28 07, 2015

7 Ways to Build Empathy

2021-05-20T17:42:10-04:00July 28th, 2015|Tags: |

We utilize Feelings Bingo to teach children about their feelings and how to express them in healthy ways. Building empathy is at the heart of "be the change" - the new exhibit and workshop series located in Peace Learning Center's lower level. Empathy plays a critical role in shaping how we interact with each other, animals, and the world around us. It's of critical importance to all good relationships - personal and professional. Some people may naturally have more of it than others. But, research shows us that it can be learned and practiced. Teachers and parents have the privilege and huge responsibility to teach empathy. Here are seven ways to be a good empathy influence for the children in your life and set them on the path to be the change for others throughout their lives: 1. Model caring for others 2. Model good listening skills 3. Be forgiving 4. Challenge prejudices and stereotypes 5. Help them learn to recognize, express, and manage their feelings 6. Encourage responsibility Click here to read more about how teachers can build empathy in the classroom through the Making Caring Common Project at Harvard University.  

20 05, 2014

The Mindful Path – Start with Empathy

2021-05-20T17:42:54-04:00May 20th, 2014|Tags: , , , |

Hello from guest blogger, Lisa Robinson!  In this Mindful Path post, let’s explore empathy.   Through empathy, we walk in another person's shoes to gain understanding of their feelings and perceptions.  But that’s just the beginning. The video, “What is Empathy? Q & A with Dr. Susan Stillman” provides more details to further explain empathy.  Click on this link to view it:  https://youtu.be/NYnnZ5X4ydA Ashoka is an organization dedicated to supporting social entrepreneurs around the world.  They found that for someone to be an effective problem-solver, team player, and leader, a central ingredient is empathy.  To enable the development of empathy skills that can be sustained, they have created an Empathy Initiative.  It serves as a collaborative platform for social entrepreneurs and others who share the vision of a world where every child masters empathy. Here’s a video about Ashoka’s “Start Empathy Initiative:”  https://youtu.be/bfEJBFr5Vxc This post is just scratching the surface on the importance of empathy.  It’s an integral part of the competencies that make up both Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in education, and also Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in non-educational settings. More Resources Ashoka’s empathy site is here:  https://empathy.ashoka.org/ The site https://startempathy.org/ is powered by Ashoka and includes much more information, including “A Toolkit for Promoting Empathy in Schools” which you can obtain from the main web page linked above or download it from this link: https://ow.ly/wXQOI What Action Can You Take? I hope that this information will encourage you to

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