viewer to understand others by entering their worlds, like the Greek definition of empathy you give.

Yes. As I mentioned to my response to Angie, many countries are now calling the skill of ‘reading ‘reading/viewing’. I think this is an important and necessary development. Viewing does also allow the viewer to understand others by entering their worlds and thus develop empathy.

I think it’s good for us to see it at work. They are clearly developed and I like that the teacher doesn’t judge, it’s just an acceptance of the students’ opinion, no right or wrong.

I agree it’s necessary to see these routines in action otherwise they run the risk of seeming too abstract. The teachers in the videos are very good at being non-judgemental and just listening to their students.

The one I like the most is See Think Wonder because the questions are very open and students are bound to always find an answer, it can be very spontaneous, despite the minute they are given to think it out.

This is a very popular routine. It’s easy to remember and apply, and, as you point out, the questions are so open that they make it easy for students to come up with a response.

While viewing a painting or a photograph brainstorm a list of different perspectives and then use this script skeleton to explore each one:

1. I AM THINKING OF… the topic/issue/situation … FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF… the viewpoint you’ve chosen
The man in black was driving, skipped a red light and slightly hit the girl, who was riding a motorbike.
2. I THINK… describe the topic/issue/situation from your viewpoint. Be an actor – take on the character of your viewpoint
The man – What does this girl know?! She thinks herself very clever, but I’m sure she too has troubles of her own.
The policeman – Hey, man, you’re getting a bit cocky here, calm down.
Man in orange vest – C’mon, get a move on! You’re blocking the way!

3. A QUESTION I HAVE FROM THIS VIEWPOINT IS… ask a question from this viewpoint
The man – Was it really my fault?
The policeman – I’m not in the mood for this now. It’s nothing serious and we’re blocking the way.
The man in orange vest – What is a policeman good for if he’s blocking the way? If he weren’t around, everyone would be minding their own business.

This is a great application of the Circle of Viewpoints Routine. Very nicely done.

Thanks again for your excellent answers, Maria Penya.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Angie,

Thanks very much for your excellent answers.

I don’t believe it is necessary to think of it as right or wrong. It is simply a different and actually quite interesting approach.

It’s undoubtedly an interesting approach. I’d argue that the additional of this fifth skill is necessary in a world where the vast majority of texts we deal with are visual texts or multimodal texts that use visuals.

I actually do think it is sufficient. But adding viewing does add a very interesting focus or nuance.

In some countries they’re changing the skill of ‘reading’ to ‘reading/viewing’ which I think is an interesting development.

One of them felt a little to mechanical and taking too much time / possibly losing the interest.

Which one was this, Angie?

See, think, wonder. Not necessarily because it is the “best”, but because it is the easiest to remember. I would think of it as my go to, but with lesson planning perhaps integrate the other versions when appropriate.

Yes. See, think, wonder is probably this easiest to remember and apply.

2) Practise the Circle of Viewpoints Routine. Look at the photograph and brainstorm a list of different perspectives and then use this script skeleton to explore each one.
I AM THINKING OF… the situation in the photograph… FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF… the woman.
I THINK… I triggered the man in front of me. He is angry because I am in a strong position, and he is powerless, and he realizes it. He feels offended by my otherness: Being a woman, my appearance, his inability to faze me. He feels challenged, I feel composed.
A QUESTION I HAVE FROM THIS VIEWPOINT IS… I feel good at this moment, but will he walk away from this thinking of it as simply power play, or will he gain any kind of insight?

Brilliant! This is an excellent application of the Circle of Viewpoints Routine. Really impressive!

Thanks again for your excellent answers, Angie.

All the best,

Kieran

[Author]

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