Basic Empathy Lesson Plan
Lesson Structure
Philosophy and Goal
Guide students to think about the philosophical importance of the seeing from other perspectives, how to build empathy and ethics. The icebreaker begins by helping students identify with each other as a precursor to the empathy task question. The second part of the lesson begins with two famous images about perspective, then moves into the concept of empathy with the last two images. The students will have a different task question to guide the interpretation of each image.
First, students will be introduced to the concept of different perspectives and practicing seeing from other perspectives. There is an assumption that the development of empathy will give people the capacity to develop their moral compass. The consequences of a lack of empathy, the bullying reference, can be understood by the fact that we have multiple perspectives. The problem is when we do not take into consideration other’s perspective, a property of empathy.
Age Range: 10+
Techniques:
Growth Mindset - capacity to learn
Presence / Absence
Acknowledgement: Names, Contribution and Value
‘If” or “echo”, repetition, elaboration, drawing out, counter example, group discussion opportunity
Questions: Anchor, asking why, clarification, follow up
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Teaching Aids:​
1) Critical Thinking Moment
When a fallacy or logical issues comes up, the instructor flags that bit of information with its relevant fallacy by pinning the colourful image to a chart. Students get points for accurately identifying fallacies. Scores are used to create motivation among students to apply and learn content. Every week, a Philosophical Book (relative to age group) is given to the top scoring student.
(Find good and fun books as rewards that are philosophically engaging)
2) Guide Buddy
When you see this symbol, it means that there is a meta-teaching point about the lesson. The guide buddy will give you the philosophical breakdown of this part of the lesson so you can improvise your own methods or techniques to get to the same goal. Sometimes we have to follow the demands of the present moment and respond to unexpected events or opportunities.
3) Time
Indicated the expected minimum time needed to complete the discussion for a group of 20 students at the suggested age range.
4) Catalyst
The core of the activity that demonstrates the philosophical discussion point. Can be a visual image, a story, a short movie clip etc. The group is first exposed to the stimulus then focuses on the relevant philosophical discussion from there. Emergent and nested questions can come up in the process of philosophizing represented at E1-n.
5) Task Question
This is the launching pad for the philosophical theme demonstrated in the stimulus. The use of anchoring can bring a convoluted or side tracked discussion back to the core philosophical issue at hand.
Icebreaker
Guide Buddy: Some groups may not know each other before this moment, so it is time to become familiar with each other. This icebreaker activity is meant to give people the opportunity to practice being transparent and allowing others who identify with them to connect. This game is modified off a similar game posted in the references.
Time: 10 mins
Catalyst: The “I AM” Wave
Have the students stand at their desks. At random, have the students begin a sentence expressing something about their identity. The form, “I am” or “I have” works well. Ex: I have a dog. I am over 19.
When someone in the group also identifies with that property, they stand near the person who said it first. As people say things in class and students move around, they will learn that some other students are very similar to them about different things. This process can generate empathy because the process allows people to connect very efficiently.
CT Moment: Not a bad time for a small introduction to the benefits of critical thinking. For example, unless you have taken the time to evaluate all your beliefs and sort through which ones are reasonable, you haven't really made an informed decision about those beliefs. So how did they get there?
Part 1: Perspective
Time: 10 mins per image, 40 mins total.
Guide Buddy: To introduce the concept of multiple perspectives on the same phenomena as the first step towards empathy: considering that there is something else beyond my own.
Procedure - Once the concept of multiple perspectives is established, transition into understanding the perspective and emotions of others by the last image. Transition into next activity.
catalyst: Image 1 - Duck Rabbit Drawing
Guide Buddy: Here we are looking to introduce the concept of multiple perspectives, the value of agreeing and the fact there can be more than one true perspective. Depending on where the students go, your discussion can be conceptual or influenced by social dynamics. Be prepared to speak about that spectrum.
CT Moment: Were you able to observe any areas for improvement in the way the students were communicating their ideas logically? Help support the students in identifying critical thinking errors and rebuilding their ideas in reasonable ways with the use of the CT Cards. Ex: That is an example of equivocation, when the same word has two meanings. +1 CT.
Task Question:
Do you notice anything interesting about this drawing?
E1: What do you see?
E2: Can anyone not see the duck (or rabbit)?
E3: Can you think of anything else in your life like this?
Catalyst: Image 2 - Young Old Woman
Guide Buddy: Roll with this image off the previous introduction to multiple perspectives. You are looking for disagreement so that the students can practice their communication skills to elicit an understanding of each others’ viewpoints.
Task Question:
Is there more than one way of looking at this drawing?
E1: Does anyone not see the young (or old) woman?
E2: What about the drawing that makes us able to see it from more than one perspective?
E3: If someone did not see the old woman, but you did. Would that mean the old woman still exists?
E3.1: What if a whole room of people did not see the old woman, but you did?
CT Moment: Ad Populum Fallacy
E4: What does it mean when others don’t understand us or our perspective?
CT Moment: Have we checked our reasoning if others don’t understand?
Catalyst: Image 3 - Other's Eyes
Guide Buddy: Now that we know that different perspectives exist, what does this mean for our ability to see others than just our own? What are the limits of our perspective and what we can see in others?
Task Question:
Are we able to ever see from another person’s perspective?
E1: Is your perspective real?
E2: Has anyone had a time where they felt no one could see from their perspective but them?
E3: Is there anything we can do, to help each other see from different perspectives?
Catalyst: Image 4
'Sister' by Jon Cattapan 1984
Guide Buddy: Here we want the kids to practice empathizing with each character in the painting. The painter did this when his sister died in a car accident. “Sister depicts a grey-shrouded body lying on a bright red structure. Behind it are five figures in two separate groups. One represents living relatives and friends; the other, the spiritual world.” (Eleanor Flynn theconversation.com) After the group has some practice empathizing with the painting, we’re moving to a story with two perspectives and the beginning of moral implications.
Task Question:
Can you feel anything from the characters?
E1: What is going on in this picture?
E2: How many people do you see?
E3: What are the people feeling?
Part 2: Feelings
Guide Buddy: The story is used as a thought experiment of a real world, applicable situation that the kids may face. The story is to show that there was not necessarily intention to cause harm on the bullies part, but that if he had empathy, he would of not acted the way he did. We want the kids to visualize and empathize with both characters and understand how to move forward. Try to support generalizing and applying the principles of empathy to other situations they are familiar with. Read the story to the kids (if modified, can be used for intro adults as well) then begin with the transition into the connection of empathy and morality/ ethics.
Time: 5 mins read, 15 mins discussion.
Catalyst: Pothole Pirate
In the morning, when Jimmy was walking to the bus, he stepped in a hole in the street and rolled his ankle. Ouch! Jimmy hurt himself. It was difficult for Jimmy to walk but he decided to go to class anyways, even though he limped as he walked.
When Jimmy walked to his desk, when he arrived at class, the other students said some mean things to Jimmy because he was walking differently. The children said, “Haha, Jimmy walks like a pirate with a wooden leg! Where is your parrot?”
Jimmy felt hurt by the other kids not understanding just how much his foot hurt. Jimmy wasn’t even aware he was walking funny. Jimmy was just so focused on how his foot felt and wanted to just sit down at his desk and not think about it anymore. Jimmy said to himself, “If they just knew that the hole wasn't there before, i didn't mean to walk into it. It sucks for me as without you making fun of me, my foot hurts!”
Charlie was up late the night before with his older brother watching some funny cartoons on Youtube. There was one cartoon that Charlie thought was funny about a clumsy pirate cartoon whose pet bird helps him solve problems while looking for treasure. When Charlie saw Jimmy walkin just like the pirate from last night, he couldn’t help but laugh. Charlie just wanted his friends to laugh too, because laughing feels good and it's fun. So he told his friends who sat near him in class about the cartoon looking like Jimmy, and they all started laughing.
One person wasn’t laughing; Jimmy.
Task Question: grammatically closed/ conceptually open
Was it wrong for Charlie and his friends to laugh at Jimmy?
CT Moment: Ethical Relativist Criticism - who are we to judge Charlie and his friends, Jimmy is just taking things too personally. Self-refuting claim.
Emergent/ Nested Questions:
E1: Did Charlie hurt Jimmy?
E2: Was Jimmy Hurt by Charlie?
E3: How did Jimmy feel?
E4: If Charlie didn’t know that Jimmy hurt himself, does that change how it made Jimmy feel?
E5: If Jimmy had a disability, would it change the rightness or wrongness of the other children laughing and making fun of him?
E6: What is the difference between having fun and bullying?
How do we make sure were not hurting someone else’s feelings
The difference between having fun and making fun of. How could the children have fun with Jimmy instead of making fun of Jimmy?
E7: If Jimmy is hurt, is he having fun?
E8: How much responsibility do we have for others' misfortunes.
E8.1: Does it matter if their misfortune was due to their decisions?
Part 3: Practice Empathizing
---------Break into Groups of 2 for 10 minutes-------
Guide Buddy: Here we are actually training the skills that will develop empathy: eye contact, mirroring of facial expression to understand emotions, dialogue to clarify meaning, listening skills, etc. Students will tell a story that has something happy and sad in it. The other student is supposed to listen and inquire about their partner’s feelings during the story. The listener then retells the story of the first student to 2 others, displaying their comprehension of empathy. If the listener does not accurately communicate the story, the student corrects them. This exercise provides an integrated way to develop empathy that has immediate, built in feedback.
Time: 10 mins each group, 30 mins total.
CT Moment: Take a minute to go over a fallacy or two every now and then. The repeated exposure to the mechanics coupled with the CT reward system will have some influential effect on the kids internalizing the process of critical thinking. When the students break off into groups, encourage them to try to identify one reasoning improvement either they or one of their group members could make.
Catalyst: Empathy Activity
Part One: Groups of 2
1) Tell a story about something that makes you happy and sad
2) The other person waits until they ‘see’ an emotion in you and ask you, “how do you feel?”
3) Then they switch
------Merge groups of 2 into 4 10 minutes -------
Part Two: 2 Teams of 2
Each person tells the other 2 how their partner felt in the story. If they get it right the next person tells the story of their partner. If they get it wrong, their group cooperates together to tell the story and how the person felt.
----Class Remerging back together 10 minutes ---
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Part Three: Class Reflection
Task Question:
Can we know how others feel?
Yes: Then why do we hurt each other sometimes?
E1: What does it mean to be understood?
No: Only you can know how you feel.
E2: What is the limit to our empathy?
Part 4: ethical Empathy
Guide Buddy: We have made it to the final part of the workshop. We have introduced the students to multiple perspectives, spent some time exploring how to see other perspectives than our own, what it means to empathize with others feelings, and began looking at the morality that comes from developing empathy.
Here we are looking at three ethical principles in conjunction with empathy: beneficence: the duty to do good, non-maleficence: the duty to not cause harm, and the categorical imperative: universalizing a maxim and rationally deciding to do it. We are making the assumption that being ethical is a desirable trait and therefore there is a motivation to develop empathy: it will make you a good/better person.
This exercise practices connecting each ethical principle to situations where being empathetic was the determining factor in the ethical principle being embodied or not. The students are to visualize either scenario, the consequences of not being empathetic and unethical or how the skill of empathy would have led to a more ethical outcome.
Time: 15 mins, 5 mins per ethical principle.
CT Moment: Quick reasoning check. Does anyone need any clarification on reasoning improvements?
Catalyst: Philosopher Referee
Guide Buddy: Ethics are principles that guide us in moral actions and decisions, just like the rules in sports games. Philosophers are the referees of life, using ethics to let us know when we have broken a ‘life-rule’ in an analogous way to referee’s in sports games.
Task Question:
Can you be the Philosophical Referee for these situations?
Being Good
Example: Birthday Cake
Good: Dad came home with mom’s birthday cake today. I remembered that he made lots of plans to get it just right. When we left this morning, he slipped on the ice. He didn't hurt himself but he did take a tumble. Before he got home I salted the ice patch and when he got in the driveway, I helped him carry stuff in the house. I didn’t want him to drop the cake, I know how much it meant to them.
Bad: I forgot that it was mom's birthday and laughed when dad fell today. On top of that, he dropped mom’s cake when he got home! He was so angry and she got super sad. Whatever, I just went to my room and played video games until I went to bed.
E1: What does it mean to be good?
E2: Who’s responsibility is the cake?
E3: Is all this effort necessary to be good?
E4: What if we didn't know the driveway was icy or that the cake was coming home at 5 today?
Not Hurting Others
Example: Bullying or Having Fun?
Good: I went up to Jay and asked him how long it takes to watch grass grow. He looked at me confused and laughed. ‘I donno,’ he said. Why? I said, well man, this game is important to everyone and i noticed that you didn’t have your eye on the ball. What’s going on? Are you okay?
Bad: Jay didn’t play well today. It’s like he couldn't even see. He was looking down the whole time and missed the ball completely. Rogg called out to him and said he sucked and shouldn't be on the team. A few other guys also said some stuff and he ended up going home when everyone started laughing.
E1: Is there a way to have fun without hurting others (bullying)?
E2: If I am hurt, is it good when others empathize with me?
E3: If others are hurt, is it good for me to empathize with them?
Categorical Imperative
Example: Upset Sister
Good: My sister was very upset today, she came into the house screaming. I asked her what was wrong and someone stole her purse while she was talking to a customer service employee at the shoe store she likes. It was about 20 minutes she vented but after that she felt better. I didn’t have to sit there, it was almost like she was yelling at me. But you know, if something similar happened to me, I would appreciate someone being there for me when I was upset. She deserves that too.
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Bad: It's her fault so I don't want to hear it. Anyone else I would give them my time, but her? No.
E1: Empathy is one thing, I understand how you feel but where do I draw the line?
E2: If your sister is upset and yelling at you, what do you do?
E3: Is listening the ethical thing to do for her?
Conclusion
Guide Buddy: We have gone over the concept of multiple perspectives and introduced empathy through the progression of images. We then took a case study and explored the implications of empathy in it before launching into a real life practice of being empathetic with others. We finished our time with practicing being a philosophical referee in some situations that could use empathy. Review the main task questions presented then discuss and summarize students' responses. At the end, use the memory heuristic, primacy recency effect, to end on a Critical Thinking Moment. There will be a higher chance of recall next time for Critical Thinking content.
Time: 15 mins.
Task Questions:
Are we able to ever see from another person’s perspective?
Was it wrong for Charlie and his friends to laugh at Jimmy?
Can we know how others feel?
Can you be the Philosophical Referee for these situations?
CT Moment: Has anyone learned anything new today about critical thinking?
Here is today’s score for the CT Cards.
References
Images:
Brain Cartoon for Critical Thinking Cards Icon
https://images.app.goo.gl/AhvHXiToFctyvXVh9
Guide Buddy Icon
https://images.app.goo.gl/UiNkCW7CBgQpJc1A8
Clock Icon
https://images.app.goo.gl/JA8HUfEeZ6BhEGZV9
Stimulus Icon
https://images.app.goo.gl/3fRY4cQPUaa62H888
Task Question Icon
https://images.app.goo.gl/jQAy2Q46yRSmRvwt6
Pothole Pirate Image
https://images.app.goo.gl/WDLfUXS3BVPEkanA7
Philosophy Referee Image
https://images.app.goo.gl/MRheWznPJ91Hy4tD7
Catalyst Images:
Duck Rabbit Drawing - From Old 1892 German Cartoon
https://images.app.goo.gl/Abr1uZNW3dmTcX287
Hill, William Ely. “My Wife and Mother In Law.” 1915
https://images.app.goo.gl/f1xGU7KsM3XrMuVN6
Lam, Gracia. Picture in New York Times Article. ‘How to Foster Empathy in Children”. 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/10/well/live/how-to-foster-empathy-in-children.html
https://images.app.goo.gl/CnCv3BUsq9dYzNja8
Cattapan, Jon. “Sister.” 1984 (oil on canvas). The University of Melbourne Art Collection, Gift of Jon Cattapan 2008.
https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-can-looking-at-art-make-for-better-doctors-70484
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Influential Information:
The I Am Group - Influenced by the “I am Circle”
Worly, Peter. “The If Machine.” Second Edition. Bloomsbury. London, UK. 2019
Gaut, Berys. Gaut, Morag. “Philosophy for Young Children: A Practical Guide.” Routledge. New York, 2012.
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