Developing Empathy – Diane Rutherford

Empathy. That is a word frequently talked about during our F2F meetings through Cohort 21. Do teachers have empathy for their students? Do students have empathy for their peers? Prior to this Cohort journey, I don’t know how often that thought consciously crossed my mind. As a teacher, I am aware of my students’ learning needs, and I know which tasks will take either a longer or shorter amount of time for ones to complete; however, I wondered if I have ever truly, consciously put myself in my students’ shoes…until now…

Throughout the month of February, I was enrolled in (and have now completed) the Innovation Leader Certification Course run by @lmcbeth at Future Design School. Talk about developing empathy for my students! The purpose of this programme is to immerse yourself in the process of design thinking strategies, and to then take yourself through the process by developing a question and working through a series of steps before arriving at a solution. The solution had to include a prototype of some kind, and so in just a few short weeks I developed my very first app prototype! As someone who is not overly tech-savvy, this was a very big deal to me!

Throughout this process, I felt excited, challenged, inspired, frustrated, exhausted, overwhelmed…almost every feeling imaginable. While I was pleased with the solution I came up with, the biggest takeaway for me was how I was put in my students’ shoes and could feel the same emotions they likely feel when completing an assignment or project for me. I am more aware than ever of how something that I may perceive as a simple, straight-forward assignment could be viewed as something that is overwhelming and huge for an eleven-year-old. I shared my experiences with my students, and they were thrilled (and I think even surprised) that I had experienced such a rollercoaster of emotions while completing this project; it made them feel like I could now understand and appreciate the similar stages they go through when working on an assessment for me or their other teachers.

“As a [teacher], how can you create something for someone else if you don’t have even enough familiarity with them to imagine the world through their eyes?”

– Chris Sacca

The idea behind the above quote is something that both Cohort and the Innovation Leaders Certification Course continue to drive home. Both of these Professional Development experiences have allowed me to do just that: develop professionally. I look at my classroom in a way that’s different from before, and can truly say that I empathize with each and every one of my students. As teachers, I think it’s so important to regularly take a step back and look at your classroom through your students’ eyes: see what they enjoy learning, see how they enjoy learning, and see how long the learning process takes for each of them as individuals.

9 Replies to “Developing Empathy”

Hi @drutherford – what a great reflection on what it means to empathize – both for the purposes of DT but also as educators (part of what I think makes DT such a great model for PD – thanks to @lmcbeth and my time at SHAD Waterloo last summer for cementing that insight). Actually being a student is surely the best way to understand being a student!

I’m looking forward to hearing a bit more about your action plan at the final F2F… but aside or in conjunction with that, let me know if you want to chat more about empathy – the benefits of it and challenges presented in trying to actually exhibit it – I have a cool set of resources that I’ve worked with and helped develop from the Knowledge Integration Department, University of Waterloo that might come in handy down the road.

Diane Rutherford on April 13, 2017 at 5:03 pm said:

Hi Elissa,

That would be wonderful! I’d love to chat more about empathy and to hear about some of the different resources you have used thus far.

I look forward to catching up on the 21st!

Thanks for this. Empathy and vulnerability are a burgeoning area of exploration. In fact, this was a big emphasis at the NAIS conference that I attended in March. There, we heard from Brene Brown (please note that @danielleganley has referred to Brene Brown as her ‘spirit animal’). If you haven’t already, check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw It’s AMAZING!)

I wonder how are we, as teachers, going to continue and deepen our understanding and ability to empathize with our students? Does this look like survey feedback, interviews, small conferences? What do you think?

Thanks for this,
garth.

This is so awesome, Diane! What software did you use for prototyping your app?

Diane Rutherford on April 13, 2017 at 5:05 pm said:

Thanks so much, Jen! I used marvelapp.com – it was super straightforward, which I really appreciated considering my inability to code 🙂

@drutherford

“What has been seen cannot be unseen, what has been learned cannot be unknown. You cannot change the past, but you can learn from it. You can grow from it. You can be made stronger. You can use that strength to change your life, to change your future.”
― C.A. Woolf

Cool quote that connects with your recent experience with acquiring a new “empathy lens” through which to view your students. Bravo at also taking on the FDS cert! What a year of PD you have had.

Diane,
Thanks for sharing – and helping me to develop empathy for my students (aka teachers)! It’s really good to hear how much the Innovation Leader Certification program helped you to put yourself in your students shoes (and create an awesome idea for an app). I look forward to continuing to work together!
Best,
Leslie

Hi @drutherford!
What a great experience to have had and to have kept your student’s at the forefront of your mind throughout! I loved the quote your shared and the one from @jmedved.

It’s amazing that given the right support, the space and the tools that we can do things that we might not have thought possible (creating your own app). What would you do to put yourself in your students’ shoes? Would you informally ask them? Do a poll? I consistently ask students about their experience – how long it takes them to read (I teach FSL), write, prepare, etc… it gives me an idea of timing so that I can chunk material appropriately.

I have enjoyed reading your blog posts, and with this one in particular, you’ve brought back an often forgotten lens through which to see learning.

Oh, and if you haven’t come across the beautiful animations of Brene Brown’s work, you should check it out 🙂

Elissa Gelleny on April 4, 2017 at 5:23 pm said:

Hi @drutherford – what a great reflection on what it means to empathize – both for the purposes of DT but also as educators (part of what I think makes DT such a great model for PD – thanks to @lmcbeth and my time at SHAD Waterloo last summer for cementing that insight). Actually being a student is surely the best way to understand being a student!

I’m looking forward to hearing a bit more about your action plan at the final F2F… but aside or in conjunction with that, let me know if you want to chat more about empathy – the benefits of it and challenges presented in trying to actually exhibit it – I have a cool set of resources that I’ve worked with and helped develop from the Knowledge Integration Department, University of Waterloo that might come in handy down the road.
- Diane Rutherford on April 13, 2017 at 5:03 pm said:
  
  Hi Elissa,
  
  That would be wonderful! I’d love to chat more about empathy and to hear about some of the different resources you have used thus far.
  
  I look forward to catching up on the 21st!
Garth Nichols on April 6, 2017 at 5:47 pm said:

Thanks for this. Empathy and vulnerability are a burgeoning area of exploration. In fact, this was a big emphasis at the NAIS conference that I attended in March. There, we heard from Brene Brown (please note that @danielleganley has referred to Brene Brown as her ‘spirit animal’). If you haven’t already, check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw It’s AMAZING!)

I wonder how are we, as teachers, going to continue and deepen our understanding and ability to empathize with our students? Does this look like survey feedback, interviews, small conferences? What do you think?

Thanks for this,
garth.
Jennifer Weening on April 11, 2017 at 7:01 pm said:

This is so awesome, Diane! What software did you use for prototyping your app?
- Diane Rutherford on April 13, 2017 at 5:05 pm said:
  
  Thanks so much, Jen! I used marvelapp.com – it was super straightforward, which I really appreciated considering my inability to code 🙂
Justin Medved on April 13, 2017 at 3:18 am said:

@drutherford

“What has been seen cannot be unseen, what has been learned cannot be unknown. You cannot change the past, but you can learn from it. You can grow from it. You can be made stronger. You can use that strength to change your life, to change your future.”
― C.A. Woolf

Cool quote that connects with your recent experience with acquiring a new “empathy lens” through which to view your students. Bravo at also taking on the FDS cert! What a year of PD you have had.

J
Leslie McBeth on April 17, 2017 at 12:02 am said:

Diane,
Thanks for sharing – and helping me to develop empathy for my students (aka teachers)! It’s really good to hear how much the Innovation Leader Certification program helped you to put yourself in your students shoes (and create an awesome idea for an app). I look forward to continuing to work together!
Best,
Leslie
Derek Doucet on April 17, 2017 at 7:36 pm said:

Hi @drutherford!
What a great experience to have had and to have kept your student’s at the forefront of your mind throughout! I loved the quote your shared and the one from @jmedved.

It’s amazing that given the right support, the space and the tools that we can do things that we might not have thought possible (creating your own app). What would you do to put yourself in your students’ shoes? Would you informally ask them? Do a poll? I consistently ask students about their experience – how long it takes them to read (I teach FSL), write, prepare, etc… it gives me an idea of timing so that I can chunk material appropriately.

I have enjoyed reading your blog posts, and with this one in particular, you’ve brought back an often forgotten lens through which to see learning.
Garth Nichols on April 17, 2017 at 8:00 pm said:

Oh, and if you haven’t come across the beautiful animations of Brene Brown’s work, you should check it out 🙂