This task is rooted in the educational curriculum of Social-Emotional Learning. It is both about self-empathy and the question if it is necessary to relate to someone’s story in order to give empathy. In the spectrum of empathy, there exist numerous ways of being empathetic. The photos show some of them. The students are asked to look at the pictures and discuss the provided questions. If they can relate to the picture it is a “mirror picture” as it reflects something that they have experienced similarly. If they can’t relate to the picture it is a “window picture” as it opens up a new perspective. After they decided if it is a mirror or a window picture, they place it within “The Empathy Spectrum”. For this task “The Empathy Spectrum poster should be hung up on a classroom wall. The students write the title of the picture on a post-it and stick the post it somewhere between the ends of the spectrum. How much empathy does the picture show? Why do they place it there?

IMPORTANT:

The task is not about relating to as many pictures as possible. It is rather about realising that we neither can’t nor should be empathetic with everyone at all times.

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