THE GMRC TEACHER

MODULE 2 REACHING OUT TO

OTHERS

LESSON 1: MAKING
MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS

LEARNING
OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, the students must be able to;

 value the uniqueness of each person;
 accept and respect the differences and similarities in people;
 discuss the value of diversity in the classroom;
 explain tips on how to celebrate learners’ diversity and
 promote a culture of inclusivity in the classroom.

INTRODUCTION

The lesson Making Meaningful Connections highlights the beauty of diversity and how
people despite differences of each one can transcend such to be able to establish meaningful
relationships. This will enable the pre-service teacher to broaden their perspective of diversity
and be open to embrace such inside and outside of the classroom.
 ABSTRACTION

 Imagine a classroom of 30 to 40 learners or even more. What do you see? What

have you observed? Perhaps you see a roomful of learners who behave
differently, varying in sizes, color and ability and are unique in their own respective
ways.
 Principle of individual variation- No two persons are exactly alike. Each person is
unique. All people are genetically and biologically different from each other.
 Diversity- everything that makes people different from each other. (Kampen,
2019). This includes different factors: race, ethnicity, gender, ability, sexual
orientation, handicapping conditions, socio-economic status, religion belief, or
political conviction.
 The University of Rhode Island defines diversity in the classroom as
“understanding that each student brings unique experiences, strengths, ideas to
our classroom.” Understanding, accepting and valuing diverse backgrounds can
help our learners thrive in this ever-changing world.
These are different types of diversity which include:
1. Diversity in terms of personal characteristics. These cover age, gender,
communication and etc.
2. Diversity in terms of student background. These have to do with culture, ethnicity and
etc.
3. Diversity in terms of cognitive aptitude to cover cognitive abilities, technical abilities
and skills as well as social abilities and skills.
4. Diversity in terms of level of motivation and diversity of opinion. Nowadays, teachers
are faced with a classroom that is a melting pot of the learners with a variety of
biological, social and cultural backgrounds. They bring diverse characteristics into the
classroom regardless of grade or subject they may be attending.
The concept of diversity is oftentimes associated with inclusion.

 The concept of Inclusion goes beyond diversity because simply having different
kinds of learners in the classroom does not necessarily mean the inclusion. It is
when people coming from different demographics feel welcomed can we say that
the classroom is inclusive.
 Inclusion- refers to a cultural and environmental feeling of belonging. Thus, the
child with hearing impairment feels comfortable inside the classroom because the
teacher and classmates are accepting, then we can say that inclusion practiced.
 An inclusive classroom makes the learners feel valued, respected, accepted, and
encouraged to fully participated the class activities.
 Teachers have the responsibility to make sure that learners can learn and study in
a diverse environment and collaborative with each other.
  The school curriculum ought to teach learners how to live and work in a society
where every individual’s uniqueness is respected and appreciated.
 Diversity improves critical thinking skills, builds empathy and encouragements
students to think differently.
 Pre-service and even in-service teachers ought to be aware of certain assumptions
that might get in the way of building inclusive classrooms and meeting students’
learning needs. They should avoid getting being trapped by these assumptions.
There is a need to be aware of these faulty assumptions which are:
1. Students are not diverse. Learners may share similarities but this doesn’t mean that they
are alike in all aspects.
2. Diversity doesn’t matter because everyone is diverse. This assumption surfaces when
diversity discussions stop at the idea that everyone is different.
3. Diversity does not have anything to do with learning. The lesson content, the examples
being given and how the teacher relates with the learners are situations where diversity
is apparent.
The teacher’s openness to classroom diversity leads to positive outcomes.

 First, it builds better thinkers. Learners who are in a diverse classroom are better
able to appreciate different perspective and draw stronger conclusions.
 Second, appreciating diversity improves academic outcomes. Children in a diverse
classroom do not only learn social skills. They also learn to become critical thinkers
that encourages academic confidence.
Teacher can utilize these tips or ways to promote equity and diversity in the classroom.

 Self-awareness. The most basic step in promoting equity and diversity is for the teacher
to develop self-awareness. The teacher ought to acknowledge one’s biases and seek o
understand people with different experiences.
 Get to know your learners. All the learners in your school are unique individuals, so use
that fact to build a diverse and inclusive school culture. When you know your learners in
terms of their strengths and weaknesses, you will be better equipped to address their
diversity.
 Class Norms. Classroom norms that promote openness are set. These include being
respectful to each other, being able to share ideas, opinions and values openly learning
to disagree respectfully. This should be collaborative task between teachers and learners.
 Culturally Relevant Teaching. Teachers are encouraged to recognize diversity by
promoting the importance of cultural awareness, creating a sense of belongingness
among learners and allowing them to celebrate differences in traditions, practices, and
beliefs.
 Purposeful Planning. One important key to promoting equity and diversity is purposeful
and careful planning.
 Meet diverse learning needs. The teacher can use different teaching strategies to address
the different needs of learners. The teacher should make sure that all learners are actively
participating in the classroom activities and discussion.
 Community involvement. Parents, family members or those representing persons with
special needs can be invited as resource persons in class. The exposure of the learners to
different kinds of people broadens their experiences and will prepare them for life beyond
the classroom. Learners in a diverse classroom where acceptance prevails are more likely
to feel safer, less lonely and less bullied in school.
It is imperative that the acknowledgement of one’s diversity begins with the teacher.
Once the teacher acknowledges one’s diversity it will be easy to acknowledge the learners’
diversity, too. Tominey & O’Byron (2017) outlined a number of simple strategies which can
be tried out by a teacher in the early childhood and elementary levels. These include helping
children learn one another’s names as well as the names of the teachers in school, providing
children with the opportunity to get to know each other and discover similarities and
differences, and choosing classroom themes that highlight similarities and differences within
the classroom. In addition, teacher’s cam gives children the chance to share to class what
makes them special as a means of building personal identity and boosting self-esteem.
 LESSON 2: VALUING AND
APPRECIATING THE UNIQUENESS OF
OTHERS

LEARNING
OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, the students must be able to:

 described how good manners are developed;
 demonstrate in one’s actions the virtues and good manners for healthy intra- and
inter- personal relationships and
 appraise the utility of the suggested tips and strategies in the Philippine context.

INTRODUCTION

 It is often said that the young people are hope and future of the fatherland. But we
can change our perspective to say that they are more than our future because they
are our NOW. One of the social contexts of children which can train them to become
the now of society is the school.
 The school with positive adult models works in a collaborative manner models work
in a collaborative manner with other social agents to develop the learner holistically
as envisioned by the Philippine K-12 curriculum.
 Part of school learning is learning how to get along with different kinds of classmates
and others as well. The teacher, whether teaching GMRC or other subjects, has a
major role to play as children observe and internalize what they see in the teacher.
S/he has to be a role model in her/his intra- and inter-personal relationships. It is in
this respect that the teacher should instill an appreciation for diversity from the start.
 ABSTRACTION

 The home was our first classroom with our parents as our first teachers. As young
children, we observed our parents and they became our models. We observed, absorbed,
internalized and imitated their manners, values, habits, and practices, among others. As
we grew older, our social horizons expanded to include the school where we met
teachers, peers, school heads, community members and others parents. The various
social institutions galvanized our internalization of the values of respect, courtesy and
politeness, tolerance, fairness and self-control.
Let us now take a look at the different values which we aspire our Generation Alpha to internalize.

A. RESPECT

 The word respect is from the Latin word” respectus” which means attention, regard
or consideration. It can be defined as esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence
of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation
of a personal quality or ability.
 According to psychologists, respect is a basic moral value of need that makes us aware
that we are human beings and is related to productivity, happiness and success.
 In the Philippine context, respect is paggalang as shown in our pakikipagkapwa-tao,
a shared sense of identity and consciousness of the other.
 Respect is very important for both personal identity and interpersonal relationships.
Receiving respect from others makes us feel safe to express ourselves. Disrespect can
lead to break-ups and even violence.
 Respecting another person means that ssswe are non-judgmental of other people’s
attitudes, behaviors or thoughts. This implies that individual differences exist and to
accept the fact that as members of society we are equal. It is for this very reason that
we need to teach children from an early age the value of respect and the best way to
teach them respect is by being a role model to them.
 Respect for others is very important but more for the self since you will value others
to the extent that you are able to value yourself.
Why is respect being important?
Visualize a home or a classroom without respect.
What do you see? Chaos? Conflicts?

 Indeed, its absence leads to conflict and dissatisfaction

in our interpersonal relationships.
  It is essential to feel safe and to be able to express our ideas without fear of judgment,
humiliation or discrimination. Being respectful of others, being respected and respecting
ourselves contribute to our sense of well-being, mental health, self-esteem and self-
efficacy.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RESPECT
A. Respect for self
 This is the ability to respect the self , to value and appreciate oneself. This is
accepting the self regardless of what others think.
B. Respect for others
 Refers to the act of tolerating, accepting and considering another person inspite
of individual differences. Examples are respect for parents, men and women
equally, teachers, older person, religious beliefs, for people with varying sexual
orientation (LGBTI), etc.
C. Respect for social norms
 This is the ability to respect all norms that govern society. Some examples include
respect for courtesy rules inside the classroom, traffic rules or heath protocols
during the COVID 19 pandemic.
D. Respect for nature
 This covers appreciation of the environment. Examples include knowing how to
dispose of our garbage properly, not wasting water or recycling, etc.
E. Respect for family
 This implies being able to understand and respect each other within the family,
and thus being able to live in harmony with each other.
F. Respect for Values
 This refers to the ability to honor our own principles. An example of this is respect
for life.
G. Respect for Culture
 This refers to the ability to recognize that there are other beliefs and be able to
respect them. This can be seen in our being able to accept varying religious beliefs.
H. Respect for national symbols
 This refers to the ability to value and appreciate the symbols of a nation. Do we
give respect to the Philippine flag as we sing the National Anthem?
I. Respect for human beings
 This refers to the ability to comply with legal norms, respect laws, church dogmas
and beliefs. How can we tell that respect is present in our relationships? Think of
the many situations where we need to get along with others.
Check it out if the following indicators of respect are present:
 You feel safe being around each other.
 You know its okay for you and others to express who you are.
 When you disagree you listen to each other and demonstrate patience.
 You don’t yell or talk over the top of each other.
 You are not controlling other persons choices.
 You can talk openly abut your needs and wants.
 You allow your friends and others the space they need
 You can admit to others if you have made a mistake

Respect is something that we need to learn, it doesn’t come naturally. This means that
children can be taught and trained to become respectful. How can respect be taught to
children given that this is very much needed by the Gen Z & Alpha generations? Are we
telling or are we teaching?
Children learn by observing. Parents , grandparents, teachers, etc. have great influence
on the children and may be their entire universe.
Parents, teachers and significant others play a crucial role in developing respect. Parents
and teachers usually serve as the first role models to the children. As such, teaching kids
good manners like respect begins with the significant adult modeling it.

Convey the meaning of respect by modeling and teaching it. Borba (2002) suggested trying the
following tips:
A. If you are a parent or a teacher, treat each child as a very important person in the world,
in the classroom.
B. Give love with no strings attached.
C. Listen attentively and respectful.
D. Build positive self-concept.
E. Parents need to tell their children why they love and cherish them as well as make their
children their priority.
F. Respectful rules can be instilled at home and in the classroom.
G. Don’t engage when treated disrespectfully.
H. Teach new behaviors to replace the inappropriate ones.
I. Encourage respectful behavior through reinforcement of the good being done.
 B. COURTESY AND POLITENESS

 Courtesy is polite behavior that reflects good manners, respect and kindness to others. It
means avoiding sarcasm and overbearing behavior.
 The home is the first seat of courtesy and politeness as with the other virtues and
manners.
 When children have good social skills, they are polite and courteous, they listen to others
when they speak, and use polite phrases such as “thank you” and “excuse me”.
There are helpful tips to help teach our children and learners courtesy and politeness:
A. You first
This means that the parent is always the first and foremost teacher. When the
child is in school, the teacher becomes the second parent assuming the loco
parentis role. Thus, parents and teachers are expected to be positive examples to
the child in terms of showing good manners.
 By modeling good manners, you are not only strengthening your child’s social
graces, but also teaching him/her that being courteous and polite are normal part
of social interaction.
B. Turn up the tolerance
 When your child or learner observes that you can tolerate and respect individual
differences you clearly convey the message that you accept diversity.
 Show them that differences with other people in terms of color, appearance, size,
status, or beliefs are fine with you.
C. Read the signs
 Help children learn how to read people’s emotional signs. You can clearly act out
by showing different facial expressions and body language with the corresponding
emotions.
D. Mind your manners
 Please, thank you, good morning and good afternoon greetings never go out of
style. If a parent or teacher uses these words for example in their daily
transactions, delighted responses can be solicited from the children.
E. Lend a helping hand
 It’s good to encourage children to assist people, especially those in need such as
giving help to an old person or opening the door for someone who carries heavy
stuff. The little things our children can do can become bigger in the future. A great
future starts now, and it starts with our children.
F. Lesson integration
 The learning of a manner value can be integrated in a lesson. A sample scenario
can be presented such as interrupting an adult when adults are having a
conversation. The exercise involves children waiting patiently for their turn until
the adults are done with their conversation.
  Parents and teachers should not get easily discouraged because beginning a
process will always be challenging. The keys to helping children become
courteous and polite are patience and consistency.

G. TOLERANCE

 Tolerance is generally understood as a necessary

component of a functioning democracy and stable world
order. “Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation

of the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being
human”

 Tolerance is a virtue. If we want to be treated decently, we need to treat them decently

as well.
For children, the specific concepts of tolerance that can be introduced, concretized
according to the following age groups include:

Age group: 3-7 years

 We are all unique and have something valuable to offer and share.
 Tolerance is accepting myself, even when I make mistakes. Tolerance is accepting
others, even when they make mistakes.
Age group: 8-14 years

 Peace is the goal; tolerance is the method.

 Tolerance is being open and receptive to the beauty of differences.
 The seeds of intolerance are fear and ignorance.
 The seed of tolerance, love, is watered by compassion and care.

 Those who know how to appreciate the good in people and situations have
tolerance.
 Tolerance is an act of humanity, which we must nurture and enact each in our lives
every day.
 Tolerance is the ability to face difficult situations.
 Tolerance life’s inconveniences is to let go, be light, make others light, and move
on.
 Tolerance recognizes individuality and diversity while removing divisive masks and
defusing tension created by ignorance. (For 12- to 14-year-old students only.)
  Children are born to the world without biases or prejudices. Along the way they learn
values and beliefs from adult models and peers. Teaching tolerance can be done in various
settings whether at home or in school.
A parent can try these steps:

 Set a good example. Kids learn from observing your interactions with others. Positive
role modeling is the starting point that every parent ought to remember.
 Expose your child to different culture. The exposure to friends who differ from them
in terms of socio-economic status, municipality of origin, spoken language can
facilitate their understanding of tolerance.
 Bring the message home. When your child makes an insensitive remark, remind
him/her of hoe s/he feels when s/he isn’t treated well by friends and ask him/her
“how do you think that boy felt when none of the kids would play with him because
he is so big?”
 Treat your youngster with respect. A child who feels secure in your love and has a
positive self-image will have no need to put someone else down to feel valuable or
powerful.

A teacher can create a haven of tolerance by engaging in these strategies:

 Let Your Bulletin Boards” Speak”

The class bulletin board can display positive messages encouraging diversity,
tolerance, acceptance and making your classroom a safe space.
 Acknowledge Learner and Teacher Emotions
There are events in the life of the learner or the teacher which are emotionally
charged like for example losing during the school’s sports events. One of the best
things to do is to create a space where everyone can acknowledge those emotions
and ask question freely while moderating the discussion.
 Explain Terms and Concept Related to Current Events
The COVID 19 pandemic resulted in many changes in people’s way of life. Parents and
teacher s can explain what the pandemic is all about and how people can be kind to
each other and not discriminate especially the front-liners.
 Foster a Sense of Empathy in your Classroom
Many teachers consider empathy as the antidote to bullying, and there’s data to back
that up. You can bring more empathy into your teaching by encouraging critical
thinking and self-reflection.
 Lead by Example
Time and time again to lead by example is emphasized. We can create a higher
standard of behavior by showing our learners how to treat others with tolerance,
respect, and sympathy.
 D. FAIRNESS

Have you ever said to someone, “what you did to me was unfair”? has anybody ever
tricked you or cheated on you? How did you feel about it?

What is fairness? According to Seligman & Peteson (2004), it is treating all people the
same and giving everyone a fair chance. There are times that when people think of fairness they
think of it as equality, too.
Thus , to make fairness more understandable for young children , the following strategies can
be tried:
1. Have children brainstorm and role play solutions such as trading toys, sharing and playing
together. They can practice turn- taking such as when they play. This provides children
with a basic understanding of taking turns, an important element of fairness.
2. Be attuned to children’s interactions and be ready to respond immediately to incidents of
unfairness.
3. Identify and point out fair and unfair behaviors. Draw attention to behaviors in books,
movies and in life when others are acting in a fair or unfair manner. The child can be asked
of what has been observed in reality.
4. Encourage a safe and secure atmosphere in which children feel free to express their
feelings and ask questions.
5. Praise fairness. Take a moment to recognize and verbalize when your child is acting out
of fairness. Helping him/her to notice fairness in ones own behaviors will help him/her to
grow in understanding of the concept.
6. Make the idea of fairness concrete. Use images to inspire conversations about fairness.
Thus, Rodabaugh gave a typology of learners’ perceived fairness which includes 3 components:
A. Interaction fairness- the kind of interaction between teacher and learners.
B. Procedural fairness- the rules for grading and classroom administration.
C. Outcomes fairness- the distribution of scores and grades
Teachers can be benefit by remembering these tips on how to be fair and ethical inside the
classroom. Teachers ought to show:
1. Impartiality. Learners expect their teacher to treat everyone in the class equally; that is
no favorites.
2. Respect. Respect involves treating learners politely.
 3. Concern for students. Students expect their teachers to care about them and their
academic performance.
4. Integrity. Integrity means being consistent and truthful and explaining your policies,
procedures and decisions and why necessary, so that their fairness can be judged and
understood.
5. Propriety. Propriety means acting in socially acceptable manner that does not offend
students’ sensibilities.
To conclude the discussion on fairness, try these doable steps inside and outside of the
classroom.

Doable steps on how to be a fair person:

 Treat people the way you want to be treated.

 Take turns.
 Tell the truth. Play by the rules.
 Think about your actions will affect others.
 Listen to people with an open minded.
 Don’t blame others for your mistakes.
Fairness may not be taught easily as other character traits, but with consistency,
children will recognize fairness and act fairly towards others.

E. SELF- CONTROL

 Temptations abound. Studies or social media? Water or soda? Cut classes or attend
classes? Drugs or cigarettes? Fast foods or vegetables?
 The choices are endless and sometimes our self-control and will power are being put
a test. Self-control is primarily rooted in the prefrontal cortex--- the planning, problem
solving and decision-making center of the brain---which is significantly larger in
humans than in other mammals. The richness of nerve connections in the prefrontal
cortex enables people to plan, evaluate alternative actions, and ideally avoid doing
things they’ll later regret, rather than immediately respond to every impulse as it
arises.
Self-control has three main parts:

 Monitoring which involves keeping track of your thoughts, feelings and actions.
  Standards are guidelines that steer us toward desirable responses. Our standards
originate from society.
 Strength refers to the energy we need to control our impulse. Numerous factors affect
our self-control strength, such as mental exhaustion and stress.
How important is self-control? Self-control improves life in three ways:
Self-control contributes to the person’s well-being
Self-control relates to better health. Physically, self-controlled people sleep better,
experience fewer physical sickness symptoms and live longer lives. Behaviors that relate to
mental health problems, such as substance use and suicide, are less common among self-
controlled people. People with self-control are likely to reach their goals.
Self-control builds and strengthens relationship
Beyond wealth or good looks, people want self-controlled relationship partners. Self-
controlled people are forgiving and react to conflict with benevolence rather than violence.
Self-control makes societies productive
Self-control helps societies flourish.
Duckworth & Seligman (2005) conducted a study
to determine the role of self-control and intelligence
in predicting year-end GPA. It involved adolescent
students who answered measures of intelligence and
self-control at the beginning of the school year.
Self-control outdid IQ 2-to-1 in predicting academic achievement.

 This is good news especially to those whose IQ may not be superior. IQ doesn’t often
budge, but self-control does. Students can boost their GPA through the exercise of self-
control, hard work, and persistence in the face of failure and temptations.
Specific ways such as everyday games and relatable activities:
A. SECRET CODE WORD
 The teacher and the learner agree on a secret code word to remind him or her. It
can be anything. It can be any word such as unicorn, malling, etc. that can be said
by the teacher to the child. The code word helps children become aware of their
behaviors and hopefully stops what’s being done.
B. CALMING SPACE
 A teacher may suggest that a student goes to the designated area, but a student
should not be forced to go there. The calming space can be set up with resources
that can de-stress the child and keep him or her focused. The child returns to class
 after some time. Perhaps, this can be sit up in collaboration with the guidance
counselor.
C. TALK ABOUT IT
If our students have not learned about self-control we can’t expect them to use it.
Keep on inspiring the learners and guided conversations on the pros and cons of
self-control can be initiated.
D. PLAY ACTIVITIES OR GAMES
These are non-threatening ways to help teach self-control and effective in
controlling impulses. The teacher needs to process the experience after playing.
Games make the teaching of self-control fun. Some sample games which we are
familiar with but are helpful include.

 STATUE DANCE

In an open space or inside the classroom, play music. Students will dance while
the music plays, and when the music stops, students will freeze! If you want to
add a layer of difficulty, when students freeze, have them strike a karate pose.
Anyone who is caught moving gets eliminated.

 SIMON SAYS
The teacher gives an instruction like, “touch your nose,” but students only follow
the directive if the directive begins with, “Simons says.” For example, students
would not touch their nose if the teacher says. “Touch your nose,” but they would
touch their noses if the teacher said, “Simon says touch your nose.” Or you can
use your name to title this game.
 STATUE WITH ACTION!
For this game, the teacher stands on one side of the room and the students stand
on the other. The teacher turns the back to the students. The students begin
silently moving toward the teacher. The teacher can then turn around, but when
the teacher turns around, all students must freeze in a statue position and hold it
until the teacher turns around again. Anyone the teacher sees moving is out of the
game.
There are other games which can be used such as musical chairs or trip to Jerusalem. What the
teacher needs to do is create and innovate.
E. Create an Environment that Rewards Self- Control.
 its about time that children who monitor and control behavior are recognized and
rewarded. The rewards need not be of high value, but you can think of rewards or
incentives that can truly motivate them to exercise self- restraint.
Here are four tips they can use to improve their self – control:
1. Become a mental energy accountant.
 Many students plan how they spend their time. Few students plan how they spend
their limited self- control energy. Encourage students to spend the next week
considering what they will do and how much self- control energy they will need to
do it. How much time do you spend for social media, online gaming or studying?
2. Build self- control strength.
 Self – control relies on an all- purpose energy resource. You can strengthen your
self- control by doing seemingly unrelated self- control tasks. For two weeks,
encourage your students to use their non dominant hand to complete everyday
tasks.
3. Play offense against your environment.
 Encourage the learners to identify one way they can change their environment to
help them achieve a specific goal. Ask them to implement the change for three
days. Later , ask students to share their experiences about how the environmental
change influenced their ability and motivation to achieve their goal.
4. Take the mind out of the middle.
 A solution is to take the mind out of the middle by setting up a mental contract,
what psychologist Peter Gollwitzer and colleagues call implementation intentions
( Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).
 LESSON 3: DEVELOPING CONCERNS
FOR OTHERS

LEARNING
OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, the students must be able to:

 describe the concepts of empathy and compassion;
 analyze day –to – day actions involving empathy and compassion;
 appraise the synergy of the home and school in developing concern for others and
 demonstrate empathy and compassion within and beyond the family in everyday life.

INTRODUCTION

Michael Jackson popularized the song “ Heal the World” and some lines run like this:
Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me
And the entire human race
There are people dying
If you care enough for the living
Make it a better place
For you and for me…..
 The world needs people who are willing to help their fellowmen and heal the world
especially in this time of the pandemic .
 Imagine a world without the frontliners, during pandemic. Imagine a world without the
countless individuals who risked heir own lives to save others during wartime. Imagine a
world without those who’ve run into burning buildings or executed other heroic feasts of
rescue during times of trauma. Its unthinkable.
 Empathy and compassion are very “ in “ concepts as the world becomes more and more
technologically advanced. People may have the tendency to engage in solitary activities
and be highly individualistic. These are not things of the past, instead they are relevant in
modern everyday life.
 After all , they have the power to inspire courageous deeds and can also encourage all
sorts of positive behaviors that have both individual and societal benefits.

ABSTRACTION

 Evolutionary biologists have shown that human beings are social animals who have
naturally evolved to care for each other. Psychology, as well, points out that we are
primed for empathy by strong attachment relationships in the first two years of life.
 As we grow older we learn to be sensitive to the presence and needs of other people. We
nurture relationships but there are times that we only look within our immediate sphere
like our families but not easily beyond such.

EMPATHY

 Empathy is at the heart of what it means to be HUMAN. The concept of empathy is used
to refer to a wide range of psychological capacities that are thought of as a being central
for constituting humans as social creatures allowing us to know what other people are
thinking and feeling, to engage with them emotionally, to share their thoughts and
feelings and to care for their well-being.
 Empathy is, therefore a broad concept that refers to the cognitive and emotional
reactions of an individual to the observed experiences of another. Having empathy
increases the likelihood of helping others and showing compassion.
 It is the ability to recognize, understand, and share the thoughts and feelings of another
person, animal or fictional character. It’s being able to step into the shoes of other
persons, aiming to understand their feelings and perspectives, and to use that
understanding to guide our actions.In the Philippine setting, it can be roughly translated
to pakikiramdam.
  Empathy helps us cooperate with others, build friendships, make moral decisions and
intervene when we see others being bullied. It is vital in building successful interpersonal
relationships of all types, in the family unit, workplace, and beyond. Empathy helps us
connect and help others, but like other traits, there is the danger that it may have evolved
with a selfish motive: using others as a “social antenna” to help detect danger.
THREE KINDS OF EMPATHY (Daniel Goleman’s article)
1. Cognitive empathy
 This is simply knowing how the other person feels and what they might be
thinking. Sometimes called perspective- taking, this kind of empathy can help in
say, a negotiation or in motivating people.
 Cognitive empathy also known as empathic accuracy, involves having more
complete and accurate knowledge about the contents of another person’s feels.
 Cognitive empathy is more like a skill. Humans learn to recognize and understand
other’s emotional state as a way to process emotions and behavior.
2. Emotional empathy
 This happens when the person feels physically along with the other person, as
though their emotions were contagious.
 This emotional contagion, social neuro science tells us, depends in large part on
the mirror neuron system. Emotional empathy makes someone well – attuned to
another person’s inner emotional world, a plus in any of a wide range of callings
from sales to nursing for any parent or lover.
Three components:
A. The first feeling the same emotion as another person.
B. The second is personal distress which refers to one’s own feelings of distress in response
to perceiving another’s plight;
C. The third emotional component is feeling compassion for another person.
3. Compassionate empathy
 This kind of empathy we not only understand a person’s predicament and feel
with them, but are spontaneously moved to help, if needed.

HOW DO WE DEVELOP EMPATHY?

SIMULATION THEORY

 This theory proposes that empathy is possible because when we see another person
experiencing an emotion, we simulate or represent that same emotion in ourselves so we
can know firsthand what it feels like. There is a biological component to this theory as
well.
  Scientists have discovered preliminary evidence of “ mirror neurons” that fire when
humans observe and experience emotion. There are also “ part of the brain in the medical
prefrontal cortex ( responsible for higher – level kinds of thought) that show overlap of
activation for both self – focused and other focused thoughts and judgments.
THEORY OF THE MIND

 The theory of the mind is the ability to “ understand what another person is thinking and
feeling based on rules for how one should think or feel”
 This theory suggests that humans can use cognitive thought processes to explain the
mental state of others. By developing theories about human behavior, individuals can
predict or explain other’s actions, according to this theory.

PARENTS RAISING CHILDREN WITH EMPATHY

1. Empathize with your child and model empathy for others

 Children learn empathy both from watching us and from experiencing our
empathy for them. When we empathize with our children they develop trusting,
secure attachments with us. Those attachments are key to their wanting to adopt
our values and to model our behavior and therefore to building their empathy for
others.
 Empathizing with our children takes many forms including tuning in to their
physical and emotional needs, understanding and respecting their individual
personalities, taking a genuine interest in their lives and guiding them toward
activities that reflect an understanding of the kind of people they are and the
things they enjoy.
 Children also learn empathy by watching those we notice and appreciate. They’ll
notice how we treat people from different walks of life. They’ll notice if we
welcome a new family in our child’s school or express concern about another child
in class who is experiencing one challenge or another.
 Finally , its important for us to recognize what might be getting in the way of our
empathizing. Some parents may feel busted or stressed out. These should be
taken into consideration through self – awareness and self – care steps.
2. Make caring for others a priority and set high ethical expectations.
 If children are to value others perspectives and show compassion for them, its
very important that they hear from their parents that caring about others is a top
priority and that it is just as important as their own happiness. Even though most
parents say that raising caring children is a top priority often children aren’t
hearing that message.
 3. Provide opportunities for children to practice empathy
 Children are born with the capacity for empathy, but it needs to be nurtured
throughout their lives. Learning empathy is in certain respects like learning a
language or a sport. It requires practice and guidance.
 Regularly considering other people’s perspectives and circumstances helps make
empathy a natural reflex and through trial an error helps children get better at
tuning into others feelings and perspectives.
4. Expand your child’s circle of concern.
 It is easy for us and to children to show empathy for family members, relatives ,
close friends but the real issue is whether children ( and adults) have empathy
outside that circle. As parents and caretakers, its not only important that we
model appreciation.
 Its important that we guide children in understanding and caring for many kinds
of people who are different from them and who maybe facing challenges very
different from their own challenges.
5. Help children develop self – control and manage feelings effectively
 Often when children don’t express empathy it’s not because they don’t have it. Its
because some feeling or image is blocking their empathy.
 Often the ability to care for others is overwhelmed, for example, by anger, shame,
envy, or other negative feelings. Helping children manage these negative feelings
as well as stereotypes and prejudices about other is often what “ release” their
empathy.
 Children who are of school age spend a good amount of their time in the
classroom. the school can do so much in nurturing a culture of empathy among its
learners.
Teachers raising children with empathy

 The Making Caring Common Project of Harvard University Graduate School of Education
likewise came up with research-based strategies to help educators promote a culture of
empathy within their schools.
 It has been found out that when young people are high in empathy they have more
classroom engagement, higher academic achievement, better communication skills,
lower likelihood of bullying, less aggressive behaviors and emotional disorders and have
more positive relationships.
FIVE ESSENTIAL STEPS TO USE IN SCHOOLS
1. Model Empathy
 It all starts with the teacher. When frustrated with learners , pause and take a
deep breath and try to see the situation from their perspective before responding.
 When a learner is upset, reflect back his feelings or rationale for his behavior
before redirecting the behavior.
 Be aware of learners non-verbal cues and follow up on them. For example, if a
learner 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 learners 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 and concretely 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 specific examples of how to act on empathy, such as helping , showing
kindness or even simply listening. Role playing, story telling with lessons, and
games inside the classroom can be helpful strategies the children can relate with.
3. Practice
 Create opportunities to practice taking anothers perspective and imagining what
others are thinking. Play charades and do role days, 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. Teach specific routines for calming down and resolving disputes.
Use advisories and guidance and counseling to develop social and ethical skills.
4. Set clear 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 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. They will
have a sense of ownership of these rules. Use restorative justice practices and
peer mediation when conflicts arise.
5. Makes school culture and climate a priority
 Make an annual survey of learners and teachers feelings 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 the learners and staff.
 As children learn empathy skills with their classmates, those skills will transfer to
their lives in their community. The deeper relationships that result from strong
empathy skills have the potential to strengthen a community and build trust. The
effects of community extend far beyond the four walls of your classroom. and
when they develop empathy, they can exhibit compassion. The next value that is
related with empathy is compassion.

COMPASSION

 “ If you want to know what compassion is, look into the eyes of a mother and father as
they cradle their sick and fevered child”
DALAI LAMA

 It was previously mentioned that when children develop empathy this can lead to
compassion. When you sympathize, you understand what the other person is feeling
without exactly feeling it but when you empathize you feel what the other person is
feeing. The feeling of empathy can trigger compassion and take action to relieve the
suffering of another person.
 Compassion is a relational reaction to his or her pain, and acting in some way to help
erase or alleviate the pain.( Kanov,et al.., 2004). Compassion is usually aroused when
someone sees another person suffering and motivated to help. Compassion in this
respect is regarded as an effective state defined by a subjective feeling.
 Compassion is something you can develop with practice. This is pakikiramay among
Filipinos. It involves two things: intention and action. Intention is simply opening your
heart to others and action is what you do about it.
THREE REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPASSION
1. That the troubles that evoke our feelings are serious”
2. “ that the sufferers troubles not be self inflected , that they be the result of an unjust
fate,” and
3. “ we must be able to picture ourselves in the same predicament”
On a similar vein, Kanov, et al.., (2004) consider compassion to be comprised of three interrelated
elements which are:
 1. Noticing
 Requires an openness and receptivity to what is going on in those around us,
paying attention to others emotions, and reading subtle cues in our daily
interactions with them.
 May come in the form of a cognitive recognition of another person’s suffering or
may be first experienced through an unconscious physical or emotional reaction
to the person’s distress.
2. Feeling
 is a social emotion because it is inherently other regarding. It means to suffer with
the person. The feelings may be more or less intense, can last over a long period
of time or be experienced briefly.
 The feelings of compassion may also vary in form: either of a simple nature by
simply feeling concern for another or a mix of more complex set of emotions.
3. Responding
 This is the element that refers to any action or display that occurs in response to
another person’s pain or helping the sufferer live through it. Compassion
responding doesn’t exactly mean that the immediate causes of someone’s
suffering may be right away fixed or corrected.
 For example, holding someone’s hand while listening to her story taking care of a
terminally ill parent can just as compassionate as when giving money to someone
who needs it for a medical emergency.
BENEFITS OF COMPASSION

 Heather Lonczak an advocate of positive psychology , pointed out a number of benefits

when people are compassionate. She said that various researchers have empirically
proven that increased compassion is related to increased happiness and decreased
depression, compassion interventions promote social connection and compassion
interacts with social support to buffer against physiological reactivity to stress.
 In addition, compassion is associated with improved parent- child relationship and
compassion for teachers by colleagues is linked with organizational commitment, job
satisfaction and sense of emotional vigor.
 Compassion within classrooms is related to increased cooperation and better learning.
Compassion benefits classrooms by contagion. Kinder , happier and healthier students
are present in classrooms with higher levels of compassion .
 Studies show that the more compassionate the teacher, the more easily students will
learn. The earlier children learn empathy and appropriate prosocial behavior such as
compassion, the fewer the incidents of bullying and antisocial behavior in later childhood.
COMPASSION DEFICIT DISORDER
What is compassion deficit disorder?
 It is the child’s tendency to act without empathy or regard for others.
According to Diane Levin, the compassion deficit disorder can be attributed to:
1. Children are spending increasing amounts of time more and more technology and screen
exposure at a young and younger age. This results in their lack of opportunity to develop
social skills.
2. Children’s exposure to violent and anti- social models can teach them anti- social lessons
that they bring to their relationships.
3. Children play with toys that are realistic replicas of what they see on screen. These toys
can trigger children to imitate what they saw on television rather than encouraging them
to engage in the rich, creative play of childhood.
4. Many families are experiencing stress that they resort to the screen or technology to
occupy their children and would need not spend a lot of time watching over them. They
become occupied with what they watch, behave and pose no bother at all.
5. There are also instances that parents structure too much what they want their children
to engage in. this prevents the child to organize or learn to organize activities that can
enhance interactions with other children.
A few helpful tips were given by Levin such as:
1. As much as possible, limit young children’s exposure to high tech, media and commercial
cultures. The younger the child, the shorter the exposure per day. The longer the delay in
exposing them to technology, the better in terms of helping the child develop a repertoire
if social skills , developing a healthy sense of self and quality play.
2. Make children understand the things they are exposed to. This can be done by staying
connected with the child around these issues.
3. The school curriculum should not be purely academic in nature, rather social curriculum
is now very important.
4. The teacher is encouraged to connect with other adults in the child’s life family members,
other parents and teachers to support each other’s efforts to promote children’s positive
social development and relationships.

 The development of empathy develops at different stages of the child’s life. The
development of empathy is necessary for compassionate behavior to develop as well.
Teaching compassion , therefore , start at birth.
 In the first year, , kids develop global empathy. They match the emotions that they
witness. When a father picks up his child and soothes him by singing, the child calms down
and reacts to the facial expressions of his compassionate dad. The child is learning
compassion in these foundational interactions.
  During the second year , kids actively offer help . parents actively encouraging this helping
behavior reinforces their desire to continue it. Praising the behavior and reinforcing the
effect that the compassion has on the recipient is further reinforcement. Using phrases
like, “ that was so kind” will reinforce the child’s understanding of the behavior and its
effect is real –world settings.
 By year three, kids become aware that the feelings of others can be different from their
own feelings. This change comes with a deeper understanding of language. The more
words a child can use in explaining empathy and the actions of compassion, the deeper
the understanding of its importance will be. Asking ,” how do you think they felt?” can be
a powerful way to ignite a child’s ability to empathize with another.
 Empathy for another’s living conditions are developed in late childhood or early
adolescence. Understanding that another’s persons feelings might not be based around
a current situation, but rather their more lasting life situation develops in this stage of
childhood.
 Since the home is the seedbed of learning good manners and right conduct, empathy and
compassion can be developed through compassionate parenting. The major key is always
the quality of parenting.
Compassionate parenting is an essential component of positive parenting. Positive parents
show compassion by:

 Guiding and teaching your child by role modeling kind and compassionate behavior.
 Avoiding labeling children ( i.e.., “ the brainy one,” the leader, “ the failure,”etc.), as doing
so is hurtful and promotes both sibling rivalry and self – fulfilling prophecies. Time and
time again this reminder is made for parents to avoid labeling their children, not to play
favorites and respect each child’s nature.
 Being sensitive to your child’s developmental stage. Different developmental stages have
different needs which parents must be aware of.
 Practicing regular , open communication. Many parents are too busy or stressed that they
no longer have time for their children or they, too are as focused on their gadgets and
everybody is into one’s own solitary activity. It is not the quantity of time that matters
but the quality.
 Providing affection and emotional warmth. Provide unconditional love. Parents should
love without strings attached. Practice positive discipline, which is warm and democratic,
and never violent.
 Empathizing with your child’s feelings
 Empowering autonomy in order to support creativity, empowerment and self –
determination.
 Teaching respect for other living creatures by teaching him/her how to care for and show
kindness to animals. A child who respects plants and animals has a great capacity for
respecting and showing compassion to fellow human beings.
 Showing optimism and help your child to believe in him/herself and the future.
ACTIVITIES AND EXERCISES FOR TEACHERS TO USE WITH LEARNERS
1. Play is the business of children. Playing cooperative and team building games enable
children to have daily interaction with peers in a fun way. This promotes team building
capacity and prosocial abilities. They learn other values as well such as self- control,
respect, fairness and the like.
2. The teacher can create a “volunteer” helper position in the classroom. Some schools have
the buddy system, others have tutorial which allow for mentorship roles for children.
Helping a younger child in a particular subject, or guiding new students through the school
are great ways to foster empathy and compassion. Volunteering in community activities
( if COVID 19 is no longer a grave threat) can be a good way to instill compassion in
children.
3. The teacher can encourage acts of kindness by helping kids focus on them. Creating a jar,
or a box, where students can anonymously offer instances of kindness in the classroom is
a powerful way to get them interacting in a positive way. This ought to be consistently
followed through and integrated in any subject in the elementary level.
4. Story telling is a magnificent strategy to reach out to students. Stories of important
historical figures or even ordinary, everyday people and their compassionate lives are
powerful ways to inspire compassion in students. Hearing stories of leaders that make a
compassionate impact on the world, show kids what is possible with intention. They can
also be encouraged to write stories of persons they know who showed acts of compassion
to others. Or they can also been couraged to read books with compassion themes.
5. Children can be encouraged to continue writing letters to medical frontliners or the
military or those who lost their parents under difficult situations etc. or the letter can be
written to sick children in hospitals and how they can brighten up the child’s condition.
This will enable children are given guidance on how to frame their letters from the heart.
6. Make children act it out (get kids role- playing in scenarios requiring compassion) it can
be scary at first, like a theater experience, but when kids get creative in practicing
compassion in role- playing they are laying pathways to compassion for later, real- life
experiences. Role playing will enable the kids to stimulate real life experiences and draw
lessons from such.
7. Engage the entire class in brainstorming an imaginary crisis scenario ( such as Typhoon
Yolanda, Taal explosion, COVID 19) and how thy can help. Helping kids come up with
solutions in crisis are powerful ways for them to realize how vital compassion is, especially
when situations are extremely dire.
8. Teach children especially the older ones, loving- kindness mediation. There are many
available and taking the time to invest in this practice will lower stress for practitioners.
This can start with thoughts of mindfulness.
9. Tap the power of technology. Videos can be shown to the children to draw lessons from.
Gapped lecture can be utilized to drive the important points of the video.
10. Model, Model, Model. Show your learners what it means to have compassion toward
others and toward yourself. Be sure your interactions with children are with compassion.

 Cultivating empathy and compassion in today’s generation of learners can be the likely
antidote against bullying and aggressive behavior. It begins at home and continues at
school. Together parents and educators can do so much to educate the next generation
on the importance of cooperation and kindness in everyday life. What we focus on, we
find. Focusing on cultivating compassion is vital to the improvement of the successful
adults of our future.
 It is also of importance to show self- compassion. There are times when a person views
ones behaviors and shortcomings without compassion. This can lead to constant
ruminating about the faults and inadequacies in such a way that erodes self- esteem and
happiness.
 Self – compassion involves “ self- kindness versus self- judgment; a sense of common
humanity versus isolation, and mindfulness versus over- identification” it is awa of
recognizing one’s imperfection and to see oneself from a comforting rather than acritical
perspective.
 Self – compassion has been found to be related with reduced feelings of anxiety,
depression, and rumination.
 ASSESSMENT

Activity 1.
Answer the following questions briefly.

1. Describe the role of the teachers in developing the desirable values of respect, courtesy,
tolerance , fairness and self control?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Some children bring to the classroom their utter lack of respect and courtesy for the
elders. As a teacher, you want them to change their ways for the better. What will you
do? How will you address the situation?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. What do you think will the world be like without empathy and compassion?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Activity 2.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN HELPED BY A STRANGER?

 Recall a time in your life when you were in a difficult situation and out of nowhere
someone, a total stranger offered help. You were very grateful because the help
meant a lot.
 Try to go down memory lane, reminisce and write that story of your modern day
hero who helped you tremendously.
Highlight of the following: What is the setting? When and where did it happen? Who
came to your rescue and how? How did you feel? What lesson did you learn?
Activity 3.
Direction: Write the correct answer.
1. This happens when the person feels physically along with the other person as though
their emotions were contagious.
a. Cognitive empathy
b. Emotional empathy
c. Compassionate empathy
d. Social empathy
2. Involves treating learners politely.
a. Respect
b. Integrity
c. Concern for students
d. Impartiality
3. Being consistent and truthful and explaining your policies, procedures and decisions and
why they are necessary so that their fairness can be judged and understood.
a. Respect
b. Integrity
c. Concern for students
d. Impartiality
4. This is the element that refers to any action or display that occurs in response to
another persons pain or helping the suffer live though it.
a. Noticing
b. Feeling
c. Responding
d. Occurring
5. It create opportunities to practice taking another’s perspective and imagining what
others are thinking.
a. Practice
b. Set clear expectation
c. Model empathy
d. Compassion
6. This refers to the ability to comply with legal norms, respect laws , church dogmas and
beliefs.
a. Respect for culture
b. Respect for nature
c. Respect for social norms
d. Respect for human beings
7. It is very important for both personal identity and interpersonal relationships.
a. Social norms
b. Attitudes
 c. Respect
d. Values
8. These cover age, gender , communication style, socio-economic background and
personality.
a. Diversity in terms of personal characteristics
b. Diversity in terms of student background
c. Diversity in terms of cognitive aptitude to cover cognitive abilities, technical abilities
and skills as well as social abilities and skills
d. Diversity in terms of level of motivation and diversity opinion
9. This covers appreciation of the environment
a. Respect for others
b. Respect for nature
c. Respect for culture
d. Respect for social norms
10. It is generally understood as a necessary component of a functioning democracy and
stable world order.
a. Tolerance
b. Value
c. Respect
d. Responsibility