When I meet with parents about their child’s report card, I always stress that the academic side of the report card is of equal importance to the behavior side. Even Google is now saying that STEM skills are great, but people skills are greater.
So, how do we teach kindness? Empathy? Is this even possible?
A few months ago, a colleague reached out to me on Instagram to have me
preview and give feedback on Advancement Courses. When I
scrolled through the many course offerings, I immediately was drawn to a course
titled, “Kindness:
Can it be Taught?” I enrolled in the class and began my work
immediately. I learned so much and began to implement strategies in the
classroom and at home the same day.
Some of the connections to classroom application I learned
include:
·
Techniques for teaching students that all people are born with
kindness and how important it is to build that trait
·
Tools to teach students about “random acts of kindness,” how these
acts feel for both giver and recipient, and how to practice their own acts of
kindness
·
Exercises that help students read facial expressions in order to
develop empathy and perspective-taking skills
·
Ways to identify students who have experienced or are experiencing
barriers to developing kindness, and supporting them in overcoming these obstacles
·
Activities for your students to practice building honesty and
trust, two key elements in behaving kindly toward others
·
Practices to help students behave with kindness toward all their
peers, and especially toward those with emotional, physical, or behavioral
disabilities
And, here’s what you will do throughout the course:
·
Assess
how the biological roots of kindness present at birth can either be fostered or
hampered
·
Appraise
methods of working with students who need extra support to overcome barriers to
kindness
·
Value
the power of the teacher to implement short- and long-term practices to
perpetuate students’ ability to be kind toward themselves and others
·
Interpret
the experience of “random acts of kindness” as both giver and receiver,
including anonymous acts of kindness, in order to help students engage in these
types of acts
·
Compare
the many kindness-related positive traits that can be instilled in students,
such as empathy, perspective-taking, honesty, and trust and estimate how to
convey the importance of these traits to students
·
Relate
how children with emotional, physical, or behavioral disabilities are often
treated unkindly to instructional methods that support a classroom culture of
kindness for all
As teachers, it is vital that we are continually learning. In
fact, my classroom mission statement is “Everyone’s a Teacher. Everyone’s a
Learner.”
If you’re ready to start your course to teaching kindness, you can
use code TOPDOG20 to save 20 percent off your purchase or on any of their 200+
grad-level, online PD courses
for teachers.
Now
through Dec. 21, you can also visit their Facebook page to
participate in their 12 Days of AC Giveaways! Comment-to-win for prizes like a
Qball and Evo Robot .
