Why Teach Empathy?
In today’s interconnected world collaboration skills are more important than ever. Technology makes it possible to communicate across distances with people from diverse backgrounds and many jobs now require close teamwork. In response, many educators are emphasizing social-emotional learning as well as cognitive skills. These skills provide students with the preparation they need to understand the world from others’ perspectives.
Incorporating Empathy with Cooperative Learning
It is not enough to talk about how to relate to others different from ourselves or how to respectfully disagree. Students need opportunities to actively practice empathy.
Cooperative learning is a great teaching model designed to do just that. Educator Joe Hirsch explains this in his Edutopia article Teaching Empathy: Turning A Lesson Plan Into a Life Skill. Cooperative learning “can actively foster class-wide feelings of cohesiveness, collaboration and interdependence -- without sacrificing instructional time or learning goals” he says. Learning with those who share a different perspective is even better than collaborating with like-minded friends. “Creating points of contact between students who would otherwise not interact delivers a humbling but elevating awareness of the "other,” Hirsch explains.
PenPal Schools is a great resource to teach empathy through cooperative learning. We make it easy for students to collaborate with peers from a variety of perspectives by connecting each student with three PenPals. While exchanging perspectives, students also practice their reading, writing and technology skills. Our online app works on a variety of devices and is easy to use so students can focus on learning with their PenPals.
“Penpal Schools is counted on as a big blessing, in that our orphaned students will have a chance to chat and share different ideas with friends from different parts of the world, something I believe will have a heart felt impact and boost to our efforts of training them to embrace the sense of belonging and acceptance.”
- Sungu Samnyirwa, head of Mfangano Girls Empowerment Academy in Kenya
“Three words that I have taken for granted my entire life had never even been said to Mary. How does it feel to never hear somebody say I love you? I never knew until Mary shared her life with me. Tears filled my eyes — and still do — as I came to understand what our relationship meant to her, and now means to me.”
- Alisa from California, writing about her PenPal, Mary from Ghana
“As a pen pal, I like to hear everyone's ideas about the topics, their points of view. It is fun to talk to people from other areas, especially because I'm from a small town.”
- Rebecca, PenPal of the Week