Walk a mile in my shoes

This lesson is part 2 of my Empathy series.  I used Teaching Tolerance as the baseline for this lesson.

We review the Brene Brown clip and discuss what Empathy means to us.  Then I have the students think of a time when they wished that someone had understood how they were feeling.  When we try to relate to what someone else is going through, we are being empathetic.  I have the students turn to a partner and respond to each statement on Are You Empathetic worksheet with "yes" or "no".  As a class, we use the worksheet to talk about what they found, how they were able to follow the behaviors suggested to show empathy towards their peers.  Using 1. below I guide them into the discussion.          

One way you can try to imagine what it feels like being in someone else’s shoes is to ask yourself, “How would I feel in this situation?” How else can you try to understand how others feel?

When you listen to others, making eye contact, not interrupting the speaker, and asking follow-up questions can show that you’re making a genuine effort to understand what they’re going through. What other behaviors might show someone that you are being an empathetic listener?

What can you do to be more attuned to other people’s feelings? For instance, when you talk to your friends, how many “you” questions do you ask compared to the number of “I” statements you make?

When we are finish I have students break up in pairs and complete the Teaching Tolerance Someone Else's Shoes worksheet.  Their directives are: Take one character card, pair up with a classmate, and read your card aloud while your partner practices being an empathetic listener. Then, switch roles: practice being empathetic as your partner, as his/her character, tells you what he/she is experiencing.  

Still with their partners, students are asked to discuss how they were able to show empathy towards their partner.  How did it make you feel and what did you wish your partner had done differently?  Helpful statements are, “I could tell you were really listening to me because you maintained eye contact with me during the entire conversation, and that made me feel like you care.”

​End with classroom discussion.  

Word doc:

https://static.wixstatic.com/ugd/0a6790_e9024109e63d46659f151a2384ef2d25.pdf

https://static.wixstatic.com/ugd/0a6790_f53f52fd7c0646a59fdc06f842958cde.pdf

Follow up: Create a way to teach others how to be more empathetic (e.g., perform a skit, create a comic strip, write a short story, sing or rap original lyrics).

Link for lesson from Teaching Tolerance: https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/developing-empathy