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In Children of Life, teachers may get a glimpse of Kanamori's empathy-centered teaching. You can view his applications, day-to-day emotional exercises, and the observable, positive outcomes for the children he taught.

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Kanamori gives insights into possible consequences that may manifest as a result of children having a lack of empathy, and when children experience family pressures. These include school rejection, marginalization, suicide attempts, etc.

Many of these concepts (and problems) that Kanamori mentions in this interview parallel similar issues in America's school-to-prison pipeline.

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'Happiness always comes from the connection between human beings'.

After practicing as a primary school teacher for 38 years at different schools, retired in March 2007 and is currently a professor in the Department of Early Childhood Education in Hokuriku Gakuin University, in Japan. Through his idea of education 'Empathize with your friends to be happy', Kanamori investigates, from the 80s, different ways to work directly with people and nature. In the documentary 'Children Full of Life', produced by NHK (Japan National Television) shows what happened in one of his classes throughout a course. This film was a great success which resulted in obtaining several awards and a high circulation and global impact. His work has gotten the attention of the education community, but has also achieved recognition from other sectors that may seem further away, such as health.

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WHAT About: The future by Toshiro Kanamori

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Happiness always comes from the connection between human beings. After practicing as a primary school teacher for 38 years at different schools, retired in March 2007 and is currently a professor in the Department of Early Childhood Education in Hokuriku Gakuin University, in Japan.

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Jeff Duncan-Andrade: Ph.D. Social and Cultural Studies in Education

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Jeff Duncan-Andrade: Ph.D. Social and Cultural Studies in Education

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Toshiro Kanamori's teaching philosophy highly intertwines with Duncan-Andrade's teaching philosophy, in that, as educators, we must redefine what success is in our schools.

In a conversation with his students, Kanamori asks: "What is the most important thing in life?"
Students: "To be happy."
Kanamori: "We only have one life, so let's enjoy  it, ok?"

When we prioritize empathy and holistic well-being in our classrooms, academic performance and rigor soon follow suit.

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Jeff Duncan-Andrade: Equality or Equity - Which One Will We Feed?

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For Educators: How to Build Empathy and Strengthen Your School Commmunity

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For Educators: How to Build Empathy and Strengthen Your School Commmunity

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View the Making Caring Common Project from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in this link!

Here you can find concrete steps to implement on a school-system level and classroom level to build empathy in your community.

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The word empathy is used a lot, but what does it really mean? Empathy is a concerned response to another person's feelings. It involves thinking, feeling, and even a physical reaction that our bodies have to other people when we relate to how they feel. To have empathy, we have to notice and understand others' feelings, but that isn't enough. We also need to care about and value them. Con men and torturers are very good at taking others' perspectives, but they don't have empathy for them.

Building empathy

Children and teenagers naturally have the capacity for empathy, but that doesn't mean they develop it on their own. They learn how to notice, listen, and care by watching and listening to adults and peers, and they take cues from these people about why empathy is important. All school adults - teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, administrators, and others - play a role in helping students develop and display empathy.

One role school adults can play is helping students expand their circle of concern. People are inclined to feel more empathy for those who are similar to them or in close proximity to them. But when it comes to building a school community and developing caring students, that's not enough. In strong school communities, students (and adults) have empathy for everyone - including those who are different in background, beliefs, or other ways. When educators show that they care about everyone in the school community and expect students to do the same, it can help students open their eyes and ears to others, including those who are sometimes treated as invisible.

Another important role is encouraging students to take the leap from having empathy to acting on it. Too often, we assume that young people will automatically know what to do when they feel concern for a peer or an adult, and then do it. But we all sometimes fall into the empathy-action gap, when we care about a person or cause but don't do anything to help. Educators can help young people overcome this gap by modeling and encouraging them to take action, whether it's standing up for someone who is teased, helping to solve a problem, or simply listening to someone who is feeling down.

Barriers to empathy

Even with this kind of encouragement, some things can get in the way of noticing others, feeling empathy, and acting on that empathy. These barriers include feeling different or distant from another person. They also include feeling overwhelmed or distressed by concern for another person, because that can make it hard to act.

To help prevent and overcome these and other barriers, educators can help students

Notice and reject stereotypes

Respect and value differences

Widen their circle of concern

Listen closely to peers and adults

Manage difficult feelings like sadness, anger, and frustration

Navigate social situations ethically and fairly

Five essential steps for schools

1. model empathy

When frustrated with students, pause and take a deep breath and try to see the situation from their perspective before responding.

When a student is upset, reflect back his feelings or the rationale for his behavior before redirecting the behavior.

Be aware of students' non-verbal cues and follow up on them. For example, if a student is slumping in her chair and appearing withdrawn or angry, say something like "I noticed that you are quieter than usual today. Is something bothering you?" rather than immediately reprimanding her.

Ask for students' input when appropriate and feasible (for example, when establishing classroom rules or generating ideas for group projects) - and really listen. Find opportunities to incorporate their feedback and respond to their needs.

2. Teach what empathy is and why it matters

Clearly explain that empathy means understanding and caring about another person's feelings and taking action to help. Explain how it improves the classroom and school community.

Stress the importance of noticing and having empathy for people beyond immediate friends, including those who are different or who are too often invisible.

Give examples of how to act on empathy, such as helping, showing kindness, or even simply listening.

3. Practice

Create opportunities to practice taking another's perspective and imagining what others are thinking. Play charades and do role plays, read and discuss books, and use "what would you do" style vignettes or case studies.

Name the barriers to empathy, like stereotypes, stress, or fears of social consequences for helping an unpopular peer. Share specific strategies to overcome them. For example, encourage students to privately offer kind and supportive words to a student who was bullied.

Foster emotional and social skills, like dealing with anger and frustration and solving conflicts. Use an evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) program and teach specific routines for calming down and resolving disputes. Use advisories and guidance counseling to develop social and ethical skills.

4. Set clear ethical expectations

Be clear that you expect students to care about one another and the entire school community. Don't just put it in the mission statement or on a poster - talk about it, model it, praise it, and hold students to it.

Do an exercise with students to help them reflect on who is inside and outside their circle. Discuss why and how they can expand the circle of who they care about.

Establish specific guidelines for unacceptable language and behaviors. Ban slurs or hurtful language like "that's retarded" or "he's so gay," even when said ironically or in jest - and step in if you hear them. Encourage students to think about why these words can be hurtful.

Enlist students in establishing rules and holding each other accountable.

Use restorative justice practices and peer mediation when conflicts arise.

5. Make school culture and climate a priority

Collect data from students and staff at least once a year about whether they feel safe, respected, and cared about at school.

Take time to examine the data and make efforts to address problem areas identified by students and staff.

Avoid over-emphasizing comparative evaluation, getting ahead by beating others, or other pressures that can erode trust and undermine empathy.

Authored by: Stephanie Jones, Rick Weissbourd, Suzanne Bouffard, Jennifer Kahn, and Trisha Ross Anderson of the Making Caring Common Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This resource is based on a research and program review supported by the Ashoka Empathy Initiative. Last reviewed October 2018.

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How to Build Empathy and Strengthen Your School Community - Making Caring Common

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To help educators learn how to build empathy among their school communities, the Making Caring Common Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education reviewed existing research on empathy and the strategies of evidence-based programs that promote it. Our work shows that there's more to developin

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"Empathy is the salve that can save the world. Empathy drives compassion. Compassion is an expression of love."

Empathy is not just some abstract concept to espouse to our youth. We need to cultivate empathy within ourselves as educators, and model accordingly! Listen to Louise Kennedy talk about how she takes into account her students' personal experiences to understand their perspectives and feelings.

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Empathy & Education | Louise Kennedy | TEDxVeroBeach

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Michelle Stowe (M. Ed): Restorative Practitioner

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Michelle Stowe (M. Ed): Restorative Practitioner

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We're not always perfect! Sometimes, we might be tempted to give in to a power struggle with our challenging students. Watch Michelle Stowe talk about her experiences with restorative practices, as well as an anecdote on an experience where she emotionally disconnected with one of her students.

Sometimes, difficult conversations need to be had in order to better serve our students. They lead to two outcomes: 1.) educators and students understanding each other's perspectives, and 2.) allowing them to feel for one another.

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Empathy: The Heart of Difficult Conversations | Michelle Stowe | TEDxTallaght

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Empathy and Awareness for our Youngest Learners

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Empathy and Awareness for our Youngest Learners

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So, if empathy has a myriad of positive outcomes, how do we begin to introduce this concept to our youngest children? How do we begin to cultivate them as people who will consider others more than themselves? Listen to Jonathan Juravich describe how we can tackle this conundrum by centering our conversations on practical, observable behaviors.

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How do you teach empathy? | Jonathan Juravich

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This video is a great video to play if you are just beginning to introduce the concept of empathy in your classroom. It's audio-narrated and has simple, clear visuals to help get the point across. It includes relatable scenarios for school-aged children.

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Listen to Dr. Marc Brackett discuss the ways for educators to recognize, understand, express, label, and regulate emotion through an equity lens. The central dogma of this video is to give yourself and your students permission to feel. Instead of telling our children to "suck it up," Dr. Brackett explains the importance of teaching our youth the emotional vocabulary to express what they feel, to accept it, and then to use accessible tools to help them find a solution. (This video explains the process and rationale behinds tools like "the Meta Moment.)

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CASEL CARES: Permission To Feel for Kids with Dr. Marc Brackett

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After viewing Dr. Brackett's video on "Healthy Co-Regulation During Uncertain & Stressful Times," you may have gotten a sneak peak at the implementation of his version of the "mood meter check-in." This is a practice used as a PBIS support in many schools! View this video to delve a little deeper into the structure of the mood meter, also commonly referred to as the RULER Mood Meter. (Teacher-facing only)

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Here's a quick breakdown of the meta-moment strategy, which can be used for self-regulation and conflict resolution. Feel free to narrate as you play this video aloud. (Student-facing version)

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A Review on How Positive Empathy Related to Students' Prosocial Behaviors, Social Connection and (Subjective) Well-Being

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A Review on How Positive Empathy Related to Students' Prosocial Behaviors, Social Connection and (Subjective) Well-Being

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This review encapsulates studies on the correlation between positive empathy and students' socio-emotional outcomes. If you're on the fence about implementing empathy-centered teachings in your classroom, you can use this article to help you determine if empathy practices have strong social validity.

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Tip: To quickly find your search term on this page, press Ctrl+F or ⌘-F (Mac) and use the find bar.

The Emerging Study of Positive Empathy

Social and Personality Psychology Compass 9/2 (2015): 57-68, 10.1111/spc3.12157

Lay intuitions suggest that the ability to share, celebrate, and enjoy others' positive emotions - a phenom-

Table 1. Overlap and key distinctions between positive empathy and highly related constructs.

Figure 1. A model depicting relationships between positive empathy and key outcomes. Dotted arrows represent

emerging, but tentative relationships. Solid arrows represent established relationships. Double-sided arrows represent a

bidirectional relationship.

enon we term positive empathy - bolsters individual well-being and relationship strength. However, it is

unclear from the current literature whether (i) positive empathy is distinct from highly related constructs

and (ii) whether positive empathy is associated with salutary social and personal outcomes. Here, we begin

by examining basic evidence suggesting that positive empathy is related to, but independent from, con-

structs such as general positivity and empathy for others' distress. We then review evidence that positive

empathy correlates with increased prosocial behavior, social closeness, and well-being. Lastly, we discuss

open directions for the study of positive empathy, such as investigating the potential role of positive em-

pathy (or its disruption) in psychiatric disorders.

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Tip: To quickly find your search term on this page, press Ctrl+F or ⌘-F (Mac) and use the find bar. The Emerging Study of Positive Empathy Social and Personality Psychology Compass 9/2 (2015): 57-68, 10.1111/spc3.12157 Lay intuitions suggest that the ability to share, celebrate, and enjoy others' positive emotions - a phenom- Table 1.

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This article espouses anecdotal evidence of teachers' and researchers' positive experience in implementing empathy-based teaching and play. It includes instructions and rationale on "The Jigsaw Classroom" which is a great learning strategy for classrooms that mix neurotypical students, students with learning differences, and ELLs!

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The Influence of Empathy in Academic Achievement

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The Influence of Empathy in Academic Achievement

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See the empirical evidence of empathy's effects on academic achievement through this study done on gifted students in Saudi Arabia! Published by the Global Institute for Research & Education, this article breaks down emotional intelligence into five components: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Amongst these components, the study ultimately finds empathy as the strongest influencer of academic achievement.

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Come back from recess and your kids still have the wiggles? Learning a new concept and feel some frustration in the room? Use this grounding, mindful exercise to help your kids return to baseline, which uses compassionate and empathetic mantras with kinesthetics.

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Learn About Compassion | Guided Meditation For Kids | Breathing Exercises | GoNoodle

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Brené Brown discusses the difference between empathy and sympathy in this light-hearted, comical animation that can be both teacher-facing or presented to older students. The key idea in this video is to not find the "silver lining" in our students' struggles, but to meet our students' at their most vulnerable by being empathic; even if it means tearing down our walls and being vulnerable ourselves.