Teaching with Empathy: How to Transform Your Practice by Understanding Your Learners

What does it mean to teach with empathy?

Whether it's planning and delivering instruction or just interacting with others throughout the day, every action you take is an opportunity to demonstrate empathy toward your students, your colleagues, and yourself.

"I'm already empathetic to my students and their stories," you may be thinking. But a teacher's actions, even unintentional and especially uninformed, can be implicitly shaming, compounding any disconnect students may already feel and undermining your efforts to create a safe and positive classroom environment. Rather than try to identify who needs empathy, start with the premise that all learners deserve empathy because it is a prerequisite for learning and growth.

In Teaching with Empathy, Lisa Westman explores three types of empathy—affective, cognitive, and behavioral—and clarifies how they intertwine with curriculum, learning environment, equity practices, instruction and assessment, and grading and reporting.

Through her own experience as an instructional coach, Westman shares tips and tools, real-world classroom examples, powerful stories, and even a bit of herself as she guides you to a better understanding of yourself and others. Ultimately, you'll learn what's possible when you let compassion and acceptance inform all aspects of your daily practice.

Lisa Westman is an author, speaker, and consultant who works with school systems internationally to provide professional learning on student-driven differentiation, empathic instructional practices, standards-based learning, and implementing instructional coaching programs. She has more than 17 years of experience as a teacher and instructional coach specializing in differentiation. Lisa’s publications include Student-Driven Differentiation: 8 Steps to Harmonize Learning in the Classroom (Corwin Press, 2018), Teaching with Empathy: How to Transform Your Practice by Understanding Your Learners (ASCD, August 2021), and regular contributions to publications including Educational Leadership, Education Update. Education Week, Education Week Teacher, and Edutopia.