By: Rana Fleihan
November 9, 2024
Empathy, defined in the Cambridge dictionary as the ability to share someone else’s feelings or experiencesby imagining what it would be like to be in that person’s situation, is a key value that teachers seek to promote in the classroom through both verbal and non-verbal cues. Encouraging students to develop prosocial behavior is central to social-emotional learning (SEL), as it brings numerous benefits, including improved behavior, better relationships, and enhanced academic performance. The psychological development of empathy in children occurs in two distinct ways. The first is simulation or mirroring, whereby they internally recreate others’ feelings, helping them to understand how someone else feels. The second involves learning predictable patterns about how people typically respond emotionally to different situations.
Empathy has deep evolutionary roots and begins to emerge in early childhood. Cultivating empathy in childhood positively impacts the well-being of individuals later in life as they enter adolescence and adulthood.
Teachers play a critical role in fostering a culture of empathy by guiding students in practicing it daily. Since empathy is often expressed through communication, language is a vital element in this process. To articulate empathy, children need to develop emotional literacy. Developing a rich vocabulary repertoire that learners can use is essential, as it equips students with the words they need to express empathy and understand others’ feelings more effectively. Here are five strategies to improve children’s vocabulary development related to empathy and kindness.
Use Cognitive Strategies to Boost Empathy Vocabulary Retention
Using cognitive strategies can significantly enhance students’ empathy vocabulary.
- Introduce word mapping where students create visual maps linking empathy-related words to their synonyms, antonyms, and related terms. For example, map out “compassion” and connect it to “ understanding”, empathy, ” and “sympathy.”
- Incorporate mnemonic devices to help students remember the meanings and contexts of empathy words and increase word retention. A mnemonic like “CARE” can stand for “Compassionate, Aware, Responsive, Empathetic.”
- Use spaced repetition to practice retrieval. Periodically review and practice empathy vocabulary during discussions or writing activities. This helps students to internalize the vocabulary words and use them more naturally when describing empathetic actions or feelings.
Teach Empathy Through Literature
Reading stories that feature characters showing kindness and empathy is a great way to teach empathy-related vocabulary.
- After reading, have students discuss what the characters did, and how they reacted to certain situations. Encourage them to use words like “compassion,” “sympathy,” or “generosity.” This helps students understand and use these words by seeing or imagining different situations.
- Have students write reflective journal entries after reading chapters, exploring the emotions and motivations of characters.
- Involve students in roleplaying scenes from the books to practice using empathy phrases in real-life situations.
This narrative-based approach enriches their vocabulary and deepens their emotional awareness and connection to the material. Although it might look time-consuming, emotional literacy might improve in a few months as students experiment with different reading materials.
Foster Empathy Vocabulary Through Peer Collaboration
Encourage school-wide peer collaboration activities where students work together and practice empathy vocabulary.
- Implement buddy programs or group projects where older students mentor younger ones. During these interactions, students can use words like “understand,” “support,” and “encourage,” reinforcing their empathy vocabulary through meaningful social interactions. However, this might need collective efforts from other teachers and stakeholders to succeed.
- Pair students up and ask them to share personal stories or feelings about a given topic. As they share, guide them to use empathy-related vocabulary. Make sure to reduce prompts by time and allow them to naturally incorporate the new vocabulary they learned. It is worth noting that this scaffolding does not yield learning outcomes overnight, and might not be the best approach for introverted students.
Incorporate Empathetic Check-Ins into Classroom Routines
Start your lessons by asking students to share something good that happened to them recently. Model empathetic responses by validating their feelings and showing genuine interest. Over time, students will learn to do the same in a classroom environment that fosters empathy and positive connections. This habitual recognition and articulation helps them expand their emotional vocabulary to empathize with different feelings and experiences.
Use Interactive Websites to Build Empathy Vocabulary
Websites like CommonLit, iCivics, and Empatico can help students develop empathy-related vocabulary in engaging ways.
CommonLit provides reading passages about empathy and kindness, while iCivics uses games to teach social responsibility. It also has valuable resources for teachers on community building. Empatico connects students with peers globally, fostering real conversations where they practice empathy and compassion expressions and conversations.
If your students prefer online activities, or you are teaching online, these websites can enrich their empathy experiences and take them to the next level.
In conclusion, fostering empathy and kindness in the classroom is essential for students’ social-emotional development and overall well-being. By integrating vocabulary development strategies focused on empathy, teachers can empower students to articulate their feelings and understand others more deeply. As students practice and engage with these strategies, they not only enhance their emotional literacy but also build stronger relationships and a more compassionate classroom culture.
Key Takeaways
- Fostering empathy and kindness in the classroom is crucial for students’ social-emotional learning, positively impacting their relationships, behavior, and academic performance.
- Teachers can enhance students’ empathy-related vocabulary through cognitive strategies, literature discussions, and interactive online resources.
- Implementing routines like empathetic check-ins and encouraging meaningful social interactions help cultivate a repertoire of empathy-related vocabulary.
References
Binfet, J.-T., & Passmore, H.-A. (2017). The who, what, and where of school kindness: Exploring students’ perspectives. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 34(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/0829573517732202
Black, C. K., & Wright, K. L. (2023). What’s up with words? A systematic review of designs, strategies, and theories underlying vocabulary research. Reading Psychology, 45(1), 78–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2023.2253249
Lesley University (n.d.) The psychology of emotional and cognitive empathy. https://lesley.edu/article/the-psychology-of-emotional-and-cognitive-empathy#:~:text=This%20refers%20to%20how%20well,%2C%E2%80%9D%20Hodges%20and%20Myers%20say.