Empathy in the Writing Classroom
C R EA TI NG E MP AT HY I N TH E WR IT IN G CL AS SR OO M CO ME S NO T JU ST F RO M A TE AC HE R ’ S EM PA TH Y , WH IC H IS I MP OR TA NT , B UT A LS O
F RO M TH E WA YS I N WH IC H TE AC HE RS C AN E NC OU RA GE S TU DE NT S TO E MP LO Y EM PA TH Y IN T HE IR O WN W RI TI NG A ND
U ND ER ST AN DI NG .
A connection to and understanding of others can be difficult to encourage our student to take
part in, and it can be difficult for students to want to do. The act of empathizing can make
“Empathy requires dialogue” students feel vulnerable and occasionally uncomfortable, though the emotional intelligence
(Richmond 38). that we want to impart on students is vital and thus those uncomfortable situations are
necessary. What is important is that we, as teachers, ensure that our classroom is a safe place
for students to take the risk of being empathetic. In many situations, we want students to have
the ability to imagine the lives of others, whether that be through reading or writing, but even
when a reading or activity calls for empathy, we can see a lack of it in our classrooms.
“Experience-sharing is the heart
HISTORICAL CONNECTIONS AND WRITING of hook’s engaged pedagogy, a
In many ways, teachers have an opportunity to provide students with place of empathy where
assignments that build their emotional intelligence. Within De Leur’s article 1, she claims student voices are
the authors examine methods and assignments that allow students to empathize, heard and valued as much as the
or relate with historical movements, figures, or events to further student teacher’s” (Lucas 23).
understanding of the class content. The authors tasked students with explicit
writing activities that require an empathetic approach, such as explaining the beliefs
and views of those within a certain era or movement. This study discovers that writing
tasks that require that students take either a First-person or Third-person approach, as opposed to a fact-based approach,
cause students to carefully construct a narrative that considers the historical subject, while requiring similar content
understanding of a fact-based approach.
ART AND PERSUASION
When considering how historical empathy can help students, I also think it’s important to consider how students can be
empathetic to the world around them, aside from the people they see. Bertling 2 examines how students can gain ecological
empathy through their art classes. Students were tasked with creating a project that would persuade the audience to care, give,
or spread awareness regarding the environment. This study found that the students involved became more aware of the
environment around them and many students became more empathetic to environmental issues.
EMPATHETIC TEACHING
Though, while there are many activities we can assign, the most impactful way to increase student empathy is increasing the
empathy we put into our teaching. Richmond 3 argues that empathy must be created in the classroom through a teacher’s
ability to engage in active listening, respond to a student’s feelings and not one’s own, and make connections with students.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
The last ability, making connections, is what Richmond argues will happen naturally if teachers practice listening not to
respond, but rather to gather understanding of where the student sees their difficulties. Because writing teachers can become
the receivers of delicate and sensitive information of student lives, Richmond explains that it’s important to find a balance
between professional distance and caring for students. Richmond claims that balanced can be accomplished by using the
methods she outlines to teach with empathy. Lucas 4 claims that writing activities should encourage students to discuss their
life. This, as she explains, can help fight apathy if paired with an empathetic teaching approach. To teach with empathy,
1. “‘I Saw Angry People and Broken Statues’: Historical Empathy in Secondary History Education” by De Leur et. al.
2. “The art of empathy: A mixed methods case study of a critical place-based art education program” by Bertling.
3. “The Ethics of Empathy: Making Connections in the Writing Classroom” by Richmond.
4. “Not Just a Feeling Anymore: Empathy and the Teaching of Writing” by Lucas.
Link: https://empathyandteaching.weebly.com
Practices and Assignments
to Encourage Empathy
in the Writing Classroom
Lucas claims that a teacher should be present as often as possible in teaching and carefully self-disclose to create connections
with students.
Small and Low-Risk Writing Activities:
Activities that create a space for students to explore their writing can open students up to sharing themselves
and can create connection.
Self-Reflections: Allowing students the time to reflect on their work, progress, or grades can give
students the opportunity explore themselves. It can help students with goal setting, and it will
allow their teacher to see the student’s priorities and how a student sees themselves.
Genius Hour: A time for students will complete a personal project, of any kind, that highlights
and encourages a hobby of theirs. This can be attached with a reflection, so students can recall
what they had learned and why they had chosen that as their passion.
Journals: Students can journal daily about their personal lives, but what is important is that
students have control over their journals. For this activity to best serve an empathetic approach,
students should be able to choose whether their writing is read and what the content of their
writing is.
Rubric Creation: This activity allows students to oversee the rubric behind another assignment.
This can help students see the skills they are gaining from an activity and consider how best to
evaluate themselves and their peers.
Writing Assignments and Essays:
Assign essays and projects that allow students to practice seeing from another’s perspective.
This can be especially helpful when students may not have a lot in common with another
identity.
First Person “Other” Essays: Students can embark on the task of
“Empathy is a dialectic
writing from the perspective of another. This would differ from
process that is comprised of
students pretending what they would do in a certain listening and responding”
circumstance and would encourage students to place themselves (Richmond 42).
in the perspective of others and “role-play” another.
Proposals: For this activity to foster the most empathetic response,
students would create a proposal that was around an idea, issue, or concern the student already
cares about. This can help students find a voice and see that there is something they can do to
Empathy in the Writing Classroom
C R EA TI NG E MP AT HY I N TH E WR IT IN G CL AS SR OO M CO ME S NO T JU ST F RO M A TE AC HE R ’ S EM PA TH Y , WH IC H IS I MP OR TA NT , B UT A LS O
F RO M TH E WA YS I N WH IC H TE AC HE RS C AN E NC OU RA GE S TU DE NT S TO E MP LO Y EM PA TH Y IN T HE IR O WN W RI TI NG A ND
U ND ER ST AN DI NG .
make the world a better place, while also consider others’ perspectives, values, and ideas in
stakeholders.
Interview-Based Research: This writing task would require students to actively listen to those in
their schools and communities. Synthesizing information from first-hand accounts would allow
students to hear a variety of perspectives and be engaged with those around them.
1. “‘I Saw Angry People and Broken Statues’: Historical Empathy in Secondary History Education” by De Leur et. al.
2. “The art of empathy: A mixed methods case study of a critical place-based art education program” by Bertling.
3. “The Ethics of Empathy: Making Connections in the Writing Classroom” by Richmond.
4. “Not Just a Feeling Anymore: Empathy and the Teaching of Writing” by Lucas.
Link: https://empathyandteaching.weebly.com
