UNIT 4: Task #3
UNIT 4: Social Skills
Imagine you see a learner coming to school looking dirty and untidy.
- How would that make you feel?
- What would you think of the learner and/or the learner's parent/carer?
- Would you do anything to help the learner?
Write down your responses to these questions and then reflect on how you could show empathy to such a learner and, by doing so, teach all of your learners to have empathy for others.
If you feel empathy for this learner, you will behave differently to a sympathetic person. Having sympathy is feeling pity for the other person. Empathy is feeling with the learner who has not been able to bathe or dress smartly, and thinking of how the learner must be feeling. Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s thoughts and feelings in a situation, from their point of view, rather than your own.
By showing empathy to your learners, you teach them to care for each other and support each other when they face challenges. Empathy is an essential social skill; if all of your learners develop empathy for others, your classroom, school and community will be caring places with little conflict.