For a long time it was considered that the most important values in the classroom when teaching classes were discipline and respect for the teacher, which is why the old school has taught and transmitted this to students for many years. However, over time this has also generated distance between students and teachers, losing, for example, the interest and knowledge on the part of the teacher regarding the interests and real needs of the students .
That is why empathy emerges as the new indispensable value in the classroom on the part of the teacher, in order to be able to develop a better learning process for students. At least this is demonstrated by a study carried out in Finland by the University of Juväskylä and the University of Turku.
As a result of the aforementioned research study, we wanted to delve into the idea and value of empathy and, above all, the benefits and impact it has on learning.
What is empathy applied in education?
Empathy applied to education is the ability of the teacher to perceive and understand the processes , as well as the learning time that each student enjoys in the classroom. With this skill developed, a teacher will have a greater ability to understand the resources they need to use in order for their students to understand the lessons taught in an effective and motivating way. In addition, it will also create a stimulating environment in which the student opens up to new learning.
Benefits of developing empathy in education
- Students with higher self-esteem are achieved
Some students are blocked in learning due to shyness or low self-esteem. The fear of exposing in public or being able to ask aloud when something is not understood, are consequences of the fear of ridicule, teasing, making mistakes, doing it wrong … fears, in short, that have their origin in low self-esteem. An empathetic teacher will be able to notice these types of situations more easily, and will be able to motivate those students to believe in themselves when things of this type happen.
- Classroom relationships are improved
A teacher with empathy will help each student develop a good image in front of their peers, and always encourage their students to get the best of themselves and not be ashamed of their own talents and abilities.
- Students are taught to improve themselves
Empathy allows teachers to teach students to compete and improve healthily , to set personalized and achievable goals for each particular case, or to dream beautifully that a promising future is possible. It also teaches them that competing with their peers just for the sake of being the best or the best is not healthy or profitable for anyone.
- Interest is created in obtaining new knowledge for life
An empathetic teacher awakens in his students curiosity to learn, guides them in their vocation and teaches them to self-motivate for continuous improvement. In this way, students will seek to improve themselves outside the classroom and beyond the teaching time they have with their teacher.
In conclusion, empathy allows the teacher to be a good friend of the students without losing the discipline and respect that a good teacher should not lack for the control of the classroom.
Empathy allows people to put themselves in the place of the other and be able to observe the suffering and joys of the rest, as well as being attentive within the school environment to the different personalities and attitudes that exist, in order to avoid having students that they do not dare to show in public, due to insecurity or fear, their true talent and personality.
Empathy helps to break down barriers, so it will always be a key piece in learning.
Kind regards, the perfect approach, but it is not like a recipe since there are different worlds in the students, that is to say the conjunctural aspect in which they develop, I would like an approach to those students who attend nightclubs, including young ladies who work during the day.