I am a naturally empatic person, so I found this text incredibly insightful. It allowed me to mirror my own experiences to the cases shared and thus enabled critical self-reflection.

Cooper, B. (2011) The Benefits of Empathy in Teaching and Learning Relationships. In: Empathy in Education: Engagement, Values and Achievement. New York: Continuum.

According to the teachers, an empathic approach has immediate effects, but over time, as empathy becomes more profound, these effects multiply. (Cooper, 2011: 101)

Immediate Effects

Talk and Communication

• Empathic teachers were fantastic facilitators of communication. (Cooper, 2011: 101)
• Relaxed casual and personal exchange supported human relationships. (Cooper, 2011: 104)
• Personal and lengthy conversations, when teachers listen as well as talk, creates an atmosphere of warmth and care and gives the student a sense of value. (Cooper, 2011: 104)

Personal Exchange

• Personal knowledge was central to the formation of positive relationships, allowing students to share likes and dis-likes and finding amusement and interest in their own eccentricities and differences. (Cooper, 2011: 104)
• Personal exchange builds over time, and as it expands, trust is built. (Cooper, 2011: 104)

Self-esteem Building

• The starting point for building self- esteem was often the personal exchange described above, which begins by valuing the student, and the teacher builds up from there. (Cooper, 2011: 105)
• Students and teachers with higher self- esteem responded positively and instantly to small amounts of empathy. (Cooper, 2011: 105)
• Time is symbolic of care and concern (Cooper, 2011: 106)
• Self- esteem was particularly important to special needs students, who are often desperately self- critical, a problem aggravated by the normative school system. Empathy counter-acts this negativity. (Cooper, 2011: 106)

I notice it with my role as Academic Support tutor. I have often seen a student with sever anxiety, and the more I actively listen to her concerns, and reinforce the fact that she doing really well, the more confident she is becoming and incidentally, the higher are her grades and the closer she is with her peers.

• A positive sense of self was directly related to the pleasure and enjoyment of the subject, and could improve the interaction with others in a nurturing environment. (Cooper, 2011: 106)

Friendship

• Both the relationship with the teacher and the climate of the classroom must be friendly and co- operative, and was linked to caring, politeness and help-fulness, creating a positive shared experience of learning (Cooper, 2011: 107)
• When the relationship is friendly, students put more effort into their work. They want to work hard for both for themselves and the teacher (Cooper, 2011: 107)

Emotional Links and Understanding

• They were sensitive to children’s pleasures, pains and frustrations, and this helped them to respond appropriately and support personal and aca-demic learning, and allowances were made for upsetting circumstances. (Cooper, 2011: 107)
• However, although it was important make emotional links, emotions should not take control of the teacher. (Cooper, 2011: 107)
• As they established closer connections, these teachers increasingly shared emotions and experiences with students, laughing when they laughed, recognizing and sharing their sad-ness, but then trying to turn problems into something more positive (Cooper, 2011: 108)
• The emotional link was reciprocal and students mirrored teachers’ emotions and moods. If the teacher is relaxed, positive and confident the students mirror this and in such an atmosphere teaching and communication are more effective. (Cooper, 2011: 108)
• However, the more emotional needs there are, the more they can impinge on a teacher’s home life. Teachers noticed consequences of emotional responsiveness in other teachers, too, and knew how exhausting emotional attachment and concern is, especially if it invades a teacher’s sleep. (Cooper, 2011: 109)

Agree!

Deeper Outcomes

Seeing the Hidden

• Getting close to students emotionally gave teachers a deeper insight into their inner lives, and allowed them to notice subtle body language and facial expressions and ‘missing’ elements in their conversation. (Cooper, 2011: 110)
• Once painful feelings emerge, then the problems can begin to be solved. (Cooper, 2011: 110)

Others Perspective

Significance of Empathy

• Profound empathy means understanding the constraints on relationships in different contexts, with different individuals (Cooper, 2011: 112)
• It involves understanding one’s own limitations and the limitations of the system in which one is working and living, both for oneself and others, and being immersed in an inter- relational world. For these teachers, empathy is essential to creating positive relationships in teaching and learning (Cooper, 2011: 112)
• Empathy produced a vital awareness of the fragility of students (Cooper, 2011: 112)
• The external focus of empathy prevents self- absorption and makes teachers open and flexible, less inclined to form stereotypes, and was particularly significant for raising self- esteem (Cooper, 2011: 112)
• Empathy allowed teachers to assess and motivate, to build enthusiasm, reflect students’ attitudes and characteristics and influence and develop them, evoking similar responses. (Cooper, 2011: 112)

Consolidated Effects of Empathy on Students

Builds Greater Self-Esteem / Self-Worth

• As a teacher knows a student more deeply, even the most disaffected individuals can be motivated to succeed. (Cooper, 2011: 113)
• In classrooms, this also has a beneficial effect on others, whose learning was then less disrupted and who also regarded the disruptive student more positively. (Cooper, 2011: 113)

Security and Trust

• The teacher’s encouragement and understanding dissipates anxiety and fear of failure. (Cooper, 2011: 114)
• Students are more likely to try new or more difficult tasks when they are not being criticized by the teacher or compared with others. (Cooper, 2011: 114)
• Relationships build security and trust builds confidence and self- esteem. Security comes from knowing boundaries, but also through positive relationships and use of humour. Trust comes from security, and vice versa, when students know what to expect and that they will be accepted and consistently valued by their teacher. (Cooper, 2011: 114)
• Pupils want to feel safe academically (i.e. the teacher is competent), personally (clear boundaries for behaviour), and in terms of confidence and self- worth. This includes being able to understand and laugh at themselves, accept they are not perfect and that they still have more to learn. (Cooper, 2011: 114)

Emulation of Empathy

• When students in groups and classes model these attributes, they also demonstrate them towards other pupils and, thus, create a more holistic empathic climate, so further encouraging positive interaction, learning and personal development (Cooper, 2011: 115)

Consolidated Effects of Empathy on Teachers

Learning about Learning

• The empathic teacher is a natural learner and is, consequently, knowledge-able about learning. (Cooper, 2011: 116)
• Empathic relationships give the teacher constant verbal and non- verbal feedback, which makes them adapt what and how they teach (Cooper, 2011: 116)
• Empathic teachers tend to take memories of lessons and interactions home and mull them over to improve for the next encounter. (Cooper, 2011: 116)

I struggle here, because I do take things personally and will ‘mull’ for days… But I always find that eventually, it enables me to change and improve.

• They learn more about themselves and their own attitudes in the process, which helps to support students more effectively. (Cooper, 2011: 116)
• Empathic teaching is a continually developing skill, which produces reflective teaching (Cooper, 2011: 116)
• Empathic student teachers continually reflected on their teaching … They make mistakes on teaching practice, feel very guilty and have to learn from them. This leads them to reflect carefully on all aspects of their teaching. (Cooper, 2011: 116)

It reminds me of the lecture I taught on Imperialism last year and how a Black student felt disturbed by the subject of slavery. The student asked for a trigger warning, which I had not provided at the start of the session (I supposed students would know there would be discussions on slavery in a lecture about imperialism). I felt deeply hurt and guilty. Watching the recording, I spent 14 minutes apologising profusely, which might have been excessive. But now I always produce triggers warnings and am more aware of how students might react to certain subjects.

Department/Wider Learning

• Open teachers learn more easily from each other and continually change and improve their practice. Colleagues can share different perspectives on students’ needs, which they can combine for the students’ benefit. (Cooper, 2011: 117)

Personal Effects on Teacher

• Rather than dwelling on internal feelings or personal, physical or domestic issues, they focus on others (Cooper, 2011: 118)
• However this sharing of emotion can be draining and tiring, especially in large classrooms. (Cooper, 2011: 118)

Agree! I usually have poor sleeps on Wednesday, after my evening lectures 100 Years of Change. I also feel specially drained on Thursdays.

• Teachers can feel good about being trusted with personal information and enjoy helping pupils with personal issues but feel simultaneously weighed down by the emotional expenditure. (Cooper, 2011: 118)

On Teaching and Learning

Optimizing Learning

• This enabled them to value a student’s effort even if their achievements in relation to others were not so high. (Cooper, 2011: 119)
• Even in large classes, empathic teachers try and interact with and understand each child. This individual understanding is used directly in teaching and allows the teacher to accurately assess the child’s understanding, interests and concentration span, so the work level and motivation can be pitched exactly right. (Cooper, 2011: 119)
• Empathic teachers, even in large classrooms, can value students’ existing knowledge and build on it through relationships and dialogue rather than just trying to teach content. (Cooper, 2011: 119)
• Empathy allows a teacher to adapt the learning content to the child’s interests, which improves motivation, which, in turn, produces a higher standard of work and success, which encourages more motivation, a virtuous circle. (Cooper, 2011: 120)
• Empathy recognizes feelings of failure and alienation that can be generated in school and tries to compensate for that by building trust, security and enthusiasm. (Cooper, 2011: 121)
• Such good relationships and thoughtful treatment can turn disruptive students into exceptionally keen learners. (Cooper, 2011: 121)
• Empathy improves classroom teaching and functional empathy partly compensates for the constraints like time, ratio and curriculum (Cooper, 2011: 122)
• Empathic teachers are approach-able and trustworthy, which allows students to ask questions without fear of failure or ridicule. (Cooper, 2011: 122)
• Teachers’ enthusiasm and energy for what they do is infectious and triggers a mirrored response in students. (Cooper, 2011: 122)

I think my performative and animated style of teaching is a reflection of my enthusiasm for fashion histories and the students do notice it. For instance, at the end of 100 Years of Change lecture, I always receive a round of applauses!

• Empathy makes teaching easier, more pleasant and effective. Teachers and students communicate better, are more relaxed and are better learn-ers, making teaching and learning much more straightforward. Empathy answers needs and eliminates confrontations. (Cooper, 2011: 122)

Teaching Methodology

• These teachers adapt to different classes, to different numbers, to individual students and they try and make the best of any situation. (Cooper, 2011: 123)
• They employ ‘massively adaptive behaviour’ and they make mistakes but their adaptive behaviour tends to continually search for new solutions and improvements. (Cooper, 2011: 123)
• Decisions are made constantly as feedback from the student influences the teacher’s responses and time is spent on the most needed topics. (Cooper, 2011: 123)
• Eye contact is especially important for assessing understanding, and the ability to make eye contact improves over time. (Cooper, 2011: 123)
• Empathy leads to more adventurous and creative as well as more appropriate teaching because the security of the strong relationship enables teachers to be open and take risks. (Cooper, 2011: 123)
• The outcomes of one lesson influence the subsequent lesson. (Cooper, 2011: 123)
• Empathic teachers try to work in positive, enjoyable ways relying on human relationships and an element of fun. (Cooper, 2011: 124)
• They adapt their persona, mannerisms and language to individuals while keeping a weather eye on the group and can demonstrate a different persona when required. (Cooper, 2011: 124)
• For classroom teachers, empathy involves a greater element of performance and humour, using both audio- visual techniques, whether with equipment or with body language and movement. (Cooper, 2011: 124)

I make a lot of lame jokes!

• Teachers try every strategy they can to win difficult students over and to understand what does and doesn’t motivate them, both in terms of restrictions and encouragement. (Cooper, 2011: 124)

Assessment

• One of the strongest features of empathy is that it supports detailed and accurate assessment and supports ongoing formative assessment in the moment- by- moment interactions in the classroom, as students and teachers work together. (Cooper, 2011: 125)
• Empathy helps to understand the real achievements and the real problems students face. (Cooper, 2011: 125)
• Empathic teachers have a long- term view of a student’s achievement. They understand young people as developing individuals with potential, rather than as fixed entities. (Cooper, 2011: 125)
• Confronted with many students of varying abilities in large classes, empathic teachers recognize that comparison can be very demotivating. They prefer to make assessment more ipsative in nature, assessing students in relation to their own development. However, school and national systems militate against this. (Cooper, 2011: 125)
• Good marking is individualized and thorough and values the good, as well as suggesting constructive improvements and takes time. (Cooper, 2011: 125)

How can produce good marking within UAL’s 3 weeks deadline, especially for large groups?

On Climate / Context

• It appears to be created as much by non- verbal as verbal communication and in the stolen moments of time between lessons. It is not always visible but often felt (Cooper, 2011: 126)
• A good empathic climate in a classroom involves less classroom management, less correcting and drawing to attention, because the students are generally positively engaged in learning. Functional empathy can help to create a positive group climate, in which members of the groups have common emotional connections. (Cooper, 2011: 126)
• Some indicators of an empathic climate, smiling faces, engagement, minimal confrontation and good humour can be seen, but the creation of the climate is partly hidden, because good classroom atmosphere is less noticeable than bad and is often dependent on previous teacher behaviour. (Cooper, 2011: 127)