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Teacher empathy is key to student learning

Empathy is a fundamental value in all kinds of circumstances, but it is not only applicable in the education of children, but also adults should exercise and practice it, especially if we are in direct contact with children, as is the case of parents and educators


Being an empathic teacher is fundamental, and this value exerts a strong power over its students: it motivates, stimulates and is key to their academic development. This is demonstrated by a Finnish study called "First Steps" and prepared by the University of Juväskylä and Turku, in Finland

Why teacher empathy is essential for student development?

We have all had teachers of different types: motivating, vocational, stimulating, boring, authoritarian, challenging ... We have had good and bad teachers. What is the difference between them? Perhaps one of the answers lies in the level of empathy of the teacher towards the student. 

The importance of being empathetic in the classroom with the students and maintaining a pleasant and warm atmosphere obtains better results on the students than the iron discipline and the distance with the student. This is demonstrated by research carried out in Finland that demonstrates that the interaction between the student and the teacher is more important than other factors such as the materials with which one works or the number of students in a classroom.

This study confirms that the first years of school, during primary education, are fundamental for the student, it is a critical period in which a good relationship with his teacher will achieve all these results on the child:
- It will facilitate your learning. 

- It will strengthen their desire to learn and motivate them to study. 

- It will help you have good self-esteem, to believe in yourself.

- Encourage him to have a good image in front of his teammates. 

- It will help them set goals, fight to overcome themselves and achieve goals. 

- It will promote non-memorial learning but for the satisfaction of obtaining new knowledge. 

In short, a good question to ask each educator is: how do you want to be remembered by your students? If the answer is: as your best teacher, the key is empathy.

Estudiante: Marcela Ruiz Díaz
Tuve suerte de encontrarme, en la mayoría, con excelentes educadores a lo largo de mi formación, muchas de ellas en mi etapa escolar, que me transmitieron el valor de educar. Muchas de ellas supieron acompañarme en varios momentos feos, y es como esas maestras que me educaron en mi niñez, que quiero ser yo. Por tal motivo comparto este documento. 

Fuente: https://www.guiainfantil.com/blog/educacion/profesor/la-empatia-del-maestro-es-clave-para-el-aprendizaje-del-alumno/