[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

[Kieran]

You’re very welcome. Maria Penya.

[Kieran]

Hi Anthony,

Thanks very much for your great answers!

1. Empathy is an affect which is generated by cognitive leap. More specifically, it is the process by which I am able to cognitively put myself in the other person’s shoes and attempt to reproduce a feeling which the other person may be experiencing, in order to guide my actions.

This is a very clear explanation of what empathy is.

There is most certainly a genetic basis for this feeling in most humans due to the existence of mirror neurons. Also, common sense has it that the more we are aware of similarities with others the easier it is to put ourselves in their shoes.

Yes. It appears we are hardwired to be empathic. Mirror neurons are a component of an empathy network made up of 14 brain regions.

However, empathy is also something that develops as the result of social context and upbringing. First, the mother – child relation contributes to empathy. The mother seeks to understand the baby and make sure it is not suffering. She tries to understand its facial expressions, for example.

Definitely. Empathy develops as the result of social context and upbringing. Parent-child attachment, especially mother-child attachment, in the early months of life are fundamental to the development of empathy.

The other non-genetic cause is the role of culture, and more specifically of religion. Putting yourself in the other person shoes is an idea that is very prevalent in Christian teachings. The idea is known as the golden rule, and it states, “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27). Empathy is also very much present in Buddhism, and is often referred to as loving kindness, or compassion. Empathy can be considered a secularized version of the religious principles described above. I believe empathy today is what “holds” the social fabric together.

Absolutely. All the major religions have the concept of the Golden Rule. The concept of the Golden Rule is also important in many secular organisations. For many humanists the Golden Rule is a basic principle based on our common humanity and which grew from our natural capacities of reason and empathy.

2. I’m not sure what “universal” here means. But I would absolutely agree to saying that empathy acts as social, emotional, and psychological balm. Because it is an internally generated and motivated feeling, it produces actions which are in turn empathetic. As a result, other people will feel this, and will feel less fear. Because fear tends to generate hostility, the reduction of fear will lay the ground for understanding and trust.

As I understand it, Baron-Cohen is using ‘universal’ in the literal sense, meaning that empathy is a trait that exists in all societies and cultures. I completely agree with you that empathy does work to combat fear.

3. Yes of course. The role of social media is partly to blame. We are constantly bombarded with the message that “image is everything”, “you can become whatever you want if you try”. There is little or no room for failings, for defects (think of how bad the insult “loser” is considered to be).

Definitely. As much of social media promotes narcissism, it works against fostering empathy.

Economically there is also a paradox: the wealthier we become the more afraid we are losing our wealth. This is exemplified by the housing market boom about everywhere in the world: people are afraid being “houseless”, and so purchase a home, which in turn pushes price of housing up, leaving many people at risk of eviction in many cities. Professionally, this is illustrated by the craze in “professional development” and “life coaching”.

Yes. There is also the paradox of the richer we become, the less empathic we become. This seems to be backed up by a wealth of research.

Thanks again for your excellent responses, Anthony.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Anthony,

Thanks very much for introducing yourself. Great to have you on the course.

I’m looking forward to working with you on the course, Anthony.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Mariana,

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

After watching the 7 films, I realized that what really got me what the unexpected. Be it the very different alphabet song, the son’s book or the family hug.

Absolutely. Film directors are very good at using the unexpected to make us feel empathy.

In terms of how the films foster empathy, I think they make use of every single resource in a very powerful way. As we discussed on Sunday, music plays a very important role, as do close-ups.

Definitely. Film directors are extremely emotionally literate and know how to make us feel certain emotions through the use of dialogue, music, sound effects, shots and the actors’ facial expressions, body language and actions.

In “Mankind is no Island”, I found the “look away” words interlaced with close up shots of the eyes/faces of people experiencing homelessness incredibly moving. Forcing me not to look away.

This is an excellent example of how a film director manipulates our emotions.

While the “We’re the Superhumans” short tries to showcase that fact that people with disabilities can do anything, as I was watching, I couldn’t help but think of it as inspiration porn. I then found this interesting article written by Penny Pepper called “Turning Paralympians into ´superhuman´ is no help to disabled people”. Pepper says “The hyping of disabled athletes into superhuman status by Channel 4 only deepens our wounds, inflicted by continual assaults on our daily lives. It truly seems that the only acceptable disabled person is a Paralympian – and then only for a few weeks. The disabled sportspeople who went to Rio also carried the burden of securing Channel 4’s viewing figures on the back of a massive publicity campaign.”

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/06/paralympians-superhumans-disabled-people

The author goes on to say “the superhuman shtick is a tiresome diversion away from what is important. Let us be ordinary, let us be every day and let us at least have rights. Rights to independent living.”

Very interesting point. The article is well-written and puts across a good argument. Giving paralympians ‘superhuman’ status is probably not helpful.

While I was a bit disappointed that “The Reader” is an ad for Whiskey, I was really touched by it. It was very different from the other films in terms of the camera shots and overall atmosphere; it was bright, cheerful, and with lots of smiling faces.

Most people are disappointed when they discover the short film is an ad for whisky. However, I would argue that the film highlights the increasing tendency of commissioning short films which foster empathy to sell their products and services. We can analyse why companies are doing this and this helps to develop our students’ media literacy.

It reminded me of this beautiful ad I used last year in class for the Christmas season. I won’t spoil it for you:

I know this film and think it’s great. I’m certain the director of this film watched and was inspired by ‘The Reader’ as it came out a few years earlier and there are so many similarities between the two films.

Thanks again for your great analysis, Mariana.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Angie,

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

Extensive Viewing.
Teachers benefit from the framework buy having a set structure to follow that is proven to work.
Students benefit from the framework as there learning experience is supported by the scaffolding.

I like the way you’ve expressed this. I agree the framework gives students a tried and tested structure that helps to scaffold their learning.

Little Miss Sunshine: Great film, plenty of room for discussion, the variety of characters and the way they’re portrayed make them relatable and good for fostering empathy. The Questions in the guide foster just that.

A very good choice, in my opinion. It is a brilliant film which generates so much discussion on a variety of topics which can foster empathy.

Green Book: Great film. Students are confronted with a different era, racism, great for fostering empathy. Relevance transferrable to today.

Another very good choice, in my opinion 🙂 Looking at racism in a different era can allow us to say how relevant the film is today. I also think that the topic and film are relevant today.

Guide helps students to prepare for the viewing and to digest afterward.

Yes. The guide definitely helps students prepare for viewing the film. We shouldn’t underestimate how difficult, and potentially frustrating, watching a whole feature-length film is. This is why we need the pre-viewing questions to activate the students’ schemata, and the synopsis and glossary to grade the language.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Angie.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

You’re very welcome, Maria Penya 🙂

[Kieran]

Hi maria Penya,

Thanks very much for responding to Julie’s post.

I think you’re both absolutely right. Praising students is good but it has to be done judicially and be deserved. Over-praising students may come across to students as insincere.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Maria Penya,

Thanks very much for your excellent answers.

I remember well a teacher in Primary school who was very sweet and smiled all time. She was calm and happy. Her attitude made me open up and not worry about mistakes.

She sounds like a great teacher. Smiling really does a difference!

Maths teacher in Secondary school! She talked to herself, never worried about us, she asked us questions in the same tone of voice and we could hardly notice that she was talking to us. She was never cross nor happy.

The attitude of this teacher sounds as if it was one of indifference to the students. I would say that indifference and empathy are mutually exclusive – you have to care for the other person to be empathic.

As an adult I’ve learnt languages by myself, but I took violin lessons for 4 years (I quit with the lock downs) and I think it’s very similar. I had 2 different teachers. The first one tried to be overempathic, she over did it, when I made a huge mistake she minimized it. I don’t think this is positive, I felt like scorned at.

There similarities between learning a new language and learning a musical instrument. The first teacher doesn’t sound as if she demanded high standards from her students. Bridget Cooper discovered that empathic teachers actually expect a lot from their students and demand a lot. As students feel the teachers cares for them, they give more of themselves.

My next teacher was just the opposite, he was so perfectionist that he made a big deal of every little mistake, he expected me to play like I had been playing since age 4.

Perfectionism is an enemy of empathy! No-one is ever good enough to deserve the perfectionist’s empathy.

Thanks for this question, Kieran, I had never thought about this before ?

I’m happy you liked the question 🙂

My boss is very emphatic. She always cares for all of us, if she has to point out a mistake, she’s very understanding, she’s kind, she doesn’t overdo it. She doesn’t boast about what she does or when she gives you a hand. There’s always harmony with her. She does a great job. Thank you Emy ?

Emy sounds like a brilliant boss!

Thanks again for your excellent answers, Maria Penya.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Maria Penya,

Thanks so much for your thoughtful response to the questions.

This should be a must in all curricula. It’s a great idea to place social skills first. the video mentions that individual and group behaviour develop sensitivity and care for people, and this gives you pleasure. I completely share this insight.

I agree with you that empathy should be in all curricula. Denmark’s education system is a role model in developing empathy and seems to be bearing fruit as denmark is regularly cited in research as one of the most empathetic countries in the world.

“To teach children, we must first reach them.” Mary gordon. This is why it is important. Empathy is basic to reach children. And I think, related to Emilie’s question about teachable children, that a prerequisite for a student to be teachable is that we have reached them. Then they will want to be taught, if we don’t reach them, they will not open up.

Absolutely. The Mary Gordon quote is beautiful isn’t it. So succinct. As you point out, if we can’t reach them , they won’t open up and are therefore not teachable. I feel the definition could be extended to “To teach students, we must first reach them.”

Unfortunately, I don’t se this happening in the near future. In Spain the curriculum changes almost with every new political party in power, and they always have other priorities in mind. To begin with, politicians should be empathic, so that they could give some importance to empathy. In my opinion, learning different languages is a way of learning to be empathic, since when you see that there are different words for the same thing, you understand that there can also be different perspectives to the same idea or thought, and thus understand plurality at large and start feeling empathy.

Absolutely. I also feel that education is a political football in Spain. Every new government radically changes the education system for ideological reasons. This isn’t the case in many other countries.

In this sense, many communities in Spain are bilingual and they teach both languages at school and/or at home, plus English. This is a way, but it’s indirect. I think empathy and social skills should be taught in a more direct and specific way.

I agree with you that social and emotional skills need to be more explicitly developed in the Spanish education system.

Thanks again for such a thoughtful and insightful response to the Activity, Maria Penya.

All the best,

Kieran

[Author]

Posts