Chapter 1: Cultivating Empathy in Teacher Education: Recommendations From Theory and Research

Empathy in education is important for students and teachers. Teaching empathy to students can improve their social and emotional competencies, while teacher empathy can enhance academic and social outcomes. However, maladaptive forms of empathy can impede and detract from these positive outcomes. For example, teacher empathy is associated with improved student–teacher relationships, while maladaptive forms of teacher empathy are related to stress and burnout in teachers. Thus, it is imperative that teachers cultivate adaptive forms of empathy that are appropriate for their classroom context. In this chapter we highlight the multidimensionality and context sensitivity of empathy in education and provide examples of teaching empathy. We include strategies—storytelling, perspective taking, strategic empathy, and role identity reflection—for teacher educators to instill adaptive teacher empathy in their preservice teachers. We conclude with recommendations that teachers continually ask themselves: “What is the best form of empathy for me and my students at this moment?”