Teaching Empathy Blog - Teaching Empathy Institute
Teaching Empathy Institute works to establish emotionally and physically safe learning communities for elementary, middle and high school students and the adults who work with them. Working in the Hudson Valley of New York, TEI creates tailor-made programs designed to foster dialogue about social culture building while strengthening the capacity for the infusion of empathy and compassion into all aspects of the learning experience.
Teaching Empathy Institute, SEL, David Levine, Diversity, Mindfulness, Social and emotional learning, kingston, new york, kingston city schools, School of Belonging, culture building, Hudson Valley , Tides Center, resilience, Building classroom communities, Teaching Empathy, compassion, teaching,
Conversations on Empathy: A podcast series hosted by journalist Paul Brown and Teaching Empathy Institute Director David Levine.
[audio mp3="https://teachingempathyinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/conversations-on-empathy.mp3"][/audio]
In today’s episode, join Paul and David as they explore the connection between empathy, compassion and courage and how these three “intentions” are core relationship skills and teaching practices in our work with children.
Journalist and musician Paul Brown is a former executive producer, reporter, editor and world newscaster with NPR News in Washington. A musician from childhood, he also spent many years documenting and interpreting southern Appalachian string music and singing traditions.
Educator, author and musician David Levine works has worked with both...
Beginning in the late 1950’s, educator and social activist Paulo Freire was working on an adult literacy project among the peasants in his native Brazil. Freire’s challenge was to teach illiterate workers how to read. What Freire soon found out was that the ignorance in which these people lived forced them into a “culture of silence”. The rulers of the country had the power and voice, while these peasants had neither. Freire found fault with the existing system of education, which he felt enforced the social inequalities already in place. Instead he developed his own system, a “pedagogy of the...
I like to begin this lesson with an explanation such as this: Have you ever left home and suddenly realized you've forgotten something such as your homework or lunch? Once you thought "Oh, I forgot that," you were able to get whatever it was you forgot before you were too far from home. But who said, "Oh, I forgot that?" This was your inner voice. The inner voice talks to you with unexpected thoughts or physical feelings and sensations (saying for example, "this just doesn't feel right").
Pass out index cards and have students write down one situation in which...
Naming the world: Making the invisible, visible
Naming the world as a concept is an outgrowth of the work by Brazilian Educator Paolo Freire who said “that which is unnamed is invisible, and a teacher’s job is to name the world.” In this episode of the Little Talks series, we explore how to create a secure learning environment in which discovery is enhanced through the use of common language, routine, and ritual.
Download the Naming the World Reflection Guide and sign-up for our newsletter to be notified of future Little Talks releases.
Teaching Empathy Institute's Little Talks that Make a Big Difference podcasts focus on meeting...
A school that is working with the principles of social and emotional learning, promotes an inner journey by the professionals who teach there. The late Donald Schön, an organizational learning theorist, professor, and author, in his work posited that a healthy learning organization is the outgrowth of reflective practice. He defines reflective practice as “the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning". The focus on continuous learning is key because it represents the challenge of doing things differently if current practices are not working as well as they could be.
A reflective practitioner...
Miracle Questions
Reframing gives students a more optimistic and hopeful picture of their world after moderate problems like having a disagreement, doing poorly on a test, or feeling embarrassed in front of their peers.
Ask students to imagine that they are having a bad day or dealing with a difficult situation such as feeling embarrassed or having an argument or disagreement with a friend. Then suggest that the next time this happens, they can “reframe” their experience by answering the following questions;
What is going well right now?
How would you like to feel when you come to school?
Who could you...
Emotional imprinting: A roadmap to understanding ourselves and others
In the first 15 years of our life, we have experiences which create our value system. These values drive our behaviors and are often unconscious. In this episode of the Little Talks series, we examine what emotional imprints are and how they can get in the way of building healthy and productive relationships with other. By identifying our imprints, we can manage our emotions more effectively, especially during times of stress.
Download the Emotional Imprinting Reflection Guide and sign-up for our newsletter to be notified of future Little Talks releases.
Teaching Empathy Institute's Little Talks that Make a...
Social and emotional learning is defined as the process through which children acquire and effectively apply the knowledge and skills to manage their emotions while building healthy relationships with others. In this episode of the Little Talks series, we focus upon practical approaches for infusing SEL into the classroom setting.
Download the Social and Emotional Learning Reflection Guide and sign-up for our newsletter to be notified of future Little Talks releases.
Teaching Empathy Institute's Little Talks that Make a Big Difference podcasts focus on meeting the social and emotional needs of students, moving them toward healthy social decision-making and pro-social skills development. ...
I once asked a group of teachers to turn off their cel phones at the beginning of a social skills workshop. One person, seated in the back, raised his hand and asked if he could leave his phone on since this was a social skills workshop and he was going to be using social media. I thought he was joking but I wasn’t certain. I told him he could silence his phone if he chose. He left it on and texted for most of the next two hours. In today’s contemporary world of communication where facetime means looking at a...
Creating an on-going feeling word vocabulary can also be seen as improving one’s emotional literacy. Emotional literacy is reflective of someone with a high degree of emotional intelligence. A person with high EQ is able to manage his or her emotions during stressful times. #CASEL
Feeling Words Vocabulary Builder
Distribute a handout of “Feeling Words”, (see below). Ask students to help you define each word, and brainstorm with them on other words to add. Then ask each student to:
Star six words that they use often
Underline six words that they seldom use
Circle any words that they do not understand
Ask students...
