Empathic Pedagogy: Community of Inquiry and the Development of Empathy

Many Philosophy for Children advocates argue that the practice of communal philosophical dialogue develops students’ judgment making skills and facilitates the growth of reasonable subjects (Pritchard, 1996; Lipman & Sharp 1978; Lipman, 1991; Sprod, 2001, Sharp and Splitter, 1995). While these are appropriate avenues for exploring the moral education potential of the program, the literature can be further enriched by examining how Community of Inquiry supports the development of empathy. Previously I argued that any empathic pedagogy must provide students with a means of engaging across the boundaries of the subject in an intersubjective gestalt—i.e. it must allow for peer mediated inquiry-based interactions that support the sharing of affective states (Schertz, 2004). Given this conceptualization of empathic pedagogy, in this piece I will claim that Community of Inquiry is a crucial and paradigmatic means for promoting the further development of empathy. In order to reinforce the developmental soundness of the methodology, I will discuss it in light of Martin Hoffman’s (2000) empathic modes, which are distinct processes that promote the growth of what Hoffman calls the “mature empathizer” (pg. 63). Community of Inquiry enables students to conjointly explore philosophical concepts, personal anecdotes, and stories through a discursive structure that allows for and encourages the facilitation of these empathic modes through a dynamic system of interlocking subjectivities. The methodology enables students to direct their chosen discourse and promotes an intersubjective gestalt, allowing children to engage each other in affective communication in a discursive context that is also cognitive and metacognitive. Before I go on to examine Community of Inquiry in light of Hoffman’s theory, I want to briefly touch upon my reconceptualization of the phenomenon of empathy and then discuss the important role which dialogue plays in the development of the empathic subject. Previously I (Schertz, 2004) defined empathy as the mediation of emotional information between two body-consciousnesses that involves systemic communicative processes operating between subjects which are, by definition and structure, relational. In other words, empathy can be seen as a form of communication by which human beings interact in an intersubjective gestalt. An empathic episode can involve a variety of processes, from mimicry to role taking, depending on the interpersonal context and the developmental capabilities of the subjects. Research regarding the development of empathy indicates that the tenor of formative communicative experiences can have profound effects on a child’s nascent empathic abilities (Damon, 1998; Hoffman, 2000; Verducci, 1999). Effective development is largely dependent upon modeling by the parent, dialogically-based inductive interactions, and non-authoritarian and/or nonabusive adult behaviors. Similarly, the disciplinary practices used within the classroom, the child’s access to peer-mediated relations, and the chosen pedagogical style of the teacher can later impact the child’s ability to engage in systemic communicative processes (Schertz, 2004). In order to provide access to the intersubjective experience, Verducci (1999) discusses the importance of giving “programmatic attention” to role-taking activities, having students “practice imagining/perceiving another’s perspective” and providing students with “exposure to emotionally laden stimuli.These practices correlate with increases in empathy” (pg. 185). In terms of specific curricular activities and pedagogical techniques, “cooperative learning and cross-age and peer tutoring correlate with increases in empathy” (pg. 185). Verducci alleges that “attention to building communities is also important when considering cultivating empathy.This encompasses problem-solving through class meetings and expanding student participation in decision making” (pp. 186-187). Her adherence to engaged perspective taking, democratic community building, and cooperative