What does it mean to teach with empathy? Whether it’s planning and delivering instruction or just interacting with others throughout the day, every action you take is an opportunity to demonstrate empathy toward your students, your colleagues, and yourself. “I’m already empathetic to my students and their stories,” you may be thinking. But a teacher’s actions, even unintentional and especially unin- formed, can be implicitly shaming, compounding any disconnect students may already feel and undermining your efforts to create a safe and positive classroom environment. Rather than try to identify who needs empathy, start with the premise that all learners deserve empathy because it is a prerequisite for learning and growth. In Teaching with Empathy, Lisa Westman explores three types of empathy—affective, cog- nitive, and behavioral—and clarifies how they intertwine with curriculum, learning environment, equity practices, instruction and assessment, and grading and reporting. Through her own experi- ence as an instructional coach, Westman shares tips and tools, real-world classroom examples, powerful stories, and even a bit of herself as she guides you to a better understanding of yourself and others. Ultimately, you’ll learn what’s possible when you let compassion and acceptance inform all aspects of your daily practice. Lisa Westman is an author, speaker, and consultant with more than 17 years of experi- ence as a teacher and instructional coach. She provides professional learning on student-driven differentiation, empathy as the foundation of our instructional practices, standards-based learning, and implementing instructional coach- ing programs. She resides in Chicago with her husband, two children, and two dogs. ADVANCE COPY—NOT FINAL. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. 1703 N. Beauregard St. • Alexandria, VA 22311-1714 USA Phone: 800-933-2723 or 703-578-9600 • Fax: 703-575-5400 Website: www.ascd.org • Email: [email protected] Author guidelines: www.ascd.org/write Ranjit Sidhu, CEO & Executive Director; Penny Reinart, Chief Impact Officer; Genny Ostertag, Senior Director, Acquisitions & Editing; Julie Houtz, Director, Book Editing; Mary Beth Nielsen, Editor; Thomas Lytle, Creative Director; Donald Ely, Art Director; Georgia Park, Senior Graphic Designer; Valerie Younkin, Senior Production Designer; Cynthia Stock, Typesetter; Kelly Marshall, Production Manager; Shajuan Martin, E-Publishing Specialist; Christopher Logan, Senior Production Specialist Copyright © 2021 ASCD. All rights reserved. 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Quantity discounts are available: email [email protected] or call 800-933-2723, ext. 5773, or 703-575-5773. For desk copies, go to www.ascd.org/deskcopy. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Westman, Lisa, author. Title: Teaching with empathy : how to transform your practice by understanding your learners / Lisa Westman. Description: Alexandria, Virginia : ASCD, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2021018990 (print) | LCCN 2021018991 (ebook) | ISBN 9781416630487 (paperback) | ISBN 9781416630494 (pdf) Subjects: LCSH: Affective education. | Empathy. Classification: LCC LB1072 .W47 2021 (print) | LCC LB1072 (ebook) | DDC 370.15/34—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021018990 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021018991 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 ADVANCE COPY—NOT FINAL. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. TeachingWithEmpathy.indd 4 7/12/21 8:53 AM Preface .....................................................................................................................ix Acknowledgments ............................................................................................... xiii 1. The Empathy Crisis ............................................................................................ 1 2. The Intersection of Empathy and Curriculum ............................................... 13 3. The Empathetic Learning Environment .......................................................... 22 4. Empathy and Equity ........................................................................................ 43 5. Empathetic Instruction and Assessment Strategies ........................................ 63 6. Empathetic Grading and Reporting Practices ................................................. 87 7. Where Do You Go from Here? Actionable Steps to Become a More Empathetic Educator ..........................................................................104 References ............................................................................................................ 111 Index ....................................................................................................................11 5 About the Author ................................................................................................11 9 ADVANCE COPY—NOT FINAL. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. TeachingWithEmpathy.indd 7 7/12/21 8:53 AM Preface I began this project in August of 2019. At that time, I was profoundly curious about empathy and its role in teaching and learning. This was before the COVID- 19 pandemic, before the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the vicious mur- der of George Floyd, and before the swings of the 2020 U.S. presidential election and its aftermath swept our nation and the world. I always had my “why” for writing this book, but the events of 2020 acceler- ated my curiosity and my conviction that what we need most in the world, and in the field of education specifically, is empathy. We need genuine empathy, not rhetoric, not feigned compassion, not pity—true empathy. My goal and greatest hope are that this book clarifies empathy—what it is and what it looks like in a learning environment—and serves as inspiration for you to continue to hone your empathy skills. Learning about empathy is not always comfortable or easy. In fact, as I con- ducted my research for this book, I often felt poorly for some of my past actions (personal and professional). I recognized that I had acted without intentionally try- ing to empathize with others. I wish I could go back and do over many a conversa- tion I had or decision I made. I anticipate that, as you read this book, you too may have feelings of regret. To this, I say that we must have compassion for ourselves and look forward. To paraphrase the great poet Maya Angelou, you do the best you can at the time, and then when you know better, you do better (Winfrey, 2011). Why This Book? Mental health and social-emotional learning (SEL) are two of the hottest topics in education right now. This is not a coincidence. The number of students in our ix ADVANCE COPY—NOT FINAL. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. TeachingWithEmpathy.indd 9 7/12/21 8:53 AM x Teaching with Empathy classrooms who have experienced trauma is increasing (over half of 17-year-olds report experiencing trauma [Brackett, 2019]). Depression and anxiety rates are growing (approximately one in five U.S. children claim these conditions [Brack- ett, 2019]), and incidents of teen suicide are the highest they have been since World War II (Ducharme, 2019). There is an empathy crisis in our world, according to journalist Maia Szala- vitz and psychiatrist Bruce D. Perry (2010), and if we don’t act individually and collectively to hone our empathy skills, they could become extinct. “For many children,” says Mark Brackett (2019) of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelli- gence, “school might be the only place any of these issues are recognized and addressed” (p. 192). As educators, we have a great opportunity and responsibil- ity to respond, and we must respond appropriately. I am