From longer holidays to compassion in the classroom: Supporting U of T students during COVID-19 (photo by David Lee) That’s why University of Toronto President Meric Gertler recently extended the winter break by one week to Jan. 11. for students in first-entry undergraduate divisions and some graduate and professional programs. Recruiting teachers and keeping them in the profession has become a critical issue for the UK education system. This book offers a a chapter (Chapter 15) on teaching values and democracy in the classroom through cross-curricular connections. In lieu of the need for teaching materials that foster kindness and compassion, teacher authors from around the globe have come together to offer FREE classroom materials for teachers. Turn Your Classroom Irritation Into Compassion By James M. Lang. Teaching Compassion in the Classroom In the school where I work, we have no honor's class or the so-called "star section". While supporting teachers to become purposeful, creative sensitive teachers and learners I invite others involved in this profession to join me. ... A method called 'learning-for-teaching' not only increases cooperation in class but it improves conceptual retention. Empathy outcome research shows that exposure to an empathetic person has a palliative and even healing effect on patients. Tolerance.org. In the classroom, this can take many forms. The theme of kindness and compassion rounded off the year 2020. One might ask why I would ever step foot inside a school again, having had such a negative experience. Here are some alternative perspectives to consider and tips on teaching with compassion. Tips for Teachers for Myths Suggestions for activities in the classroom More Teaching Tips for Myths More Suggestions for activities in the classroom Parent Resources: Teaching Empathy and Compassion to Pre schoolers - Article sharing the importance of teaching empathy and compassion to children along with practical things parents can do. It’s a trait that plays a factor in the success of many roles, especially that of a teacher, and can benefit all parties involved. 121 likes. Andrew Deacon in front of students in his classroom. Teachers are known for being amongst the most compassionate of professional workers. Her experiential virtual classroom allows students to participate in exercises that illustrate the power of compassion. Empathy and compassion are meaningful when children know, understand and trust themselves, as well as when they know who they are, what they have in common with others and what sets them apart. But despite my challenges, my teachers made a notable impact on me. In order to make compassion accessible to all, Sara uses a casual, easy-to-understand teaching style. A recent National Education Union survey of more than 8,000 teachers reported that 81 per cent of them had seriously considered leaving the profession in the past 12 months because of their workload. I couldn’t agree more. This paper provides five activity ideas for teaching compassion in the elementary classroom and also offers a compassion role play. That's the premise set forth in a new article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Compassion is defined as the feeling that arises when you perceive another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering.. Compassion can arise from empathy—the more general ability to understand and feel others’ emotions—but goes further by also including the desire to help. Professional development for teachers usually focuses on pedagogy, strategies and methodologies. STRATEGIES FOR SHOWING COMPASSION IN THE DIGITAL CLASSROOM. It's common for teachers to feel irritated by students' questions now and again. Explain to students that the compassion sculptures will be on display in class as a reminder of the ways we may have compassion for others in our class, school, and community. According to their site, Teaching Tolerance is “dedicated to reducing prejudice, improving intergroup relations, and supporting equitable school experiences for our nation’s children. If the chaos of the classroom doesn’t allow you to give this kind of focused listening to a student who really needs it, then set a time to talk when there are fewer distractions. Classroom of Compassion is a Los Angeles based floral and creative arts organization dedicated to teaching and sharing the restorative and artistic practice of compassion and self compassion. We group students heterogeneously. Contains three references. With all the focus on social-emotional learning in the classroom, it is easy to forget that teachers are the best models of such behavior. 12 Ways to Teach Kids Compassion. So, teachers who have parallel skills in teaching in the face-to-face classroom are unfortunately crippled in this process of on-going digital shifting. However, building compassion in the classroom is exceedingly important for students, and should be part of teacher training and ongoing professional development. Some people argue that compassion is not only a desirable trait in a leader, it is a necessary one. I found a passion in teaching others with compassion and empathy in college extracurriculars and my study in the arts. There are a lot of ways to encourage compassion in kids, and a lot of people can provide way better-documented research than I can. This emphasis on compassion in the classroom is timely. Teachers need to incorporate such materials into their ongoing social studies structure." The paper cites 10 annotated ERIC sources on the subject of compassion. More than one out of every five students report being bullied. Some people may view it as a formula for disaster. Compassion in Teachers. Teaching kids about empathy, kindness, and compassion is a must for schools. But here are some methods I’ve tried over the past ten years in the middle school classroom that have helped develop kinder, more empathetic students. Here are several ideas shared by our colleagues: Create teaching-oriented discussion groups to share support. The performing and the underperforming, together in one class. For the teacher of young students, once an awareness has been created, the teacher can engage in discussion about how … Seemingly every teacher knows someone who has quit the profession, taken early retirement or been signed off work with stress. 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