Empathy Interviews
Overview
A first step to supporting learners is truly understanding who they are. Empathy interviews are open-ended conversations in which an educator or practitioner asks questions and actively listens to learn about students' past experiences to best support learners. These conversations are typically structured with a predetermined protocol to help educators ask the right questions to achieve their goals. These interviews provide educators with an opportunity to understand their students' identity beyond the classroom walls and how that intersects with their school experience. This method provides educators with insight into the challenges students face, their strengths, and their Sense of Belonging in school. When performed properly, empathy interviews should allow educators to truly empathize with their students, which can have profound results cognitively, behaviorally, and academically for learners.
Example: Use This Strategy in the Classroom
Watch as this educator models empathy interviewing with a nine-year old learner.
Design It into Your Product
Videos are chosen as examples of strategies in action. These choices are not endorsements of the products or evidence of use of research to develop the feature.
Watch as this educator uses multiple applications to allow learners to express themselves through telling digital stories.
Additional Resources
Additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
Factors Supported by this Strategy
More Culturally Responsive Strategies
Developing empathy in educators and in learners is an iterative process that requires taking the time to understand and honor others' perspectives.
Checking in with learners, or taking the time to talk with individual learners about their experiences or goals, is important for fostering a positive classroom environment.
Developing cultural awareness as an educator is an ongoing process that includes building empathy for the full diversity of students, intentionally recognizing how one's own identity intersects with students' identities, and creating an awareness of how the learning environment can impact students' Sense of Belonging.
Discussing race with students can range from celebrating the importance of diversity to understanding the impact of racism from the perspective of those who have been historically marginalized.
Equitable grading systems and practices reimagine how to assess and communicate student progress through various methods that reduce subjectivity and increase opportunities to learn.
Family engagement happens when educators and schools collaborate with families to collectively support their child's learning in meaningful ways, both at school and at home.
Learning about students' cultures and connecting them to instructional practices helps foster a sense of belonging and mitigate Stereotype Threat.
Selecting culturally responsive materials, including multicultural and diverse resources, is critical for supporting all students.
Shadowing a student involves an educator, administrator, or designated adult observing a learner across different parts of their day to deepen their understanding of that learner's experience beyond their classroom.
Student-led conferences are meetings between students, parents, and teachers where the student actively leads the conversation by reflecting on their progress toward goals and sharing examples of their work.
Translanguaging is a flexible classroom practice enabling students to listen, speak, read, and write across their multiple languages or dialects, even if the teacher does not have formal knowledge of these additional languages.
