Creating Empathetic Students

I’ve recently been introduced to a variety of different design thinking models as approaches in creating and evaluating lesson and unit plans. After weighing the pros and cons of the various models, I’ve decided that I especially value the ADDIE method of design thinking. Standing for Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate, the model aims to guide teachers through the planning process in an effective manner.

As I am beginning to plan my last unit of the school year, I thought I’d revisit my introduction to the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. When I first planned this unit two school years ago, I wasn’t aware of the structured ADDIE model. I am always mindful of my instructional goals and outcomes during planning, and I always reflect on my lessons after implementing them, but I have never referenced a specific set of guidelines to help me do it more meaningfully. Because my introduction lesson to this unit is one of my most valued, I thought I’d walk myself through the steps of ADDIE prior to implementing it this year after spring break.

Analyze

I had never read this novel until I was an adult, and it continues to touch me each time I read it with my students. After reading the novel for the first time, I knew that I wanted and needed to focus on the social implications of the story’s content as much as the literary techniques. Engaging eighth graders in a novel study during the last six weeks of the school year can be quite a challenge. To introduce this novel to students, I knew that I needed to make the relevancy of a classic story very apparent. My students spend a lot of time throughout the year analyzing the pathos, or appeals to emotion, that authors make in their writing, so I thought I would utilize a similar approach in my introductory lesson. Typically, when engaging in a novel study, students have the task of identifying and analyzing themes throughout the story. This time, I thought I would decide to highlight a common theme within the novel, empathy, prior to the students beginning their reading. Living as a citizen in an increasingly diverse society, students need to be mindful of the way they think about and perceive people unlike themselves. Learning how to engage in perspective-taking thinking is a skill many middle school students still need to develop. I set out to devise a one-period lesson plan that would emulate empathy to students in a meaningful way.

Design & Develop

I immediately remembered an activity that one of my undergraduate professors had us participate in as a way to empathize with students who have disabilities. Because this activity has stuck with me years after doing it, I knew that it would do the same for students. Prior to learning about the historical background and context of the novel, I decided I would have students engage in the same activity that I had in my class. Essentially, they complete a series of stations that each emulate living with a specific type of disability.  Click here to view the various stations that students complete. Following the activity, I wanted students to read a text about empathy and reflect on their learning experience. I found this informative article for students to read, and created this Google Form for students to share their reflections.

Implement

Last year, I implemented this activity for the first time. I had introduced the novel in more traditional ways in years past but finally took the risk of trying something new. I was delighted with students’ engagement and the way in which the activity allowed students to understand what empathy really was.

Evaluate

I find this piece of the design process to be one of the most essential. After reflecting on this lesson last year, I wrote up a lengthy, detailed outline of my thoughts to share with my administrator as a part of my evaluation for the year. I recently found this reflection as I was looking through my materials from last year, and I decided to reread it so that I could make necessary changes for this year. To showcase my reflection, I’ve created a video that highlights my epiphanies, successes, and critiques of the lesson.

Although I knew I valued this activity, I was considering how essential it was to use it this year, as I find that time is running short. After reviewing my reflection from last year, I know that I need to do it again. I think I will make a few tweaks to it, using my ideas shared in the video reflection, but I know that the base of the activity needs to remain a part of the novel’s introduction. Students likely won’t graduate from my class remembering the specific simile that Harper Lee used to illustrate Scout’s adventurous attitude, but they hopefully will remember what it means to be empathetic.

This year, I’ve decided to take students’ learning beyond the classroom and devise an activity to help them explore and develop their own empathy. Click here to check out the activity I recently created. I am so excited to put it into action!

I have found that walking through the steps of a design thinking process, like ADDIE, is useful even after a lesson has already been taught. In fact, it has deemed to be even more meaningful when there is already a prior experience to reflect on. I encourage all teachers to engage in a similar process to feel the challenging and rewarding experience that it offers.