CatholicEdChat is a twitter chat. Topics focus on discussions around educational issues for Catholic Educators and topics beneficial to Catholic Schools. We look forward to continuing to connect Catholic Educators online to discuss education and teaching with faith in our schools. The chat takes place on Saturday mornings. Time 9am EST.
Literally my dissertation topic.
Just add the phrase âfor immigrants and refugees.â
And specifically with #middlegrade and #yabooks. đ
#CatholicEdChat
Happy Saturday, #CatholicEdChat! John from Washington DC. High school instructional coach and eleventh grade English teacher at @OConnellHS. Remember, remember, the (tenth) of November!
Q1: The Virtues Project refers to empathy as âthe ability to put ourselves in anotherâs place and understand their experiences.â Why is empathy important to build in our students in the first place? #CatholicEdChat
Good morning #CatholicEdChat! Iâm Amy from Chicago (where itâs sunny but way too cold). Iâm an Ed.D student at @loyolachicago, an ELA teacher, author, speaker, and host of a book review program at @ShalomWorldTV. Letâs talk books!! đ
A1 âYou never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of viewâŚuntil you climb in his skin and walk around in it.â - Scout, To Kill a Mockingbird #catholicedchat
God calls us to live in community with one another (to âaccompanyâ each other as @Pontifex would say). How can we do that unless we try to understand what others are experiencing?
#catholicedchat
Q1: The Virtues Project refers to empathy as âthe ability to put ourselves in anotherâs place and understand their experiences.â Why is empathy important to build in our students in the first place? #CatholicEdChat
A1. The big secret of education is that we donât teach content, we teach people.
Helping our students see themselves in the stories that we read creates a powerful encounter and deeper understanding of human dignity, social justice, and the greater good. #CatholicEdChat
Q1: The Virtues Project refers to empathy as âthe ability to put ourselves in anotherâs place and understand their experiences.â Why is empathy important to build in our students in the first place? #CatholicEdChat
A1: for me, empathy is important to build because what could be more Catholic than practicing radical understanding for our neighbors? Practicing empathy decenters our view of ourselves as the most important part of the universe #CatholicEdChat
A2 In a time where so many adults are quick to judge, fight and insult each other over differences, teaching young people how to respectfully disagree, dialogue and empathize gives hope for a better tomorrow #catholicedchat
A1: for me, empathy is important to build because what could be more Catholic than practicing radical understanding for our neighbors? Practicing empathy decenters our view of ourselves as the most important part of the universe #CatholicEdChat
A2: In middle grade and #YaBooks in particular, they are often written in first person, so the reader gets to feel that they are walking in that personâs shoes.
#CatholicEdChat
A1 It would b hard expect anyone to work for improving situations if they first didnât feel/know anotherâs circumstances. And we want them to do, to help make the world a better place, ultimately! #catholicedchat
Q2: Empathy is built by stories and the more stories we hear both fiction and non fiction builds our ability to see through multiple lenses #catholicedchat
A2. Well, for me, reading is like living a new life. I become the characters. I guess that is good practice for understanding in real life. #CatholicEdChat
A2 Reading literary fiction creates encounters with characters, and those encounters can lead to understanding nearly as powerful and moving as encounters in the real world #CatholicEdChat
A2. Literary fiction helps transport readers to places and people that they might otherwise have never had the chance to discover. Experience is such a powerful teacher. Perspective and representation are critical building blocks for understanding. #CatholicEdChat
A2 Reading requires taking a multi-dimensional look at a character...knowing their motivations and backstory increases perspective and can build empathy. #catholicedchat
A2: I think so much of other-ism is a lack of imagination. An inability to put ourselves into someone elseâs shoes. Fiction helps us bridge that gap. Interestingly, studies have not shown the same for non-fiction #CatholicEdChat
In the words of Dr. Rudine Sims-Bishop, the books are creating âwindowâ and âsliding glass doorâ experiences that allow us to see or even step into another personâs world. (Can you tell Iâm an Ed.D. student? đ)
#CatholicEdchat
A2. Well, for me, reading is like living a new life. I become the characters. I guess that is good practice for understanding in real life. #CatholicEdChat
Q3: letâs talk books! What are your favorite texts for building empathy? Donât be afraid to mention pictures books which rock for all ages!#CatholicEdChat
A2: When we read, we (incl Ss here) we visualize the scene and end up putting ourselves in the story. We can experience the characterâs reactions to a situation. Empathy follows naturally esp if we have experienced similar #CatholicEdChat
"Empathy is not endorsement. Empathizing with someone you profoundly disagree with does not compromise your own deeply held beliefs and endorse theirs. It just means acknowledging humanity of someone who was raised to think differently." @dylanmarron@HoyasInEd#catholicedchat
Good morning! Popping in to say hi while I sit in my booth at the community garage sale. Selling lots of childrenâs books. Wish you all were here! #CatholicEdChat
A2: I think so much of other-ism is a lack of imagination. An inability to put ourselves into someone elseâs shoes. Fiction helps us bridge that gap. Interestingly, studies have not shown the same for non-fiction #CatholicEdChat
A3. The Arrival by Shaun Tan is a wordless graphic novel that tells the story of an immigrant (refugee?) in an unspecified country, bravely making a life in an unfamiliar environment with the hopes of sending for his family back home. Beautiful. Haunting. SO GOOD! #CatholicEdChat
Number the Stars, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Book Thief, Pay It Forward, and my favorite - Once Upon a Marigold! Itâs such a fun one - much lighter than the rest of my list. #CatholicEdChat
How much time do you have?!?! I have literally written papers and annotated bibliographies on this subject! May need to make a video or just point people to the book reviews on my website: https://t.co/YmQqcYsoYN#CatholicEdChat
Q3: letâs talk books! What are your favorite texts for building empathy? Donât be afraid to mention pictures books which rock for all ages!#CatholicEdChat
A3: love using Maggie & the Pirate by @EJKeats for empathy. In our refugee unit we love The Journey and Stepping Stones. Right now my class is reading Front Desk by @kellyyanghk which I hope will give them a fuller idea about poverty, immigration, and assumptions #CatholicEdChat
Hey everyone!! Sorry Iâm missing this morning but I will look it over! Was looking for a different book than Number The Stars to read with my 5th graders about the Holocaust! Suggestions appreciated!! #CatholicEdChat
Empathy is a skill that needs to be taught, but I find children can be such naturals. The other day, a girl in my class asked why we never read stories ABOUT bullies and why they bully. I was very happy to recommend Hello, Universe by @erinkellytweets to her #CatholicEdChat
Q4: Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop talked about the idea of books as âwindows, glass doors, and mirrorsâ where our students can see themselves and the world. What #ownvoices books are you sharing to create a library that reflects more than one groupâs experiences? #catholicEdChat
Agree @cupcake_savant - Maggie & the Pirate is wonderful. #CatholicEdChat. Another great read for perspective-taking used in our 5th grade is Ghost Boys.
In reply to
@cupcake_savant, @EJKeats, @kellyyanghk, @cupcake_savant
A3. The Arrival by Shaun Tan is a wordless graphic novel that tells the story of an immigrant (refugee?) in an unspecified country, bravely making a life in an unfamiliar environment with the hopes of sending for his family back home. Beautiful. Haunting. SO GOOD! #CatholicEdChat
A3 Personally am having a very difficult time reading our current book club pick -- The Underground RR, Colson Whitehead -- about vicious life of slaves, a very dark part of our US history. +Empathy 4sure. #CatholicEdChat
A3 I found The Red Badge of Courage always led to interesting class discussions about right and wrong, survival, war and what bravery means. #CatholicEdChat
Refugee by Alan Gratz weaves three refugee stories together: Jewish boy during Holocaust, Cuban girl in 90s, modern-day Syrian refugee. Amazing how three different cultures and religions (Jewish, Catholic, Muslim) have faces similar discriminations.
#CatholicEdChat
Q4: Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop talked about the idea of books as âwindows, glass doors, and mirrorsâ where our students can see themselves and the world. What #ownvoices books are you sharing to create a library that reflects more than one groupâs experiences? #catholicEdChat
A4: I love sharing @EmmaOtheguy, @olugbemisola, @LindaSuePark, @henakhanbooks & many more. Please let your students see themselves in books. I just had a conversation with some students about the fact that they never saw characters like them till the 4th grade! #CatholicEdChat
My nephew read it for a summer reading assignment. Both he and his mom were reading it in the car on the family vacation trip and kept saying to each other, âHey, did you get to the part where . . . â đ
Good family reading!
#CatholicEdChat
Q5: Sometimes, empathy can be built through direct connection with others. Have you virtually partnered with a class over a book before via Skype, SeeSaw, or some other type of tech? Tell us about it! #catholicEdChat
Interesting! I'm almost finished, so I'll have to reach out on that point and will be sure to throw it out there on Tuesday at BC! Thanks! #Catholicedchat
Q5: Sometimes, empathy can be built through direct connection with others. Have you virtually partnered with a class over a book before via Skype, SeeSaw, or some other type of tech? Tell us about it! #catholicEdChat
A5: spreading the love for the Global Read Aloud for those who are unfamiliar. Once a year, students from all over the globe connect over one book. My students have built connections with students from all over the US and the world via this amazing opportunity!
#CatholicEdChat
Yes! So many great ways to use technology to connect to others these days. Weâve also used #BunceeBuddies to connect to a Catholic classroom in Australia! We eat traded books that we felt represented our country. It was amazing #catholicEdChat
I learned about Flipgrid a bit this summer and even made a few videos on a grid with other authors from @SCBWI_IL but I havenât tried it in a classroom yet.
#CatholicEdChat
Thanks to all my #CatholicEdChat tweeps for an amazing discussion about reading and empathy! Hope you all have a wonderful week! Iâll be praying for all of you and your students!
