In our last post we discussed how cultural and individual/personal conditioning can conspire to derail a student's normal development of empathy toward other humans who suffer in pain and misery. Now we will focus on how we as teachers can help to re-awaken our students' potential for empathy.
Following are some approaches -- not the only approaches -- that we can employ in the classroom. I invite readers to share (in the "Comments" section following this post) their opinions about these suggested approaches and all other ways in which our students can be helped in this often difficult process.
The possibilities suggested below have been intentionally stated in a very general manner. Global teachers wishing to pursue any of these suggestions should select the specific avenues most suitable to their students' situation.
(1) The first step should normally be to provide solid information to the students about the human condition around the planet. What is the extent of human suffering in the world? How many men, women and children suffer from destructive poverty, chronic hunger and malnutrition, lack of the most basic health services, elementary education, or other elements that we consider essential to a meaningful life as a human being? What human rights are not respected around the world? What is the condition of women around the planet?
How do the students feel about the answers to these questions? Are they comfortable with the status quo? Rarely will the answer be "yes." Students need to know what the state of the world is; often, they will be astonished at the extent of suffering among their fellow humans.
(2) A follow-up line of questioning: Do all humans start life from the same starting point, in the same level playing field? Do some of us have a head start over others? Why? What did we do to deserve that head start? What did the disadvantaged do to deserve their handicapped beginning and their very limited potential?
Let's bring the issue to a very personal level of reflection. If your parents had lived in a Mumbai slum, or a favela in Rio de Janeiro, would you be in this school today? Would you have the same potential that you now have? What would your life be like? What would your parents' and your siblings' life be like? How would you feel about your lot in life?
Would your disempowered and disenfranchised condition be your own fault? Do you think that you would want a better chance at life? How would you view those who enjoy all the material benefits that in fact you actually do enjoy today?
(3) Let's engage the power of the informed imagination. Ask your students to sit comfortably, close their eyes and allow themselves to be transported to an alternate reality that you will construct and narrate to them -- a reality that in fact reflects the real world of millions upon millions of humans around the planet.
Building on solid data known to you, ask students to imagine themselves living for 24 hours in the world of the downtrodden. Slowly narrate this verbal fantasy to your students. Describe the world that they would face as they wake-up in the morning. Take them with your narration through a day in the life of their new selves, somewhere in the world. Describe the details of the life they encounter. Slowly, let them face their new reality as you describe it.
At the end of the imaginary experience, ask them to explore their thoughts and feelings as they "lived" that imaginary life. Ask them to write them down, without discussion. Then, ask volunteers to share what they have written; allow discussion from other students.
This can be an enlightening experience for those students who allow themselves entry into their vicarious life.
(4) The power of good literature can be extraordinary. A good writer can make an unknown world come alive to his/her reader. Select, from the multitude of relevant options available, which books should be read by your students. Part of your assessment should be a written personal reaction to the existential plight of the disempowered characters in the book. After this has been written, a class discussion could expand the potential for empathetic understanding.
(5) Within the world of literature, poetry offers the most potential for affective growth. Choose the poems that would be most relevant for your objectives and situation. Have students familiarize themselves with the poems and then read them aloud in class. Explore, in class discussion, the relevant affective elements brought up by the poems. There is no need to overdo it. Let the truth of each poem speak for itself.
(6) We should not underestimate the power of music. From the "Ode to Joy" of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, to some of today's socially committed rap artists, great composers and performers have already communicated affective truths to our students with greater success than a brilliant scientist could.
Ask your students to identify music of any genre that communicates the plight of the dispossessed and the disempowered. They could bring a CD to play in class, provide copies of lyrics for reading and discussion, or -- in the case of the more musically gifted -- perform the piece for the benefit of the whole class.
(7) Many countries (like the USA) wisely forbid religious instruction in the public classroom. However, we can inquire into the social morality directives promulgated by the religious faiths of our students. All the major religious faiths clearly and powerfully enjoin their followers to care for their fellow human beings. Justice and charity are at the core of all major faiths, even if followers often ignore the teachings. (Unfortunately, the social doctrine of any religious faith is often the least emphasized message in sermons, writings, etc.)
We can ask our students to reflect on the directives of their faiths. What is the social doctrine of your church? What does your religion say about caring for others unknown to you? What is the place of justice? What does your religion say about charity? What does your religious faith say about the suffering of others? What does your religion ask of you when it comes to helping your human brothers and sisters?
We should be careful not to assume that all our students have a religious commitment (in the USA, 30% of the population -- and growing -- claims "no religious affiliation.") In the case of these students, ask them to reflect on what the application of social ethics might require. (You may need to explain the difference between "morality" and "ethics.")
(8) Ask students to share stories of individuals personally known to them who, through no fault of their own, lived lives of misery or despair. Discuss in class: Are people normally responsible for their own misery? What is the normal, human response to the misery of others?
(9) Discuss in class, "What kinds of things can interfere with our normal human capacity to develop Basic Human Empathy?" "What can we do to help develop our human potential for empathy?"
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We can only help. Our students must do the hard thinking and the "hard feeling" for themselves. They have to be ready, willing and able to challenge any remaining insensitivity that remains like a hardened shell around their sense of empathy. Are our students capable of this? In the case of the great majority, yes!
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The best way to develop empathy would be from being in the same situation, but since this is unlikely the next best thing would be interaction with people that living in said environment. AS suggested in this post, listening their music and understanding their culture as well as their literature can provide the student with a boarder perspective of what it is to live in that situation. If possible provide the student with a pen pal to exchange ideas and customs thus enabling the student to get a firsthand account of the situation.
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ReplyDeleteI think the musical approach is a very innovative way to look at it. Many, if not all, artists in today's society portray their emotions in their songs. Since children, adolescents, and adults alike, have always loved music, so listening to music would inspire empathy in the listener. Also, it would not just be the emotional aspect of it, but the cultural aspect as well. Listening to a musical style from a culture other than their own would help students throughout the world inspire empathy in them. From my point of view this seems like an amazing way to accomplish this.
ReplyDelete-Ian Vazquez
(2)
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that this is the best method here for teaching students to develop empathy. Students know that there is untold suffering throughout the world – the important question is, why? Why is it there and what can be done about it? Many students are content to say, “Yes, there is suffering. However, there is nothing that we can do about it, so I don’t really care. I won the cosmic lottery, so whatever happens to those people is irrelevant. There is nothing I can win from this.”
Perhaps, rather than try to shoehorn communalism into this, we should see how individualism can benefit from helping a group. If these people were not in poverty, if they were not suffering, how would the lives of the students be affected? Would it be better or worse? How would life be if there were less poverty in our very community? Teachers ought to discuss successful efforts to reduce poverty and social injustice, and the results this has had on the community.
Example: Gangs often spring from disadvantaged groups. There have been (successful) efforts in turning the often violent activities of gangs into productive activities. I recall a Discovery Channel documentary about gangs in which an organization would go to towns run by gangs, and discuss what could be done to limit inter-gang violence. There were towns in which the gangs became peaceful and were rehabilitated (unfortunately, a lot of the progress was destroyed by town mayors which felt gangs could not contribute to society). Life in these towns became better once gang members could direct their activity into something peaceful, and the people around felt it. For once, they didn’t have to worry about gunshots in the night. This could be shown to students as an example of how we can help other people, and how by helping them we help ourselves.
If we could show students the horrifying world others live in, they might be more inclined to care. I don’t mean documentaries, I mean having them go to a homeless shelter and seeing what people there go through to survive. I mean speaking with refugees of war and discussing what happened in their land that drove them away. Having them meet with real people who have suffered real injustice is, in my opinion, more effective than pictures on a screen, because now the victim of injustice is right in front of them.
Discussing the advantages students have is imperative, too. It may be a touchy subject, but it is important to note how classism, ableism, sexism, racism, and all those other factors have influenced our students. Many disadvantaged groups still have a ways to go. Picking current examples would be more hard-hitting than showing something from fifty years ago.
Example: Discuss the Louisiana pastor who refused to marry an interracial couple “because of the children”. Note how his line of reasoning has been used before to prevent interracial marriage from being legal. Note what other things he says that are racist: “I let black people use my bathroom all the time.” He ‘lets’ them. He says he believes black and white people are equal, even though he clearly doesn’t believe a marriage between them is good. Why did his action cause an outrage? How and why is his position on interracial marriage disadvantaging people?
All in all, I think this comes down to the students recognizing their own privilege and the lack of privilege in the communities surrounding them. For them to empathize with disadvantaged people, they need to see the effects in real life. They need to see how the disadvantages of these people disadvantages them as well.
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If your parents had lived in a Bombay slum,
Bombay is now referred to by the name of ‘Mumbai’. Unless it was intended to refer to Bombay from the time the British came to 1997, it would be akin to calling Zimbabwe “Rhodesia”, or Myanmar “Burma”. “Bombai” reflects a time of British colonialism, and with other renamings in India (Calcutta > Kolkata), it seems that this is a time period they’d like to forget.
I strongly believe that these methods of students developing sympathy is by far extremely important. Students in these times do not see what is outside of their normal lives and their sorroundings. Humans should care for other humans as said in this blog because many of us living in More Economically Developed Countries(MEDCs), do not see/feel what those in Less Economically Developed Countries(LEDCs)see/feel. Some students these days do not have sympathy because they do not consider the fact that others just like them are starving from hunger and suffering from illnesses and diseases that are not known to them. Furthermore, students have not learned sympathy in the most important place. And that's at home. Last, if they have not learned at home to be sympathetic, then the second most important place is school. Teachers can influence students through these mechanisms to grow sympathy and one day change not just one life, but many lives all around the world.
ReplyDelete-Stephanie Jiron
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ReplyDeleteBasic human empathy is something that is utterly critical towards understanding the global reality. However, it is something that, if not present in someone, is also difficult to teach and develop. However, it is far from being impossible to develop, and the methods described in this post are an amazing way to re-awaken this empathy that seems all but lost in many students. Although all of these techniques, if implemented correctly, can provide a pathway in which students can embark on towards developing basic human empathy, there are some that, in my opinion, are more effective than others. To begin with, the first suggestion (providing solid information to the students about the human condition around the planet) is the most essential and critical one. Once this is done, the implementation of any of the other methods will be much more effective. Numerous students are simply not aware of these problems around the world or their extent. Showing them these problems, whether it be through documentaries, statistics, or interviews, will allow them to actually comprehend them and therefore begin to feel some of the pain and suffering once the other methods are implemented. The third method (engaging the power of the human imagination) is one I believe is more effective than the others in developing basic human empathy. However, I believe that in reality the best way of doing this is to combine this method with literature. Literature is an extraordinary avenue towards helping students imagine a world that, by themselves, they truly could not since they do not live in such a world. Without the literature, it could be very difficult to imagine such a horrid world, but once this literature and this world has been instilled in their minds, then they can really imagine themselves living for 24 hours in such a downtrodden world. If the literature is combined with this extraordinary power of human imagination, along with some kind of knowledge of the reality of others (combining methods one, three, and four), then students will not only see that reality, that harsh reality that millions of people around the world live in, but they will understand it, and they will be able to grasp the almost unimaginable pain and suffering that those millions live through. This is definitely the best method. Once basic information is combined with a literary world that students can really imagine, then the intricate process of human imagination will allow students to place themselves in the shoes of those who are less fortunate, and this is he best way to allow their empathy to be completely re-awakened.
ReplyDelete-Kevin Pardinas
This steps for global empathy are very helpful in spreading this message to students. Today's students are brought up with the individualist believes that they should only worry about their closest group of people. This steps are able to eliminate this barrier by making the students put themselves and their closest ones in the situation of unempowered and unafortunate people. As a result, they are able to have a better understanding of how hard are the cirumstances of those "weak" people. This would give those empowered global students the energy and the desire to help those in need, which is the main goal of a global education.
ReplyDeleteI think that methods one through three would be best because what those are about are basically putting the students in other people´s shoes. The first method is about being informed and you need to be informed in order to realize what some people are going through… And the second and third is kind of like trying to say that how would your life be if you were maybe less lucky than you are now or have less than what other people have, less opportunities, etc. Literature is a good method too because you see what is happening through the eyes of the character and you know exactly what is going on and how the character feels… The rest are good methods too but maybe religion doesn’t have to be one of them. I think teachers would be able to teach empathy without using religion because some students are kind of iffy about it and since everyone has different opinions and beliefs maybe they wouldn’t like it…
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, in order to broaden a student’s empathy, it depends on how they can relate to it. Every student has their own uniqueness to them, and if we connect their uniqueness to their empathy, they will get an understandable feel. Communicating their feelings through their own interests can get them even more involved then teachers probably will want students to be. It with catch the student’s attention and will grasp the idea towards them, making them feel the empathy through the interest, whatever it may be.
ReplyDeleteFor example, the method of broadening a student’s empathy through music would most likely work with students who are mainly involved in music. Whether it be singing or dancing, allowing musical students to get a reaction towards a song can make them realize that even through their own musical interests they can feel empathy towards a specific idea. Because of realizing this, students may even think about getting more involved into the idea or maybe even getting into more ideas towards their music.
I believe every child, whether young or old, needs inspiration. Inspiration through their own way will lead them to more and more positive ideals in life.
In too many instances, social conditioning can deter someone from experiencing empathy, one of the most noble, humane feelings. After examining this blog, I conclude that music could be a priceless instrument to convey empathy. We are in an age when music is universal, in other words, it can be enjoyed by almost anyone. It serves many times to unite people. Almost everyone identifies with it in one way or another making it a preferred vehicle of expression, either of happiness or sadness and despair. But finding the method to reach students can prove challenging. Songs tend to have hidden messages which become invisible to the listener. It is necessary then to find exercises to help the listeners or students in this case. Perhaps assignments can ask students to read and then analyze the lyrics to certain songs in an effort to encourage them to understand personal experiences are related through the music.
ReplyDeleteIn the movies Dangerous Minds and Freedom Writers, literature and writing were utilized to awaken and reach the students so they could relate to their own miserable existence and could emerge from it a better person. Music, in this case then, can serve to awaken our students to have empathy for the suffering of mankind.
As a citizen I believe that developing a sense of empathy is essential if a student is to obtain a global education. This is because it would be futile to provide a student with such an education if he does not understand anything beyond the facts. Empathy is what allows this teaching style to be effective, as it is what allows a student to not only understand the objective of this teaching style (which is to create empowered global citizens) but why this objective is important. It is what allows a student to see that although they may have certain advantages in life (such as education, economic stability, etc.), they shouldn’t waste them but should take advantage of them and try to help others who may be in much less fortunate situations. These are those whose worst fear is not poverty or lack of happiness, but losing the battle for survival. Empathy is what allows a student to envision life outside the scope that his/or her life gives. I think that the best way to create empathy in students is by putting into use the last suggestion given, which is to discuss in class “What kinds of things can interfere with our normal human capacity to develop Basic Human Empathy? What can we do to help develop our human potential for empathy?"I think that this would be the best way to develop empathy in a student, as this would give student a sense if control. If one allows the students to decide what they think would be the most effective in helping them develop empathy, they will feel that they have been allowed control over their education and will most likely be more willing to participate. As when the individual feels that he is not merely being told what to do, but choosing what to do. In addition I think that this method is the most effective as it allows the students to choose what they think would be best for themselves not students in general,
ReplyDeleteEstefania Chavez
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ReplyDeleteMany students today are familiar with empathy, however, the problem is not being empathetic; it is simply making that realization stick. In order for this to happen the most effective approaches need to be implemented. In my opinion music would be of great service in this problem. People hardly forget a song. If it is meaningful, good, and has a catchy tune, then most people will like it. Songs often portray the emotions and thoughts of the artist. Listening to music that expresses the deep suffering occurring in our world will help students in developing that strong empathy. Another way I believe that students will not only develop their empathy, but have it linger, would be to think of ways that suffering or global issues have affected people they know. However, not many people have personal stories to share, so the next best effective way would be to have the students envision situations; horrendous situations of deep suffering - poverty, famine, etc. "Engaging the power of the informed imagination" would be a very effective way of engaging that empathy. Having the students envision themselves in a horrible situation, placing themselves in other people's shoes. Not only will this method help the students engage their empathy, but it will also help to shed some light on the issues at hand and possible ways to solve them.
ReplyDelete~Jackie Clark~
Students are being raised in a society where unfortunately people tend to only think about themselves. This needs to be changed immediately before it is too late and we are left with the shouldacouldawouldas. The future of the human race depends on it because if the future generation which are the students do not care then who will? I feel that to bring more empathy to the students, the resource that should be used is music. But why not go a step further and say arts? Arts such as music, dance and drama. Students normally use the arts as a distraction from their education, why not use that which they enjoy to improve their empathy? Using music, television and movies to show the human conditions is a safe but sure way to increase the knowledge of the human conditions to the students and increase the empathy.
ReplyDeleteThere was one option not spoken of in this blog, which I believe could be a wonderful way to help students develop empathy. In many cases, teachers teach students different things with activities, simulations and such. One activity that would go with teaching students of empathy would be to make them experience what it would be like to be in a situation of misery or despair.
ReplyDeleteThis activity could consist of different stations in which groups of students have organized methods of showing the experiences of those who are not so well off. Each group of students could be responsible for research on their specific topic. Then students would alternate stations to know what it is like to be in the certain situations.
-Dayana Gonzalez
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ReplyDeleteThe question that titles this article is no other than “Can we help our students develop empathy?” In direct response to this question, it is recognized that yes, empathy can be developed among the students of today. Humans are not unknown species that were born without emotions. Humans are mainly known for two main emotions: apathy and caring. Whether the person decides to develop and nurture the caring emotions that lead to a better life for them as well as everyone else around them depends on their surroundings. If they were raised in an atmosphere where their own country shows the loss of interest in another’s well being, the person in fact will adapt to this doctrine and apply this method of being to their daily life affecting all those around them. Now, the key is to catch this unwanted feeling at its early stages and help bring about the caring kind of people that we all are at an early age. The way it can be done is through school and the teachings of the educators. The teachers have to show that they too care their surroundings and must stress the importance of what is going on outside the classroom door. One of the best suggestions was that of number one where the teachers must expose the students to solid information. The information must not be biased in any way, for therefore, if it is, the student will acknowledge this way of thinking and will not have an open mind to world issues only burdening itself into their own stubbornness and closing their minds to future solutions. Finally, another excellent way of doing this is expressing world issues through the arts, like music. To many, music is another way of speaking. It reaches out to their hearts and makes them think about issues going on and it universally bonds people. Therefore, through music, students will be able to hear not only their side of the story but other’s sides as well.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, music would be the best way to get students to feel empathy because of the fact that almost all students are connected to music since it is something that brings joy and style into their lives. Asking students to identify any kind of music that expresses problems would create a fun environment in the classroom that would not only get the whole class involved, but it would also wake the students that are bored of everyday classes up with something interesting. Since music reaches most of the crowd, by using music as a tool in the classroom, empathy will spread like wildfire.
ReplyDeleteEmpathy towards other humans is a critical focus point in the United States. The most essential lesson taught in our schools today should be encouraging students of their potentials to change certain parts of the world by first developing empathy. The translation of empathy would be to "put yourself in another's shoes". Well, what better way to assist people in need than to truly understand their situations? Empathy from students aspiring to become global leaders in the future could grow out of daily lessons in the classroom. The most logical suggestion in this case would be to get the students thinking deeply about problems outside of their own world which they are fortunate enough to live in. The suggestion of a follow-up line of questioning would be ideal for reflection. In order to take students out of a word of obliviousness and misinformation, teachers should duide the students into becoming empathetic by empowering them to really reflect on problematic situations happening outside their homes. Only by answering difficult and philosophical questions will students realize that empathy is among the only ways a person can understand and help others through tough times.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Chrystie del Valle
I'm assuming that after this section on empathy there will be one on empowerment because if the person does not feel they can change the situation, then the empathy will be inevitably blocked out because it's too much to bear.
ReplyDeleteEmpathy is powerful. Feeling the severe suffering of the bottom billion as closely as if it was your friend's suffering always has an undeniable, noticeable reaction. The empathizer will get worked up and rally for immediate action but if nothing comes of it, the suffering is carried to the back corners of their mind to be filed away and gradually forgotten. (Many can recall this reaction as their own after watching Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth.")
Quite obviously, it's not enough just to care or even to be able to care--although it is a requirement before proceeding to act. While educating students about global misfortune, it is essential to also simultaneously add information on ways they can help. The combination of the Internet with the current forward-thinking humanitarian spirit has made joining the plight of myriad organizations easier than ever. Supplying the students with information on those programs would encourage their involvement as global citizens and provide an output for the ephemeral fervency of empathy while maybe, just maybe, managing to make permanent such fleeting care.
Diving head-first into the vastness of global issues is daunting and this not a situation where exploring "at your own risk" is the best option. Guidance, supervision, and clarification are necessary or else there runs a high risk of losing too many good-willed hopeful change-agents.
The methods here are all very good, particularly the guided meditation, the connection with music, and the connection with good literature. Since our culture is so intensely focused on individualism, empathy should be tackled in the same way because mass statistics of horrors will only depersonalize the situation and perhaps cross the threshold to being too overwhelming. Individual suffering is also just somehow easier to grasp and bear. Everyone in some form or another has at least a minimal ability to step into another's shoes and I think that is the appropriate starting point rather than just futilely visualizing large numbers. (In fact, I think that may be the reason, along with the lacking of the Calvinist ethic's influence and their cuteness, why people empathize with animals more so than with the equally devastating hardships of their human counterparts.)
In conclusion, empathy would develop best through an individual trying to understand another individual rather than an individual trying to understand the masses, and as they gradually understand more of the situation, the empathizer should be informed on ways in which to aid the situation (or otherwise risk losing the empathy that would incite a change).
I agree with KBR's comment above that the use of "Bombay," rather than "Mumbai" in this post reflects an outdated, quasi-colonialist view of India and the world (unfortunately, our conditioning victimizes us even if we are aware of it!) Accordingly, I have changed the name of the city to its proper name, Mumbai. Thanks to KBR!
ReplyDeleteJ. Lamas
The keystone in the development of empathy is early intervention.Empathy becomes increasingly difficult to develop with age.I believe that by the time students become adolescents they have already developed most of the empathy.For example as children parents should encourage children to care of animals and explain to them that animals also suffer,and that they are like babies an that we should take care of them.Parents should also teach their children to care for even inanimate objects like for example books and tell them not to rip out pages and such.
ReplyDeletePersonally,I do not think religion should have any bearing at all in the development of empathy in students by teachers.Unless ,of course, it is a world religions/philosophy class then allowances should be made.
Music also could be the perfect vehicle for the encouragement of empathy amongst people especially teens who look to music to get away and unleash their creativity.
Empathy is something that many students have not developed, in many cases this is because students have simply not been taught to be empathetic. Students fail sometimes to realize that there are people all around the world suffering; they're not in the situations others are in. Yet, things can be changed and students can develop empathy through the various methods listed. Music is especially a very important method because of the role it plays in the lives of students. There are many different types of music of all genres from all around the world. Artists are able to express their feelings, emotions, and opinions to the people through music. Students can develop empathy by listening to music from around the world because music is something used to relate to other people. Students can learn about things that happen outside of where they are and know that people sometimes aren't as fortunate as they may be. Music is a great way to reach out to students and teach them that empathy is one of the most important things they can develop in themselves.
ReplyDeleteIn too many instances, social conditioning can deter someone from experiencing empathy one of the most noble, humane feelings. After examining this blog, I conclude that music could be a priceless instrument to convey empathy. We are in an age when music is universal; in other words, it can be enjoyed by almost anyone. It serves to unite people. Almost everyone identifies with it in one way or another, making it a preferred vehicle of expression, either of happiness or sadness and despair. But finding the method to reach students can prove challenging. Songs tend to have hidden messages which become invisible to the listener. It is necessary then to find exercises to help the listeners, or students in this case. Perhaps assignments can ask students to read and then analyze the lyrics to certain songs in an effort to encourage them to understand personal experiences which are related through the music.
ReplyDeleteIn the movies Dangerous Minds and Freedom Writers, literature and writing were utilized to awaken and reach the students so they could relate to their own miserable existence and could emerge from it better persons. Music, then, can serve to awaken our students to have empathy for the suffering of mankind.
Empathy is an important key in understanding the phenomenon of the human species. It is indeed something most students do not possess; however, empathy should be sustained in the education of students. The method of engaging the students with the power of informed education, I would say is a prominent method for teaching students how to develop empathy. This is a great way for students to understand others situations around the world and why people feel and act the way they do. This would also teach them that if they believe that they are in a bad situation, living a difficult life, someone on the other side of the planet is living in a situation far worse then theirs. Through the process of an educator asking their students to imagine themselves for 24 hours in the a different situation, located somewhere else in the planet, as well as narrating to them the details of their new life and what would be proceeding, the students will have a variety of new thoughts about the reality they live in.
ReplyDelete-Natasha Quintana
Helping students develop empathy is a difficult but possible task, through not one, but many methods of teaching combined. Students living in a higher class have not witnessed true suffering and poverty. They have not seen firsthand the pain and anguish there is in the world. To expose students to these kind of conditions would be extremely difficult as they have been raised in a totally different atmosphere. Regarding which methods to choose, I believe that music and literature especially would be a way to communicate and pass on the feelings of fellow human beings. With literature, an author can use imagery and other techniques to express the things that are occurring. As a reader, one can put oneself into others' shoes because of the point of view being used. Music, however, speaks to one. It uses words and rhythm to communicate feelings and emotions one normally does not feel. Finally, the most obvious and probably most effective method is the class discussions with the solid information provided to the students. With a knowledge of the problems occurring around the world, building an education while knowing the perspective and opinions of others would provide a well-rounded and diverse opinion of your own. It is never enough to know one side of a problem. There are many facets to a problems and when one knows more than a couple, one will acquire an all around knowledge of whatever the issue is. When students have an education about the issue, they can not only have sympathy towards fellow human beings, but they can develop empathy. Sympathy is something everyone knows how to feel from an early age. Knowing the problem will make it possible for students to feel what others are feeling. Therefore, a combination of all these methods would help students develop empathy.
ReplyDelete-Yane Valdes
These are all effective ways to help develop empathy, which is not impossible to do. I strongly believe that literature is the best way because, every time I read a book I put myself as the main character and try to imagine what my life would be like if I were in that character’s position. This is a great way to make us all see the way these people live, and become aware of the different challenges they have. Also, this is an excellent way to make those students who don’t have empathy develop it. If they have everything they want, then they won’t care about what is going on in the world around them. Assignments such as making students read a book about this can help them understand other people’s happiness or sadness. This will help them not only to know more about what is happening in the world but to also become global citizens and have the power to help. Literature will make all these different steps fall in line to help students develop empathy.
ReplyDeleteThese steps for global empathy are very helpful in spreading this message to students. Today's students are brought up with the individualist belief that they should only worry about their closest group of people. These steps are able to eliminate this barrier by making the students put themselves and their closest ones in the situation of the unempowered and unafortunate people. As a result, they are able to have a better understanding of how hard the circumstances are of those "weak" people. This would give those empowered global students the energy and the desire to help those in need, which is the main goal of a global education.
ReplyDeleteRE-POST: Many students today are familiar with empathy. However, the problem is not being empathetic; it is simply making that realization stick. In order for this to happen the most effective approaches need to be implemented. In my opinion music would be of great service in this problem. People hardly forget a song. If it is meaningful, good, and has a catchy tune, then most people will like it. Songs often portray the emotions and thoughts of the artist. Listening to music that expresses the deep suffering occurring in our world will help students in developing that strong empathy. Another way I believe that students will not only develop their empathy, but have it linger, would be to think of ways that suffering or global issues have affected people they know. However, not many people have personal stories to share, so the next best effective way would be to have the students envision situations; horrendous situations of deep suffering - poverty, famine, etc. "Engaging the power of the informed imagination" would be a very effective way of engaging that empathy. Having the students envision themselves in a horrible situation, placing themselves in other people's shoes. Not only will this method help the students engage their empathy, but it will also help to shed some light on the issues at hand and possible ways to solve them.
ReplyDelete~Jackie Clark~
“Can we help our students develop empathy?” In direct response to this question, yes, empathy can be developed among the students of today. Humans are a unknown species that were born without emotions. Humans are mainly known for two main emotions: apathy and caring. Whether the person decides to develop and nurture the caring emotions that lead to a better life for them as well as everyone else around them depends on their surroundings. If they were raised in an atmosphere where their own country shows the loss of interest in another’s well being, the person in fact will adapt to this doctrine and apply this way of being to their daily life, affecting all those around them. The key is to catch this unwanted feeling at its early stages and help bring about the caring kind of people that we all are at an early age. The way it can be done is through school and the educators. Teachers have to show that they too care their surroundings and must stress the importance of what is going on outside the classroom door. One of the best suggestions was that of number one where the teachers must expose the students to solid information. The information must not be biased in any way, for, if it is, the student will not have an open mind to world issues, only increasing their own stubbornness and closing their minds to future solutions. Finally, another excellent way of doing this is expressing world issues through the arts, like music. To many, music is another way of speaking. It reaches out to their hearts and makes them think about issues going on and it universally bonds people. Therefore, through music, students will be able to hear not only their side of the story but other’s sides as well.
ReplyDeleteIn response to KBR,
ReplyDeleteI believe you are right when you say that method #2 can also be a very effective way of developing empathy. It is utterly true that even when some students recognize that there is a lot of suffering in the world, they still want to know why that suffering exists. Knowing why and what can be done about it can lead to more people actually caring. Moreover, I believe you are exactly right when you say that we should demonstrate to students how helping others can in turn help them. We must demonstrate how they can benefit from the help they provide to others. Unfortunately, some people want to know what benefit they will gain by doing something instead of just helping others for the sole benefit of the individual they are assisting. For these people, this could be a perfect way of helping them develop empathy towards others. Like I said in my post, showing students the horrific world others live in (the human condition around the planet) is the most essential and critical one method to commence to develop empathy. Although documentaries or statistics which I mentioned in my post could do a good job of making students understand the horrifying world others live in, I also agree with you in that personal contact with someone else and actually seeing or speaking to them could probably be much more effective. Sometimes simply seeing another individual in great pain can awaken an empathy that seemed non-existent before. Finally, showing students what privileges they do possess because of circumstances such as race or sex can lead them to think about the disadvantages of others. Like many of your other points, I believe with this one you do a great job of pinpointing something which can reach students on a personal level and, due to this, be of great assistance in developing basic human empathy.
-Kevin Pardinas
In response to UnfeltUnheardUnseen,
ReplyDeleteYou could not be more right in what you say about empowering students. Sure, there are valid arguments for favoring any of the above reason in utilizing them to develop basic human empathy. This may be because there is basically no question that all of those reasons are valid and they can all be very useful. However, it is true that the empathy developed by using any of the reasons stated above will be useless if the students do not feel empowered. You are right that the empathy might even be forced away and destroyed if empowerment does not occur. The stronger the empathy, the greater the want to repress that pain and suffering gained because of the empathy will be if students do not feel that they can do something to help those billions that face that pain and suffering daily. I wholeheartedly agree that right after empathy is taught, a feeling of empowerment must be presented to students so that this empathy can be utilized to its fullest potential and so that it is not wasted. There are many ways of developing this feeling of empowerment, from presenting students with information regarding organizations or movements around the world that they can join or simply using something as common and widespread as the internet, things that you mention. We cannot afford to lose the empathy in students after they have gained it simply because they do not feel they can be a help in the current situation. It is utterly true that developing basic human empathy may only be the first step for students to make changes in the world and make this world we live in a better place for all humanity.
-Kevin Pardinas
It is at core that the issue of whether or not the majority of humans in the human species are somewhat capable of being empathetic towards other humans. Humans in general are likely to not be empathetic, but this does heavily depend on how and where they were brought up; traditions, cultures, personal experiences, etc. However, although heavily weighed by the value of someone's background information, it is still very possible to have empathy within you and is indeed obtainable through understanding. The methods for a teacher to incorporate this into a classroom nevertheless are not so simple; it is possible, but not necessarily easy.
ReplyDeleteThe many different alternatives that you presented in this post are all generally good ways of incorporating and attempting to bring about 'empathy' within a student. Despite the good intentions of them all, in my opinion incorporating music would be in essence an effective, different, and interesting way of attempting to bring about empathy. Artist typically express their emotions in their lyrics; although some artists' lyrics may seem pointless, they often have meaning that requires more than simply listening to the tune. This different method of trying to make students aware of the problems that we have globally would in my opinion prove to be probably the most effective, as music is usually something that students can easily relate with.
In my opinion, I see that everyone is capable of empathy towards others; however unlikely it may seem to another, I believe it always exists. However this does not mean that a student may not need a push to be able to show their understanding of it. With the right means towards developing 'empathy' any student can in the end be fully understanding and thoughtful towards others' emotions and feelings.
-Michael Pena
Empathy is something usually formed from birth by the way someone is raised and brought up. However, teachers can most definitely help students develop any empathy they lack. Raising awareness for what others are suffering all over the world such as poverty and hunger is one of the best ways to help students develop empathy.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I believe that literature and music are very effective ways of developing empathy. Many students enjoy reading and/or listening to music so the best way to reach out to them, help them understand and keep them aware of what is going on is by encouraging them to read certain books or listen to certain songs. Students relate more to their favorite songs and books than to other things.
The subject of religion to help develop empathy in students as teachers would be somewhat difficult in my opinion. Religion is a very difficult subject to discuss anywhere due to differences in belief and the way everyone sees things differently. It is impossible to change someone's way of thinking sometimes. If one chooses to discuss religion many students could feel offended by it, especially if you try to explain to them your own religion since it could make them think you are trying to change theirs. Discussing religion should be done carefully to not spark any conflict and to get the real purpose of it through to the students without any controversy.
Apart from that, I support the methods mentioned to help develop empathy since they are the most reasonable and effective ways for success.
To me the most effective approach would be the third one, which involves engaging the power of the informed imagination. The best way to develop empathy would be to relate to the same situation of another. However, most of our students are unable to imagine misery and despair because they haven’t experienced it themselves or perhaps their view towards misery has another meaning. Many students may believe that they have misery and suffering in their everyday lives because they could not acquire the last video game, wireless telephone, electronic device in the market or because their parents have a different view of the permissive rules to follow. Others may be experiencing conflictive familiar relationships or facing their adolescence problems. But when we analyze what their misery is caused by, most of the reasons are less disastrous. Sure that everyone has problems, but compared to those of, let’s say people living in Africa with HIV/AIDS, or children roaming around the slums in third world countries, our problems seem to be insignificant and irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteWhen our students are challenged to take the position of the less fortunate ones in their imagination, their views change. All of a sudden their current worries or frustrations are left to the side as they picture how different their lives would be if they were in someone else’s shoes. Some reactions would include “I probably wouldn’t survive” or “I wouldn’t know what to do”. Practicing this exercise of imagining an opposite reality, students start valuing everything they have and how lucky they are to have every single thing. Suddenly, a new pair of shoes or the latest video game that they thought was indispensable is no longer crucial. Students, now begin to develop empathy and start being thankful for simple things like having shelter, food, and even the access to education that many other children don’t obtain.
Overall, I would say that practicing this approach in a classroom may be imperative to the development of empathy. It is important that our students don’t only remain aware, but also have a sense of empathy to help those in need and reach our goal as global citizens.
@Kevin Pardinas:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kevin Pardina’s post, specifically the part about literature. Yes, literature is imperative in helping students develop empathy – after all, in the hands of a good writer, a simple story can become something that reaches out to people. However, there is a problem with this – people just don’t read like they used to. Reading rates have gone down. People have forsaken in-depth, serious literature for light-weight reading. This can be traced to the internet, where the people’s attention span is notoriously short; web design sites recommend making pages short and to the point because the audience typically won’t read pages that are past a certain length. Developing a love for reading is vital to developing empathy. Other forms of media, such as television and the internet, are just so much easier to use. They require less time and thinking, while reading requires full attention. Reading is a skill that must be developed; there is more to reading than understanding words on a paper. As such, I believe that developing good reading skills is of the essence to developing empathy.