Empathic Considerations for Instructional Leaders

It appears as though there is no direct link in the literature between empathy and instructional leadership. Despite this there is a theme that weaves itself through leadership, especially when pertaining to professional development and relationships. "The more principals were sought for professional and personal advice, and the more closely connected they were to their teachers, the more willing teachers were to invest in change and the creation of new knowledge and practices" (Moolenaar, Daly & Sleegers, 2010, p. 624). At the center of all positive relationships is a deep trust and caring. These develop over time as the two parties involved have shared experiences, effective communication and a high level of collegiality. As a primary component of the development of this trust, empathy allows an individual to feel what the other is feeling. "A leader with strong ethical values will be more motivated to support, develop, and assist subordinates, but to do this effectively the leader needs to understand their needs and feelings" (Mahsud, Yukl, and Prussia, 2010, p.566). If we do not recognize individual needs and feelings, there is a danger of decreased motivation to improve, a lower level of mastery and a lack of purpose in improvement efforts.
Understanding the feelings of others enables a leader to provide graceful feedback. During conferencing for professional improvement, Blasé and Blasé (2004) identify the role that sincere caring, interest, and support play in ameliorating the possible negative effects of formal evaluation for teachers (p.39). The empathy that is displayed during the conference allows the teacher to step out of their box as there is an enhanced level of trust between the principal and teacher.
Another area of professional development that involves empathy is that of encouraging reflection, ". . . a higher-order skill capable of producing large effects on classroom instruction and student learning" (Blasé and Balse, 2004, p.101). The process of reflection requires courage to help uncover the complex nature of teaching. The groundwork of courage is based on a trusting relationship between the principal and the teacher. This trust is a result of the ability of the principal to see the full context, understanding that the teacher is placing themselves in a vulnerable position. Acknowledging this with the teacher allows them to feel safe in this risk taking endeavour.
Visibility of a principal within a school is a primary skill that is required for the promotion of sound pedagogy. Their presence is that of a supportive role. In these times of informal interactions, there is a great opportunity to get a feel of what is going on in a classroom and in the school. "A principal who is close to staff may have a greater opportunity to collectively share and develop the school's vision as well as provide timely access to the resources necessary in realizing that vision" (Moolenaar, Daly, & Sleegers, 2010, p.656). There may be times when the principal encounters a situation which requires an empathic response. By recognizing issues in a proactive way, there is a reduction in the stress of teachers. Trusting relationships are formed. When the time arises, more candid conversations may be possible. "Empathy is the ability to recognize and understand the emotions and feelings of others, and this interpersonal skill can make it easier to develop a cooperative relationship of mutual trust with a subordinate" (Mahsud, Prussia, Yukl, 2010, pp. 562-563). Creating a culture of trust is equivalent to enhancing compassion, fostering dependability, embracing frankness and subsequently leading to greater collaboration.
At the heart of the different aspects of promoting professional improvement is that of communication. Communicating with others requires an ethic of care. "The leader must take the time to listen carefully to subordinates and ask questions that provide insight about career aspirations and job attitudes. A leader who is unable or unwilling to understand and appreciate the feelings and attitudes of subordinates is unlikely to devote much time to such discussions. Thus, leaders with strong ethical values are likely to engage more in activities that facilitate understanding and also reveal their empathy" (Mahsud et al., 2010, p.566). Presence is a key ingredient of empathic listening. We must be wholly present with the other party and attune to what they are experiencing. It is a result of this listening that a leader is able to aid another in their drive for improvement.
Despite the fact that there is no direct relationship in the literature between empathy and instructional leadership, I would like to suggest that there is a deep connection. Empathy lies at the foundation of the development of trust, a common vision and the effective communication of that vision. Empathic leaders promote learning within their building by recognizing the needs and feelings of others. They create a supportive environment which fosters reflection and risk taking. It becomes clear that being aware of your empathic maturity and through an intentional development of it one will become a more successful instructional leader.

 

 

References

Blasé, J., Blasé, J. (2004). Handbook of instructional leadership: How successful principals promote teaching and learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Mahsud, R., Yukl, G., Prussia, G. (2010). Leader empathy, ethical leadership, and relations-oriented behaviours antecedents of leader-member exchange quality. Journal of Managerial Psychology 25(6), 561-577.
Moolenaar, N., Daly, A., Sleegers, P. (2010). Occupying the principal position: Examining relationships between transformational leadership, social network position and schools' innovative climate. Educational Administration Quarterly 46(5), 623-670.

Instructional Considerations and Empathy Development

Developing the skills necessary to function in a postmodern world is the primary function of public education. Reflection on the instructional practices and the approaches to professional development for educators must contain an awareness of empathy. Empathy is linked directly to academic success for students and a component of positive social relations. Educational leaders need to enhance their own empathic development, bring it to a heightened awareness for the purpose of foster trusting relationships, creating an inclusive environment for learning and obtaining alignment of a common vision. Where does one begin and through what practices can we accomplish this realization?
Within a classroom setting there are two areas where we can definitely foster the empathic development of our students. These would include the methods of discipline that we choose and the connections that exist at a curricular level. In considering choices of discipline methods imposing negative reinforcement or corporal punishment on a child will likely lead to a decrease in empathic development. The opportunity to reflect on the feelings of others is not addressed through these approaches but a negative feeling is generated one of fear or anger and resentment.
Ramaswamy and Bergin (2009) identify two discipline strategies that have been found to enhance prosocial behaviour; positive reinforcement and induction (p. 528). Induction involves a script, where one highlights the hurt person's perspective in a given situation, draw attention to the effect that it has had on this individual (usually some sort of distress) and make the child understand that they caused the hurt. This leads to a feeling of "guilt and remorse and a sincere effort to want to make reparation" (Rifkin, 2009, p.118). Ramaswamy and Bergin (2009) have found that induction by itself was a method of discipline that nearly tripled prosocial behaviours when compared to control groups (p.535). Positive reinforcement is founded on a behaviourist approach to discipline. At the center of its philosophy is that a positive consequence is provided directly following a prosocial behaviour. Depending on the reinforcement, like a sticker or a pat on the back, there could be a drop in the intrinsic motivation of the child. Positive reinforcement can effectively promote prosocial behaviour but it does not provide an opportunity for the child to reflect on the feelings of others.
With the knowledge that prosocial behaviour is linked directly to academic achievement, teachers and administrators alike need to evaluate the mode of discipline that use with their students. Our focus when addressing student behaviour needs to be that of induction, bringing to light the impact that an individual's actions have on others. This applies at all levels of schooling from preschool to grade twelve.
Discipline needs to be thought of as an opportunity for the development of character. Too often our own emotions get in the way of effectively dealing with a situation. In an effort to manage these emotions in a cognitive way here are four considerations to help you deal with issues of discipline effectively; provide yourself space to cool down, recognize that this is not a personal reflection on you, acknowledge that you cannot know the entire context and assume that there is an innate goodness in all. There will be other highly emotional situations where our communication and listening skills will be tested. "The key ingredient of empathy is presence: we are wholly present with the other party and what they are experiencing" (Wesley, 2004, p.41). In dealing with an overtly defiant individual, provide them time to cool down, verbally acknowledge how they are feeling, and restate information that they are providing to you to ensure that there is clear communication. Wesley (2004) highlights the role that empathic listening plays in difficult situations where "[t]he more highly charged the situation, the more we need to remember the paradox of control and give up the temptation to control by our own speaking" (p. 41).
In addition to considerations of discipline in the development of empathy there is a need to recognize that it is at the core of understanding. "Educators, in particular, need to be encouraged to respect what many of them know intuitively - that students' motivations and feelings about learning are just as important as the content of their learning" (Arnold, 2005, p. 19). As teachers presenting information, there is a need to generate a positive feeling about the learning experience and being able to read the experience of others. Educators need to be able to sense the feelings of individuals that are in front of them. Often this is not communicated directly but through nonverbal ways, the emotional skill of empathy allows us to gather this information.
The curriculum itself needs to be presented in a way that allows students to recognize the shared responsibilities for the entire plant. Educational activities could range from discussions of impact on the environment to the creation of service projects from the school to the entire global community. It goes beyond creating awareness to a movement of action oriented learning events allowing students to connect with the greater community. "Empathic skills emphasize a non-judgmental orientation and tolerance of other perspectives, they accustom young people to think in terms of layers of complexity and force them to live within a context of ambiguous realities where there are no simple formulas or answers, but only a constant search for shared meaning and a common understanding" (Rifkin, 2009, p. 15-16). It is a result of these educational experiences, the ones that are intentionally designed to foster empathy that our citizens will become those that we as a society need.

 

References

Arnold, R. (2005). Empathic intelligence: Teaching, learning, relating. Sydney, Australia: University of New South Wales Press Ltd.
Ramaswamy, V., Bergin, C. (2009). Do reinforcement and induction increase prosocial behavior? Results of a teacher-based intervention in preschools. Journal of research in Childhood Education. 23(4), 527-538
Rifkin, J. (2009). The empathic civilization; The race to global consciousness in a world in crisis. New York, NY: Tarcher/ Pengiun.
Wesley, D. (2004). Just listen. Principal Leadership (High School Ed.), 5(3), 39-41

Empathy Development: Infant to Adult

The narrative within which we each participate is but a window of the relationships we have with others. It is through our conversations and the stories that we tell to each other that we try to gain an understanding of our world. Embedded in those conversations are the feelings and emotions of others. The contextual nature along with the emotional component becomes part of our own experience. This process of listening to others, acquiring information and trying to understand context lies at the core of our human experience. If not connected with others then we exist in a vacuum, void of stories and isolated. How do we connect with others? It is at our core to empathize with others, the heart of trust development. It is not fully developed when we arrive from the womb. Our parental up-bringing coupled with the experiences when have with other adults, through school, church and within the community help to bring us to an empathic maturity that we would not be able to arrive at on our own. What is empathy and how does it develop throughout our experience?
As many definitions do, it is important that we distinguish between the terms empathy and sympathy. Ciaramicoli and Ketcham (2000) explain, "Whereas sympathy seeks to console, empathy works to understand. Empathy requires a certain emotional distance- you have to step away from the grief, fear, and anger to create a space in which your thoughts can exert a calming influence on your feelings" (p.38). It is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It is related to both experiencing another's joy and sorrow. Empathy is one component of emotional intelligence (EI). Emotional intelligence can be divided up into two broad categories, those that refer to interpersonal relationships and those of the intrapersonal nature. Salovey and Mayer (1990) categorized EI into five domains, the first three relating to the intrapersonal: 1) self-awareness, 2) managing emotions, 3) motivating oneself, and the last two relating to the interpersonal; 4) empathy and 5) handling relationships. EI is not a personality trait or a preferred way of behaving but is itself a set of abilities.
Empathy is a core nature of individuals for which there is both an affective and cognitive component as a part of their emotional intelligence. Hoffman (2000) writes of the affective side of empathy which " . . .seems like a simple concept- one feels what the other feels" (p. 30). As a child watches the experience of another child literally, through the activation of mirror neurons, there is a neurological emotional response that arises (Rifkin, 2009, p.85). The cognitive aspect of empathy is the processing and categorization of the emotions that are being experienced. This is furthered by Hoffman in his "key requirement of an empathic response . . . the involvement of psychological processes that make a person have feelings that are more congruent with another's situation than with his own situation" (p.30).
The development of the empathic drive happens throughout a person's life time. According to Hoffman (2000) there are five levels of development, three of which are preverbal; facial mimicry, classical conditioning, direct association and two which are verbal in nature; mediated association and role taking. As an infant, children will begin to read the facial expressions of others and be able to recognize their emotional state. Through a process of classical conditioning, as the mother and child begin to further bond there will be a time when the child is able to recognize the physical state of the mother and in turn experience that state (the mother is distressed and thus so is the infant). The final preverbal stage is that of direct association. As a child is of the age to recognize another person's plight, it conjures up a past experience and the accompanying emotions. There is an association of another's pain with feelings that the observer has experienced in the past. Moving to the verbal development of children, the next stage, mediated association, requires the ability of the individual to connect with an emotional situation that is communicated verbally. This stage combines both the affective and cognitive functions to create an empathic response. Finally the last stage of empathic development is that of role taking whereby an individual is able to image what it is like to be in another person's situation. Through the act of imagining there is an empathic response that is created and the feeling associated with that are real (pp. 38-62).
In terms of instructional leadership, an understanding of the development of empathy is extremely important. Empathy is a core component in the development of prosocial behaviour. (Hoffman, 2000) "Prosocial behaviour is any behaviour that benefits others, such as sharing, cooperating, including others in play, complementing and confronting others" (Ramaswamy & Bergin, 2009, p537). Prosocial behaviour predicts academic achievement and social adjustment in school.as academic achievement depends on positive relationships with teachers and peers, as well as active engagement in the classroom. With the realization of the implication of how empathy can affect performance in school, leaders of education must then ask the question, how we can promote its development.
Tied to the relationships we form with others, empathy's development is linked to the future achievement of learners and as Jeremy Rifkin would attest to the survival of humanity as a whole. Can empathy be taught in the classroom and on the playgrounds of our schools? I would have to say yes, though some schools and play grounds better than others. I personally feel that we are doing this already in a significant way. Through the selection of modes of discipline within schools, the increasing effort to provide a human purpose to the content we are learning through a universal design of curriculum and the implementation of service learning projects in schools we are using a number of strategies that are developing the empathic maturity of our students. It is through a purposeful awareness that we need to take the next step. I feel that is needs to be embedded in all that we do, not just for the student or the community but for humanity.

References

Ciaramicoli, A., Ketcham, K. (2000). The power of empathy: A practical guide to creating intimacy, self-understanding and lasting love. New York: Dutton Press.

Hoffman, M. (2000). Empathy and Moral Development: Implications for caring and justice. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Rifkin, J. (2009). The empathic civilization; The race to global consciousness in a world in crisis. New York, NY: Tarcher/ Pengiun.

Ramaswamy, V., Bergin, C. (2009). Do reinforcement and induction increase prosocial behavior? Results of a teacher-based intervention in preschools. Journal of research in Childhood Education. 23(4), 527-538

Salovey, P. & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition, and Personality, 9, 185-211

Empathy and Educational Leadership

While driving home one night after a long day at work I was listening to one of my favourite CBC radio programs, "Ideas". That particular night I was listening to Jeremy Rifkin being interviewed on his new book the "The empathic civilization- A race to global consciousness in a world in crisis". Paul Kennedy, the host of the show, referred to the piece as a rare, serious book with big grand ideas. The interviewer asked Rifkin to recount the story that he opens his book with and in that moment I was hooked. He recounted a story of the frontlines during the First World War and the events that transpired during the first Christmas Eve. I will give an abbreviated account here.

Western frontline fighters on both sides of world war one had been bogged down fighting, many not having slept in days, just prior to Christmas Eve. The men could not get out the trenches to retrieve their dead, the setting is bleak, a low point in the human experience. In the evening of Christmas Eve, the allied forces noticed that the German frontline was beginning to literally light up. The German frontline had received small ornamental Christmas trees from the German government that could light up. It was hoped that it would  brighten the mood of the soldiers. In addition to the trees the German soldiers began to sing Christmas carols. The allied forces were stunned. After the German's sang Silent Night the allies spontaneously applauded and responded by singing carols back in English. It was a matter of time; some brave individuals crawled out of the trenches and walked across the battlefield toward the other line. Gradually, scores of men were coming out of the trenches. The two sides met in the middle, shook hands, shared pictures of their families and cooperatively buried their dead. Over the course of a couple of days the fighting on the frontline stopped. It was a transcending moment in human history. The soldiers, as Rifkin recounts, got beyond the nationalistic differences and embraced each other in their common experience of being human. The core of human nature was expressed, our empathetic nature.

It is my hope through the next series of posts that I can explore the empathic nature of people and shed some light as to the role that empathy plays in educational leadership. This core nature is, I feel, at the heart of education. It is one of the fundamental qualities that we want to foster the development of in our students, teachers and leaders. When focusing on leadership there are a number of personal traits that arise again and again in the literature pointing to beliefs, values and behaviors such as; honesty, highly developed communication skills, flexibility, support of equity and social justice. A thread that seems to weave its way through these traits is that of empathy. Empathic leaders are ones who have a highly developed ability to recognize and respond to the emotional state of the individuals with which they interact. As a result of the interactions with others, these individuals have an innate ability to develop trust, motivate and bridge gaps in education that others would have difficulty doing. Understanding what empathy is and its role in the development of relationships will enhance leadership's ability to transform school cultures by building trust and fostering collaboration in the drive to create learning organizations.

There are a number of areas of education that I would like to explore with regards to empathy. Firstly, what is our understanding of the development of the empathic drive from infant to adult? Secondly, how can educators help foster the development of empathy through the presentation of curriculum and behavior modification? How is empathy linked to the development of relationships within a staff specifically as related to trust and communication? Having a good understanding of empathy how will this support the development of a vision that is that of a learning organization? Armed with these questions I hope to generate a greater understanding of empathy and its impact on leadership.

Here is an RSA animate on the Empathic Civilization that Rifkin narrates. It is thought provoking, especially in the context of the postmodern experience. 

References

CBC (aired November 17, 2010). The empathic civilization. Ideas- CBC radio one. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/episodes/2010/11/17/the-empathic-civilization-1/

Rifkin, J. (2009). The empathic civilization; The race to global consciousness in a world in crisis. New York, NY: Tarcher/ Pengiun.