[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

[Kieran]

Hi Anthony,

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

We’ve All Been There
Plot is designed to make us feel empathy by contrasting to different stories which finally share something in common. The story further adopts the viewpoint of human challenge to reinforce the feeling of “universal empathy”, instead of the viewpoint of individual triumph or worse yet, revenge (which is a very common theme in hollywood films). The expressions of the actors is also important.

Absolutely. This film is a masterpiece of empathy building. The director does seem to be proposing a universal empathy similar to the concept of karma.

Moments
My favourite among the ones I was able to watch. Again the story is cleverly told to create a connection with this homeless man, by showing us that he too was once a normal, happy person.

Yes. The film does show us that any of us could become homeless .

This encapsulates in a similar way the universal message that: “no one is immune to misfortune” (furthermore, there is no “justice”, no justification to suffering), and that (this is an extrapolation) fortune or misfortune hits randomly (there is no “justice” in that sense).

Yes. I think the film encapsulates to a certain extent the religious message of “There but for the Grace of God go I.”

The music plays also a big role.

The music is fundamental to us feeling empathy for the characters.

The Alphabet of Illiteracy
I was not able to watch it, as I couldn’t access vimeo. (For the others I used youtube).

Here’s a link to the film on YouTube:

The Reader
Same thing as previous

Here’s a link to the film on YouTube:

We’re the Superhumans
The talent of these people despite their disability. The music is cheerful (in contrast to the other music, which or much more mellow, I’m not sure if that contributes necessarily to more empathy.

I think the cheerful music does foster empathy as it adds to the positive energy of the visuals.

Stand up
Couldn’t watch it.

Here’s a link to the film on YouTube:

Mankind is no Island
The use of word collage was useful. But I’m not sure how the choice of medium (the phone) contributes in any way with the message.

Perhaps the use of the mobile phone to create the film, adds to the sense that homelessness is an issue that affects and concerns us all.

Thanks again for your evaluation, Anthony.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Angie,

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

We’ve All Been There
The use of close ups, pauses, color

Close up shots are used beautifully to foster empathy in this short. The pauses are really effective in moving us from one point of view to another.

Moments
Switch between warm and cool colors, music instead of much dialog

Yes. The contrast of colours is really powerful. The way the music builds to a crescendo helps us empathise with the characters.

The Alphabet of Illiteracy
Stark contrast between happy child song and krass words and graphics

Yes. The use of music is masterful here. The contrast between the childish song and the stark images is shocking.

The Reader
Different shots in different places, contrast happy and challenging moments

Yes. The contrast between happy and challenging situations is really noticeable here.

We’re the Superhumans
Strong, radiant colors. Lively music, portraying strength in light of adversity

Yes. The strong and radiant colours help to portray this strength in adversity.

Stand up
Close ups, on the hands for example, or the pained faces

The close-ups of facial expressions and hands help us feel empathy for the character.

Mankind is no Island
Varied pacing of images / clips. Melancholic instrumental

Yes. The variety of the pacing is really impressive here.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Angie.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Anthony,

Thanks very much for your excellent answers.

Intuitively I would go with the House on Mango Street, Refugee Boy, and No fixed Address.

Very good choices, in my opinion

The House on Mango Street – I read it in High School, and my teacher had us write vignettes about our neighbourhood, which I really enjoyed.

I’m delighted to hear you had a positive experience of reading this book as a student. I really like the activity of writing vignettes about our neighbourhood.

Refugee boy – especially now, it’s a very hot topic in Europe, and having a narrative about it would be very useful.

Yes. Sadly, it the subject is very topical.

No fixed Address – again, perhaps a selection bias of mine, the story just seems to resonate with my taste for people in unconventional situations.

You make a good point here. I think we are all led by our own reading preferences when selecting books for out¡r students. I think if the teacher is enthusiastic about the book and the subject, it’s much easier for them to transmit enthusiasm about reading.

I’m not sure to be honest how my students would react to any of these titles!

Good point. You never really know until you try them out. You might be pleasantly surprised!

No. As mentioned in the previous post, I hope to implement a reading course.

Best of luck in to implement the reading course.

a) novels have lost their place as a result of the growing presence of visual media and the internet. Why read when you can stream?

Very good point.

b) teachers might feel that time spent on reading in class is “lost time” and so they don’t encourage it.

Yes. I think many teachers have this viewpoint. But, in my opinion, it’s not true that time spent reading is lost time as the benefits of reading are so great.

c) in the case of adult learners, they might already have pre-established set of preferences when it comes to learning, and sometimes reading may not be one of them. They may feel like children if the teacher imposes a reading program.

Great point. I think there has to be more teacher education about the benefits of reading in language learning.

Thanks again for your excellent answers, Anthony.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Anthony,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of the activity sheets.

(1) They are adults, and I can’t make reading mandatory, I can only encourage them to do so.

Yes. It’s difficult to oblige adults to read but an institution can make certain activities a compulsory part of the course.

(2) The course is in Business English: I’m afraid that they might respond to my initiative by saying that’s it’s a bit too off topic or irrelevant to them.

Good point but there are readers which focus on the biography of business leaders and entrepreneurs which would be of interest to professionals.

(3) I might be met with a bit of resistance from those who say they “don’t like reading” and prefer to watch movies.

Yes. if students don’t read in their native language/s, it’s almost impossible to get them to read in English.

1. Circle viewpoints:
Effective. It is well scaffolded to help the learners formulate their thoughts. I think it can also be adapted to different genres and situations. In fact, all you would need is a context (real or imaginative) in which several actors (real or fictive) are involved. Of course, there would have to be a spotlight on the characters or actors.

Yes. This activity is well scaffolded and flexible.

2. Empathy fostering questions:
Effective. They generate empathy by asking learners to relate to the character’s experience, on a personal level. I like how the questions also ask learners to share examples of experiences they have had and that relate to the character’s experience.

Yes. Many of the questions ask students to share examples of experiences they have had and that relate to the character’s experience. This personalisation is a great way of getting students of focusing on commonalities not always differences.

3. Readers Empathy workshop:
Effective: The activity has a nice sequence with plenty of opportunities to communicate to it which would make TBL teachers happy :-)…

Yes. This would work in TBL, won’t it?

I think that a nice follow up to this would be the role plays. Because learners by this time will have gathered enough ideas and knowledge of the characters.

Great idea. Roleplay would be a¡n excellent follow up.

4. Role Play questions
Effective, but when used with n.3, because learners may feel their imagination is too limited to answer the questions. Some questions might be a bit daunting to answer, or simply not be relevant to the story.

Yes. Some of the questions work better with certain narratives.

5. “List of Questions to Discuss the Character” (I forgot the name of this one!)
Effective, but insofar as the students don’t answer all of the questions. The idea is to discuss how the character’s beliefs change. This is obviously very specific to novels and stories.

Yes. The students would only be asked the Character Question they s¡think work best with the narrative they’re dealing with.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Anthony.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Anthony,

Thanks very much for your excellent answers.

Things I do regularly
1. Listening
Peers who have observed me say I take time to listen to my learners. I try not to interrupt, I try to give them as much room to express themselves.

Giving students the time and space to express themselves is vitally important. It sounds like you do this really well.

I think sometimes I do this maybe too much as I don’t end up moving the lesson to the next stages.

I think if students are actively engaged in the activities and learning is taking place, we don’t don’t necessarily have to be overly-worried about not covering all the areas of the lesson.

2. Positive and affirmative approach.
This is something I’ve been including more and more, as I noticed some years back I was not doing much positive reinforcement. Actually, my director was the one who brought this up. I try to give genuine praise, not fake praise, too.

Yes. Genuine praise is the key here, in my opinion. I think students know when the praise is not real.

3. Enthusiasm.
This is a trait that both my learners and peers have observed. I think there is a cultural side to this: Americans are much better at showing enthusiasm. French people much less.

Enthusiasm is such an important quality for a teacher to have. I’m interested to hear you think Americans are generally more enthusiastic than French people. I’d be inclined to say that in general Americans are more enthusiastic in their attitude than Europeans in general.

Things I could do more regularly?

1. Giving attention.
I sometimes find myself thinking about the next stage of the lesson while listening to learners. Or, as this happened recently, I take notes on what the learner is saying. In both cases I end up losing sight of what the person was saying.

This is a very good point. It is difficult to focus completely on what each student is saying especially when you’re concerned about covering all the parts of the lesson plan.

2. Holistic view.
I want to make my classroom an “open horizon of encounter” for exchanging with my students on holistic level. This I think has a lot to do with Sidgwick’s statement. I think too often I am focused on the ‘teacher as teacher’ role, as well as with my lesson plan, and not enough on the genuine conversation. There’s a great irony in ELT that via classroom procedures and lesson objectives and course books we avoid the very thing we want to achieve – the ability to communicate.

This is an excellent point. An overemphasis on the syllabus, lesson objectives and course books, can prevent us from taking a holistic approach and forget about helping students communicate effectively.

3. Time-givers.
This is in line with the idea of wanting to “move forward” and get to the next stage of a lesson. I want =to feel it’s okay to “lose control”, and actually transform this into a learning experience.

This is a good point. There’s obviously a limit to how much time one teacher can give to each individual teacher in a classroom.

Thanks again for your excellent answers, Anthony.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Anthony,

Thanks very much for your great answers!

I am rather sure, as a preamble, that there must be studies showing how a teacher’s belief about a student, as to whether or not he or she felt the student was able to succeed, actually helps shape whether or not that student will actually succeed.

Yes. I think there are probably studies in this area but I haven’t read any such studies. It makes sense that if a teacher believes a student can develop academically then the student is more likely to do so.

For me, teachers who have played a determining role in my success at school are the ones that believed in my ability to succeed. I can remember these teachers, and can be sure that they were empathetic towards me. They were encouraging.

This makes perfect sense. Believing in a student’s ability and being encouraging are characteristics of empathic teachers.

The teacher (Algebra 2, in my Junior year), seemed like he wasn’t concerned with how I was doing, with whether it mattered that I passed or failed. I think that this in turn deteriorated the classroom climate. I became ashamed of not knowing. There was a lack of empathy and mutual trust.

Mutual trust is a prerequisite of an empathic relationship.

I can only think of one who didn’t seem very empathetic. She would call on us, and always call on the good students whom it seems she gave preference to

Unfortunately, teachers having favourite students and calling on them more in the classroom would seem to be quite common. Empathy in the classroom is impossible without fairness.

It didn’t feel like she cared.

Caring is another prerequisite of an empathic relationship.

They are genuine with the learners, and always interested in what learners have to say. They are good listeners.

Being yourself, being interested in what students have to say and really listening to them, are alll qualities of an empathic teacher as proposed by Bridget Cooper.

Thanks again for your excellent responses, Anthony.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Maria Penya,

Thanks very much for your excellent answers.

Definitely, Refugee Boy. Zephania is pure empathy and communication and his vocabulary is carefully chosen. Also, the plot is different, how many Western books are set in Eritrea and Ethiopia? Plus, rejection is something we all fear and it can surely help dealing with this fear.

A good choice, in my opinion. Benjamin does seem to be a very empathic person and writer. The fact we all fear being rejected helps us to empathise with the main character in the book.

Also, Furious. I know of a similar case and it’s very hard. I would like to save this experience to all kids.

Yes. Emotional abuse in families is, unfortunately, all too common. A young person who is suffering emotional abuse at home, could be helped by reading a book about another person going through the same experience.

Wonder has become a classic. I used an excerpt with my B1s. They had all read it and / or watched the film. I think it’s excellent because we have the same story from different viewpoints and this fosters empathy and shows that everyone has their reasons to behave the way they do.

Yes. the way the book is structured is wonderful for fostering empathy. The film also follows the same format of showing the different points of view.

I’ve also used Charlotte’s Web, another classic I love. Having the voices from the animals, especially Wilbur and Charlotte, puts us into the shoes of these characters.

Great point about hearing the points of views of animals in the book.

It is well accepted that we are in a visual era. We have a great deal of apps, videos, series, films, etc within a click’s reach. Parents pay for Netflix once a month and there it is to choose from and enjoy, whereas to read, you have to pay every time, select one by one your selection, even go to a bookstore or library (hard to find a good English selection)… the process is slower and then you have to make the “effort” of reading. Viewing has always recquiered lees of an effort and today it’s always at our fingertips.

Absolutely. Communication is increasingly visual and multimodal in nature. It’s certainly quicker and easier to view films and TV series. However, I think that extensive Viewing is a way for students maximise their language learning through watch
films and TV series actively and critically, not in the passive and uncritical way they usually films and TV series.

Thanks again for your excellent answers, Maria Penya.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Maria Penya,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of the activity sheets.

Circle of Viewpoints
I Love this routine. It can be useful to foster empathy in general and more specifically to better understand the different personalities and viewpoints in the narrative. Good for all levels since the questions are easy to answer and can be scaffolded. Also good to start a debate.

Yes. This is a lovely Visible Thinking Routine. It works aay¡t all levels, can easily be scaffolded and is a great way to start a debate.

Empathy Fostering Questions
This questions are harder to answer, especially by young students. I find it useful to work with adults to develop and deepen into the plot and characters of the narrative.

You may well be right that these questions could work better with adults.

Reader’s Empathy Workshop
In group it can be a great activity, since beyond empathy it can also narrow bonds between classmates.

Yes. In addition to promoting empathy, this activity can help students form stronger bond with each other.

Character Questions
Wow! Amazing questions to develop in adult groups. They can bring about lively debates. I’m sure they deeply foster empathy and they could be an excellent starting point for a film forum focused session.

Yes. These questions are very powerful and can be used with books, plays, videos and films.

Roleplay Questions
I like this one for younger students, since they don’t have to directly talk about themselves or their experiences, which is often hard for them. It fosters empathy but they don’t feel so exposed as with some other routines, like the Empahy Fostering Questions.

Yes. This one works very well with younger students.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Maria Penya.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Maria Penya,

Being completely present is one of the basic points we mentioned, however sometimes I pretend to be busy with something else so that I can listen to their more spontaneous conversations. This gives me information about the roles and leads in the classroom; their tone of voice, their vocabulary when they think I’m not listening, their true worries…

I like this strategy. Although you’re pretending not to be present, you really are present and listening to their spontaneous conversations. Great stuff!

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Yes, Maria Penya, condescension would have very little to do with empathy. The empathic person would treat the other person as an equal never in a condescending manner.

[Kieran]

Hi Maria Penya,

Thanks for your questions about the paper.

My question is, how do the measure this? How can you measure empathy when this is such a difficult term to define, to understand, and a feeling some people don’t even know exists?

This is an excellent question. The research methodology was very complex and they used a questionnaire which is considered a standard measure of empathy. However, as you point, how do you accurately such a complex construct as empathy in 64 different countries which may have different understanding of the construct of empathy? Another problem is that the questionnaire was administered and answered in English which apparently skews the results as people seem assign them with higher levels of empathy when they answer this type of questionnaire in a foreign language. It’s all very complex!

2. The results are definitely surprising. I’ve only skim read it, do you know wether they mention any differences between rural and urban areas?

To the best of my knowledge, they didn’t look into differences in urban and rural areas. i’m not aware of any other research into this. It would be interesting to know though!

What surprised me most is that saudi Arabia was one of the most empathic countries when I would have thought it would be one of the least empathic due to its treatment of women, LGBTQ people, migrant workers and religious minorities. I’m really not sure how reliable the research findings are.

I hope this helps, Maria Penya.

All the best,

Kieran

[Author]

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