Empathy is the ability to share someone else’s feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person’s situation. It helps students to gain insight into the experiences of a diverse population. As a teacher, I believe empathy is key to forging the creative leaders of tomorrow and instilling the goal of a more equal and diverse society. Here, I explain how I use empathy as a core teaching strategy to apply theoretical content to solve real-world problems, encourage my students to practice those theories and stand in my students’ shoes to improve my teaching.
