Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Empathy

Again and again Nelson returns to this idea that to be effective teachers (at least in her formulation) we must have empathy for the students we work with. Just to make sure I was understanding Nelson correctly, I looked up empathy in the OED: The power of projecting one's personality into (and so fully comprehending) the object of contemplation. Is this a reasonable goal for WC work? For the work of teaching more generally? I think I understand that Nelson wants teachers to think about where the students are coming from and thus helping create lesson plans based on those specific needs. Still, this seems like a huge goal.

Should we always aim for empathy? If not, what should we be aiming for?
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1 comment:

Carolyn A. Jones said...

Maybe emphathy isn't really the right word to use. Teachers who assess where their students are more effective in guiding where they need to go. But what I here Nelson saying is that until the student asseses him/herself and determines where to go, that instruction won't be effective. Students must want what is provided. How to create desire is huge.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

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