2.2 Examples of compassionate pedagogies

This section offers you three examples of pedagogies that are based in the relational, interconnecting and caring space of compassionate pedagogies. As you read ask yourself how these pedagogies may be introduced in your context.

Dialogic teaching (Alexander, 2020) aims to improve learner engagement and attainment through improving the quality of discussions in the learning context. Leaders of learning use approaches that ask learners to reason, discuss, argue and explain rather than merely respond. Learners are taught to listen and respond to one another as well as the teacher, in order to develop higher-order thinking and criticality. Learners of any age can engage in learning through dialogic teaching and there is evidence that cognitively challenging, but supportive classroom talk can lead to accelerated progress in learning (EEF, 2017).

The learning tasks that are undertaken need to change from questions that are quick to answer to questions that require collaborative input and discussion. Contributions from everyone are encouraged and valued as all will have ideas that may help the group progress towards a solution. Because of this, it may take a long time for teachers to get used to using dialogic teaching and learners may have to unlearn ways of being in a learning environment before they can make good use of a dialogic learning environment.

Teaching for mathematical resilience (Johnston-Wilder et al., 2021) asks teachers to recognise that many traditional ways of teaching mathematics, such as an over-regard for speed in answering questions and memorising poorly understood procedures, cause mathematics anxiety, which harms learners’ overall wellbeing.

Mathematics can be a struggle to learn partly because of its abstract nature. Prevalent myths about people being either naturally able to do mathematics, or not, have made many learners consider that trying will result in failure and humiliation. When teachers help learners understand that learning mathematics usually requires struggle but that learners should not struggle alone, they are helping learners develop mathematical resilience.

Mathematically resilient teaching requires teachers to pay attention to the wellbeing of their learners. Teachers should help those learners know how to work at mathematics and know that making mistakes is inevitable but rather than mistakes showing they ‘can’t do maths’ they show where, with support, learning can begin. Teaching for mathematical resilience helps learners understand that mathematics will be of value to them in their lives and understand where they can get the support they need to learn throughout their careers.

Learning with your hands (Lambert, 2010) – Recent research in neuroscience suggests that working or learning online may not give our brains what they need to feel happy. Humans throughout history have made everything they owned and used themselves. These objects were touched and used, and our brains may have developed to derive self-esteem, purpose and a sense of personal power from making and using them.

Lambert (2010) believes that one of the reasons levels of depression and anxiety keep rising every year around the world is that fewer and fewer people make things for themselves. She explains that 80% of the neurones in the brain are used to control movement – not thought – and that a large proportion of those neurones are linked to controlling the hands. This means that, when you use your hands to perform a complex task, you give your brain a ‘workout’. Learning a new skill increases the neuroplasticity of the brain, which means your brain gets better at learning, planning and making decisions – all very useful attributes.

Activity 2.2  Compassionate pedagogies in practice

Timing: Allow around 45 minutes

1. Consider one session of your teaching or interaction with learners.

In Table 1 below, make a list of each aspect of that session, from how you welcomed the learners and introduced what they were going to learn, to how you assessed how well they were learning.

Table 1  Reviewing compassionate pedagogies in practice

Aspect of the sessionWould the learners say this demonstrated compassion? Why?Would the learners say this did not demonstrate compassion? Why?How could this aspect be made more overtly compassionate?
Welcoming learners
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Introducing learners to what they will learn
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Note: If you need more space, copy and paste the information into the table in your learning journal and add extra rows.

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3a. What do you as an educator think about the statement:

  • Compassion is only needed when a learner is already anxious or has experienced some kind of trauma?

3b. Do compassionate pedagogies have a place in increasing wellbeing and realising your vision of contributing to a kinder and more caring world?

3c.  Write around 100 words in the Activity 2.2 forum discussion [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] explaining your response to this question.

  Explore

If you want to know more about compassion as a pedagogy in relation to higher education contexts, then read:

2.1 Pedagogies of compassion or compassionate pedagogies?

3 Making changes with sustainability in mind