Empathy, Creativity, and Well-Being in Classrooms: Recommendations from the IIF Fellows

Sofija explored the role of formative assessments in teaching and how they can provide continuous feedback and encourage constant learning progression. These assessments are key in identifying learning gaps and are essential for helping students practice and understand new content in real time, focusing on the learning process rather than the outcome, and offering frequent opportunities for self-assessment and teacher feedback.

While formative assessments are valuable for their authenticity and the regular engagement they promote, they are not without challenges. They can sometimes be perceived as busy work, especially if students do not understand their value. There might be limited intrinsic motivation for students, leading to engagement issues.

Strategies to Maximize the Value of Formative Assessments

To help students appreciate the significance of formative assessments and to encourage their active participation, Sofija suggests that teachers:

• Explain the Purpose: Clearly articulate why these activities are important, how they tie into the larger learning goals, and how they benefit the students academically.
• Use interactive platforms: Use tools in Canvas to facilitate discussions and peer feedback.

Improving Engagement in Low-Stakes Assessments

The effectiveness of formative assessments lies in making students feel their work is valued and seen. Here are a few ways to boost engagement:

• Visibility and Accountability: Show that student work is reviewed and matters. Highlight exemplary student responses or summaries, and use a system where students can upvote helpful submissions.
• Incentivization: Provide tangible rewards or recognition for high-quality work, which can motivate students to put in more effort.

Low-stakes, formative assessments can be practical tools for learning progress and evaluation. Understanding when and how to use them can improve student engagement and perception.

Leah introduced a creative approach to teaching poetry by incorporating Google Translate into her poetry and prose workshops. This method is designed to push students out of their linguistic comfort zones and to explore new creative dimensions without the necessity of fluency in another language. Leah’s exercise, “Learn another language in 60 minutes,” begins with students listening to a poem in a foreign language, fostering an appreciation for the rhythm and visual form of the text, independent of its literal meaning.

Stages of the Exercise:

• Initial Exposure: Students listen to a poem in a foreign language, focusing on its auditory and visual appeal, which primes their creative faculties without the bias of content comprehension.
• Creative Writing: Inspired by the foreign poem, students write their own pieces, tapping into the emotional and structural elements they perceive.
• Translation Experimentation: Students translate their English poems into multiple languages and back, observing how the essence and form change. This process highlights the imperfections and creative alterations introduced by automated translations, such as Google Translate. 

Leah uses this exercise to discuss broader themes such as the nature of language, the concept of fidelity in translation, and the global perspective on literary creativity. The session encourages students to step out of their linguistic comfort zones and helps them appreciate the nuanced challenges and opportunities of literary translation. It encourages students to consider and discuss the social context surrounding translation algorithms and the impact of uneven translation quality across languages.

Ali discussed the often underappreciated aspect of teaching: the emotional labor involved in managing classroom dynamics and personal interactions. He references Arlie Russell Hochschild’s concept of emotional labor to explain how teachers must often perform surface acting, where emotions are feigned, or deep acting, where emotions are genuinely felt and managed in real time. This emotional regulation is crucial for maintaining a positive learning environment but can lead to stress and burnout if not managed properly.

Strategies for Managing Emotional Labor

Ali highlights practical strategies for mitigating the impact of emotional labor.

• Emotional Check-ins: Regular check-ins at the start of class help gauge the emotional climate and adjust the day’s lesson accordingly.
• Feedback Systems: Structured feedback methods that start with positive reinforcement can help mitigate the stress associated with critique, both for students and teachers.
• Inclusive Spaces: Establishing classroom norms that encourage open expression of emotions can create a more empathetic and supportive learning environment.

Ali also discussed the importance of teachers recognizing their own emotional needs and setting boundaries to prevent burnout. By fostering an environment where emotional expression is valued and supported, teachers can improve their own well-being and, in turn, provide better support for their students.

The innovative strategies presented by Sofija, Leah, and Ali offer some fresh perspectives on assessment, creativity, and emotional well-being. Their approaches aim to improve student engagement and creativity and address the crucial aspect of emotional well-being in teaching.

For more innovative teaching stories, meet this year’s fellows or read their innovative teaching practices.