Jorge Valenzuela: An empathy map is a simple visual tool that educators can use to connect with their students. Empathy mapping is used for building relationships and to make better instructional decisions based on the needs of our kids. Empathy maps are typically divided into sections with a representation of a student in the center. Each section helps us to learn more about our students.

Interests and goals are things that they like, like sports and music. It’s important to know their interest and goals, so we can connect something that they love to something in the curriculum.

Examples of assets are areas of strength, like fluency in a language. They’re a good listener, they’re a systems thinker, or they’ve mastered a specific skill.

Academic needs are the areas that our students need to improve in. If I’m an English language arts teacher, the ability to interpret informational text. If I’m a math teacher, unit conversion or proportional reasoning.

SEL needs are skill sets that relate to self and also others. These include self-awareness, social awareness, and also responsible decision-making.

Career needs are soft skills like communication, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration. Skills that we know that our young people need now, but also in the future.

Traditional ways of collecting information can be through polls, surveys, and looking at their work. But knowledge of students can also be gleaned in classroom discussions, paying attention to what they care about, recognizing their gifts and abilities, and in things that they voluntarily talk about.

Empathy maps can be used to make instructional decisions, such as appropriate scaffolds, differentiation, and themes of projects or lessons. They can also be used to co-design learning experiences around what matters most to students. I have found the empathy mapping process extremely useful for determining where I need to become more socially and culturally competent regarding the students that I serve. Think of the student who needs you the most and start there.

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