Emotions, Empathy and Learning

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Emotions, Empathy and Learning

• PGCHE

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• Activity

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In hostels BC, where children lie about on the
floor, cannot get up, refuse to eat, mess their
pants, steal whenever they feel a loving impulse,
torture cats, kill mice and bury them so as to
have a cemetery where they can go and cry, in
these hostels there should be a notice visitors
not admitted. The wardens of these hostels have
the perpetual job of covering naked souls, and
they see as much suffering as can be seen in a
mental hospital for adults Docker-Drysdale,
1990, pg132 These children have experienced
virtually no empathy
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What is empathy?

• An ability to feel and see the world from
  anothers perspective by building a mental
  understanding of others in your own mind
• allows human beings to understand and value each
  others feelings and understanding
• for teachers empathy crucial for emotional and
  intellectual assessment, high quality
  relationships and the appropriate scaffolding of
  learning

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50s 60s 70s affective issues taken seriously
- from counselling psychology to education-
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Motivation Maslowshierarchy of needs
Basic needs have to be met before higher order
needs http//chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/regsys
/maslow.html http//www.tutor2u.net/business/peopl
e/motivation_theory_maslow.asp
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A technology for humanising education David
Aspy 1972!!!

• Nothing to do with ICT!!!
• The school system can be very inhuman
• The quality of the human relationships in the
  classroom is central to good teaching
• Teachers need to value students, tune into them,
  show them empathy and communicate very positively
  with them
• Teachers are more successful if they know their
  pupils very well and treat them as human beings
  in valuing relationships, rather than as pupils
  to be taught a set curriculum
• Designed a whole set of teacher behaviours in
  class both to analyse classroom relationships and
  to support teachers in using a more empathic
  approach

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80s 90sCognitive/skills domination

• mechanistic
• National curriculum, teaching competencies
• Tick box /hoop jumping approach to learning
• devoid of emotion
• Late 90s role of emotion returns to fashion

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Our emotions and learning

• Think of a learning achievement you feel really
  good about. What was good about it?
• What effect did it have?
• Think of some aspect of learning you really
  struggled in felt bad about -- why was that?
  
• Have you ever overcome this set back?

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• Do this following research apply to our
  classrooms?

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Teachers as moral models the role of empathy in
teacher/pupil relationships (Cooper, 2002)

• Detailed exposition and classification of empathy
  at work in real classrooms
• Detailed explanation of effects of empathy
  including how it supports learning, interaction
• But. detailed explanation of how factors in the
  contexts in which teachers work constrain the use
  of empathy

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Empathic treatment central toboth moral
attitudes and learning

• Hoffman,1967 Rogers,1975 Straughan,1989
  Bottery, 1990
• Koseki Berghammer,1992 different kinds of
  empathy some more moral
• Noddings,1986 care engrossment in others
  feeling as they feel
• Murdoch,1970 - care loving attention
• Vygotsky, 1986 affective and cognitive
  inseparable (educators focus on cognitive)
  

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• When we approach the problem of the interrelation
  between thought and language and other aspects of
  mind, the first question that arises is that of
  intellect and affect. Their separation as
  subjects of study is a major weakness of
  traditional psychology,
• (E)very idea contains a transmuted affective
  attitude toward the bit of reality to which it
  refers. (Vygotsky, 1986 p 10).

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Emotion central to learning and moral development

• Best, 1998 emotions neglected in British
  education
• Goleman,1996 Damasio 1994,1999,2003 -
  neuroscience reaffirms the role of emotion in
  interaction - therefore all learning is affective
  in nature
• Leal, 2002 interaction socio-emotional process
  turn-taking dialogue vital

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Psychology, socio-cultural theory and
neuroscience affirm the human in learning

• Damasio, 1999 each interaction causes us to
  adapt our internal map of ourselves this is
  both a mental and bodily process and is
  registered as a feeling
• To keep us keen on interaction feelings have to
  be mainly positive or we withdraw
• Since learning is the result of interaction we
  need to keep the ambience in class positive
• intensive positive interaction (like falling in
  love!!) supports processing, learning and memory

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• Best argues that love is the spirituality at the
  heart of education mutually respectful
  interaction (2003)
• affective and moral issues in education more
  prominent again (Broadfoot, 2000, Hargreaves,
  2001, Deakin-Crick 2003)
• Much of this affective emphasis also reinforced
  by recent literature on teacher learning (Hoban,
  2002, Ripple Report, 2003) not just children
• Damasio (2003) links spirituality to a sense of
  bodily and mental harmony and serene joy and
  testifies to the narcotic effect of such joy on
  the brain.

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Where does Emotional Literacy start?

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Empathy and shared understanding starts with love
and being loved
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What would he be saying if he could speak?
I love you mum!
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From non-verbal expression to lone words
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to rhyme and music
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Emotional and sensual understanding gradually
expressed symbolically in language

• Slowly, sometimes painfully, sometimes more
  enjoyably, children master reading and writing
• But we are multi-sensory creatures and this is
  our natural way of interpreting the world

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• Research suggests that 93 of communication is
  non-verbal
• Empathy and emotion expressed through the
  non-verbal

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Findings from thesis

• Empathy a rich and powerful phenomenon which
  showed itself in different degrees in different
  contexts fundamental, functional, profound,
  feigned
• Empathy develops over time and with frequency of
  interaction
• Involves creating a rich mental model of
  individuals which connects closely with your own
  - both affective and cognitive academic and
  personal

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Characteristics of empathy (Cooper, 2002)

• Fundamental - initial characteristics
  
  
• - means of communication
• Profound - 1-1 relationships
• Functional or relative empathy - used for groups
  and to allow teachers to cope with constraints of
  classrooms
• shallow and feigned empathy

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Profound Empathy 1-1

• Developing positive emotions and interactions
• Understanding self, others and explaining
  understanding
• Appreciation of all relationships
• Breadth and depth of empathy
• Act and take responsibility
• Richly adaptive and integrated concept of
  themselves and others
• Moral aspects

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Sharing very positive emotions

Well I get a superb sense of joy out of it (Anna
994). trying to put yourself in the positions
the learner's in and trying to see what would be
difficult, daunting or enjoyable, I mean actually
the enjoyment side of work is very important
(Tanya 357/368). Includes masking negative
emotions Time, Sole attention and
understanding Deep in discussion type of thing,
fully concentrated on one another on each other,
like we are now (laughs) looking into each
other's eyes, nothing can escape one another's
attention (Claire 566/572). Enthusiasm I think
breeds enthusiasm ... you know it generates
itself (Sara)
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Constraints on empathy

• poor teacher/student ratios
• lack of time
• Rigid, over-filled curriculum
• competition, testing, league tables
• secondary schools/HE -fragmented relationships
• teachers personal problems
• unempathic management/systems
• children with multiple needs

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Effects of empathy

• Increases interaction and communication
• builds esteem /self-worth
• creates emotional links
• builds trust and security and provokes emulation
  of empathy building empathic climates
• Optimises Learning !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Emotional closeness reveals the hidden factors
which inhibit communication, learning and
development

• I think it's important to be empathic, not so
  much to understand what these children are
  learning inside the classroom, but trying to
  understand why some of these children respond and
  react in some of the ways they do and see it in
  the light of some of the experiences that they
  have that we don't see. because things happen
  behind some of these lace curtains, in these
  lovely houses, that we don't know about (Terry)
  - all ages??

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Empathy leads to emulation of empathy improves
empathic ambience and increases positive
interaction

• By your praise of somebody else you can hear
  another child trying to mirror what youre doing
  (Charlotte).
• Intense positive interaction breeds positive
  interaction

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Teacher dominant classrooms reduce interaction

• When teachers dominate the class, emphasise the
  negative over the positive, deny interaction,
  then we recognise the literature on alienating
  environments, power and control typified by
  Foucault (1977) and Goffman, (1961), Illich
  (1971), Hargreaves (1982).
• Such teaching is unempathic and large classes
  and a rigid, fragmented curriculum especially in
  secondary schools encourage this style (Cooper,
  2002) HE least empathic phase

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• In such classes students are often treated and
  react as a group has been trend in primary but
  perhaps changing back
• Students do not interact enough to internalise
  learning and have little sense of ownership over
  learning
• they do not have enough control or influence to
  increase their self-esteem
• the classroom atmosphere is more likely to be
  cold and unhappy and the students reflect the
  attitude of the teacher making them unhappy too.

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• Need to build emotional capital through positive
  interactions
• in homes
• in learning institutions
• Have you come across students with no self-esteem
  ?
• How did it effect them - their learning ?
• What can we do to improve esteem?

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Teacher characteristicsEmpathic
Unempathic

• Attitudes
• open, warm, relaxed, good-humoured, fair,
  ensures fairness, models and expects common
  courtesy, explains how children should work or
  behave in an understanding way rather than
  criticising their present work or behaviour

• sees class as a group, not individuals, not
  interested in developing individuals, more
  interested in teaching subject, can be impatient,
  intolerant of some pupils' weaknesses or even
  whole class, does not listen, finds it hard to
  change tack if lesson not going well and finds it
  hard to apologise if wrong

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Empathic Unempathic

• Facial characteristics
• frequent smiles, generally positive
  demeanour, expressive face which shows emotions
  and can switch emotions quite quickly, tends to
  reflect student emotions but also leads and
  influences them e.g. if the teacher wants to
  encourage thinking/reflecting, she models a
  thinking face

• robot-like, not expressive, do not show
  emotions, facial expressions not in tune with
  words

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Empathic Unempathic

• Voice
• positive, encouraging, expressive, clear
  directions when necessary and supportive, varied,
  reflects accurately the meaning of the words
• Body-language
• Uses gesture, animated, tactile, moves
  around, uses body for emphasis and explanation

• unemotional, efficient, business-like, very
  matter of fact, tone not in tune with words
• wooden, unapproachable, distant, formal,
  not animated

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Empathic Unempathic

• Positioning
• generally gets closer to child, less
  distance, less formality and in a large
  classroom provides one to one support when
  possible, moves around quite a lot, sits down
  with pupils, lowers whole body often down below
  student's level.

• more formal, distanced from children, front
  of class, higher than children

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Empathic Unempathic

• Responses
• knows and uses students name frequently,
  listens carefully to students, gives them sole
  concentration when possible, elicits
  understanding from them, echoes and affirms their
  comments, tries to give a positive response but
  asks them to elaborate or develop response if
  weak, prompts and helps them when necessary,
  constructs answerable questions to build
  confidence

• responds more to whole class, not
  understanding, not individualised, overrides,
  ignores pupils' comments, negative or unhelpful
  responses to children's attempts, does not value
  extend or clarify comments, doesn't spend time
  explaining problematic issues

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Empathic Unempathic

• Content of teaching
• frequently initiates a session with some
  aspect of topic that relates directly to child's
  own experience, personal interest, humour and
  discussion of non academic issues interspersed
  at appropriate moments through lesson, the
  personal used as a vehicle into the subject matter

• Sticks to curriculum/subject, blanket
  teaching, little differentiation, does not relate
  to children's interests and understanding or to
  the real world

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Empathic Unempathic

• Method of teaching
• varied teaching strategies, relaxed but
  rigorous, involves changes of pace and style,
  adaptable and flexible, sessions well-structured,
  individualised and personalised wherever
  possible, use of differentiation - matches task
  to child, explains problem issues, takes time
  over any issues, prepares individual material for
  children who need it

• more rigid, lacks variety, lacks
  interpersonal level, elicits less from pupils,
  more instruction, less reflection/discussion,
  interaction, less reflection of pupils interest,
  emotions

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Empathic Unempathic

• Other features
• Uses humour, 'not like a teacher, in touch
  with student's interests, form personal
  relationships with each child, considers the
  informal significant, very aware of individual
  social and emotional aspects, put time and effort
  into relationships. Concerned with out of school
  life of child. Maintain a long-term view of the
  child's well-being.

• Behaves like a teacher, lacking in humour,
  shows false emotion, does not concern themselves
  with personal issues with children, tends to
  ignore emotional aspects of interaction. Not
  particularly interested in the child beyond
  today's class.

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• The concept of capital --
• Social cultural capital - Pierre Bourdieu
  (1930-2002)
• Emotional capital - needed for constructive
  learning

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Pennies from Heaven Dennis Potter -
characters symbols of ways of learning
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• children fear her
• cruel
• rigid
• aggressive
• confrontational
• rule-bound
• abrupt
• tense
• empathy limited to only some children

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• warm
• loving
• sensitive to childrens feelings
• imaginative
• creative
• Uses all senses - music, dancing ,stories,
  drama
• natural world - fun-loving
• very positive discipline
• familial

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The big questions
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• Sit back for one minute and characterise your
  ideal learning experience
• Which factors would make it ideal?
• Think about your ideal teaching experience?
• Which factors would make it ideal?

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Are universities good places to learn?
Could we make them better? How ?
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• No Place to Learn Why Universities Aren't
  Working Tom Pocklington and Allan Tupper
• http//www.newhorizons.org/strategies/learning_env
  ironments/lang.htm
• http//www.hobart.k12.in.us/technology/learn20env
  ir.html
• Cooper, B. (2004) Empathy, interaction and
  caring teachers roles in a constrained
  environment, Pastoral Care in Education Vol 22
  no3 Sept 2004

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Possible futures

• http//www.virtual.gmu.edu/pdf/constr.pdf