Empathy is a critical skill in a world defined by rapid change--one that is foundational to the social, teamwork and leadership skills required to contribute succesfully to society.
As the pace of change accelerates, the level of empathy required to collaborate in the workplace, or on other types of teams that bring change to the world, is higher than ever before.
If you aren’t proficient in empathy, you’re severely limiting your opportunities to contribute to society, and are at risk of being left behind. If we are to create a world where everyone can be a player, provide input, and create value, we must grasp, practice, and develop empathy.
Empathy is more than just awareness and concern. It is about cultural sensitivity and conflict resolution. It’s about the ability to communicate effectively and understand the motivations of others. Empathy is about standing up, not standing by, uncovering what’s below the surface through active listening and putting words into action.
This is why Ashoka is launching a global initiative to ensure that children master empathy, enabling them to be effective citizens, leaders and trailblazers.
Creating the future we envision demands we rethink our approach to school culture and curricula. By launching an online collaborative competition, Activating Empathy: Transforming Schools to Teach What Matters,we’re challenging teachers, principals,
parents, students, and other innovators to share ideas—whether by a project, a program, or a new learning experience—for advancing empathy in education.
Enter the competition today to share your passion for creating a world guided by empathy and collaboration, one led by empowered young people who succeed in the classroom and in every walk of life.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Empathy
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Teachers Resist High-Tech Push in Idaho Schools
"Ann Rosenbaum... and many of her peers in Idaho are resisting a statewide plan that dictates how computers should be used in classrooms."Read on:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/technology/idaho-teachers-fight-a-reliance-on-computers.html?_r=1
Monday, August 29, 2011
Does Scientific Research Support Differentiating Instruction For Multiple Intelligences?
"We've all heard the theory that some students are visual learners, while others are auditory learners. And still other kids learn best when lessons involve movement. But should teachers target instruction based on perceptions of students' strengths?"
Read the rest of this article at NPR's Morning Addition.
Friday, June 10, 2011
School Sucks
Written by Bobby Shaddox
Humanities 6th Grade
High Tech Middle in San Diego, CA
I recently had the experience of observing classes and working with teachers in a secondary school. I repeatedly saw posters in classrooms (like the one photographed on the right), telling students how to evaluate and measure their own learning. If you look closely you can see that a student in the NC5 zone is a “medium” student. Upon further inspection, you can tell that they should "be able to compare two sources and suggest various reasons why they disagree." An important skill indeed. But could it be any more dulled down? Could it be any more Pink Floyd “The Wall”? What kind of message does this edu-propaganda send to the wandering gaze of a curious 12 year old?
School sucks.
If I were that student, what message would this poster send me? It says that my teacher, who hasn't the slightest clue of how to appeal to my interests, is trying to prove to his supervisors that he is teaching successfully. It says learning is boring. It says learning doesn’t relate to my world. It tells me that I am a “medium“ learner. This poster tells me that the point of learning is to prepare me for a government sanctioned exam that will determine my lot in life. It tells me to stop wondering. Stop asking. Stop dreaming. Stop creating. That I ought to be an NC8. This is convergent thinking. This is how limits, lines, borders, and boxes squeeze the joy out of learning.
If you want to put something on the wall of your classroom, here's a tip. Skip the government mumbo jumbo. Skip the meaningless, bureaucratic, meta-cognitive Newspeak. It’s not good for kids. If you're going to put something on the wall to inspire students thinking, let it be an exercise in open-ended inquiry. Ask your students to generate questions and then make posters posing them. Teachers should be opening the avenues of learning, not shutting them down and forcing everyone down a single black and white lane. Our world is becoming increasingly more challenging and complex. Why not prepare students for that world?
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Students Need To Be The Authors Of Their Own Education!
We want young people to become independent and capable, yet we structure their days to the minute and give them few opportunities to do anything but answer multiple-choice questions, follow instructions and memorize information. We cast social interaction as an impediment to learning, yet all evidence points to the huge role it plays in their psychological development.
That’s why we need to rethink the very nature of high school itself."
Read on...