How to Teach Cultural Empathy

Cultural empathy is an appreciation and tolerance of cultures that are different from one’s own. Like many beliefs and attitudes, cultural empathy begins to develop at a young age and is reinforced or challenged over time by watching others and through life experiences. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, mentor, or friend, you can help others understand and value different cultures by explaining what cultural empathy is and demonstrating what it means. You can then help reinforce their attitudes about different cultures by creating opportunities for them to put cultural empathy into practice.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Explaining Cultural Empathy

1. Describe and celebrate some of the ways that people are different. To help someone learn to be empathic and tolerant of other cultures, it can be helpful for you to first take some time to identify and explain some of the cultural differences that make people and societies unique. If the person you’re teaching hasn’t had much exposure to other cultures, they may be inclined to reject or judge any differences they encounter. By explaining how cultural diversity makes the world more interesting, they’ll start to appreciate different cultures and understand how uniquely each is in its own right.^[1]
   
   • For example, if you’re an American teaching your middle schooler, try explaining 1 aspect of a different culture to them per week. Begin by telling them about the cultural significance of grass basket weaving in Western Africa, then focus on teaching them a few basic phrases in French the following week.
   • By describing and celebrating cultural differences, they’ll gradually learn to appreciate diversity and likely become more accepting of those who are different from them.
2. Identify some common traits that all humans share. While it’s important to teach cultural diversity, pointing out some common traits across cultures can also help your student or child develop cultural empathy. Showing them what they have in common with someone from a different culture can make others seem more familiar, which will likely make your student or child feel more comfortable with any cultural differences.^[2]
   
   • By identifying what they have in common with someone from a different culture, you’ll be able to show them that humans are not always that different, despite living in different places and having different customs.
   • To help you demonstrate some similarities, try to show them an example of a person from a different culture participating in an activity that they enjoy. For example, if your high school student or child loves fashion, try showing them a video about the unique and ornate jewelry-making process in Egypt and ask them, “Do you see any similarities between their interests and your own?”
   • If you’re teaching cultural empathy to an entire class of elementary school students, try asking each student, “What is most important to you?”. That way, the students will be able to see that many of their values are the same despite any cultural differences between them.
3. Give examples that show why intolerance is harmful and hurtful. In order to help your child or student learn to be empathic and tolerant, it can be beneficial to show how intolerance can impact those who are targeted. Pointing out a few common unfair stereotypes and explaining how they have a negative impact on those being judged may encourage them to reflect on their own prejudices and reassess how they think and act towards people who are different from them in the future.^[3]
   
   • For example, if you’re teaching a group of middle or high school students, try to first explain a bit about the history of racism in America. Then, show a few excerpts from a documentary on racism in which people from various minorities describe the harmful impact of racism in their own lives.
   • For older children and young adults, it can also be helpful to explain how intolerance can be limiting in their own lives. For example, try to explain that if they aren’t empathetic and open to working and having relationships with people that are different than them, their options in life will be much more limited.^[4]
4. Teach your student or child to embrace their own culture. To help someone become more empathic towards other cultures, it may be helpful to take some time to help them understand their own unique culture and heritage. In many cases, people will be more willing to accept and appreciate unique aspects of other cultures if they understand that their own culture is unique and different in its own right.^[5]
   
   • This is particularly important for minority students who may face intolerance and discrimination elsewhere.
   • By encouraging them to accept their differences, they’ll have the self-confidence to feel more comfortable and appreciative of cultures they may not fully understand.
   • For example, if you’re of Scottish descent, try teaching your young child about your clan’s traditional clothing and customs. Then, try saying to them, “Just as we are proud of these traditions, other people from various parts of the world are proud of their own traditions. So, we should treat everyone with respect, regardless of what their specific customs are.”

[Edit]Demonstrating Cultural Empathy

1. Be a role model by being open and respectful of other cultures. As a parent or teacher, your students or children will generally look to you to see how to act when encountering people, places, or cultural customs that are different. If you lead by example and are respectful, open, and welcoming to those that are different from you, your students and children will learn to do the same.^[6]
   
   • For example, if you make negative comments about someone’s appearance or religion, your students or children will pick up on this over time and likely start to emulate this behavior. Therefore, it’s important that you practice cultural empathy yourself so they’ll learn to be tolerant and accepting as well.^[7]
   • Whether you’re with your child, student, or a friend you’re trying to teach to be more tolerant, when you encounter someone who is culturally different from you, try asking them, “Will you tell us a bit about your culture?” That way, you’ll help them get the opportunity to learn about another culture while showing them that you’re open and accepting of others.
2. Utilize diverse learning materials to create a tolerant environment. To help your student or child become more familiar with different cultures, try incorporating décor and learning materials from a variety of different cultures into their learning space. Whether you’re teaching in a classroom or trying to teach your child cultural empathy at home, creating a diverse educational environment will help encourage cultural tolerance and acceptance.^[8]
   
   • For example, try putting up signs and labels in different languages, hanging images of people from all over the world, stocking books about diverse cultures, and including games from places around the world.
3. Provide examples of multicultural role models. When you’re teaching your student or child about significant people and achievements in various genres, try to include people from a variety of different cultural backgrounds. This will show them that people of all genders, cultures, ethnicities, and appearances contribute positively to the world and excel at what they’re passionate about.^[9]
   
   • For example, if the person you’re teaching loves football, try telling them about Jim Thorpe, a Native American professional football player and Olympian who persevered through racism and poverty to become one of the most famous American athletes of all time.
4. Use real life moments to demonstrate the need for cultural empathy. While demonstrating cultural empathy in designated learning environments is helpful, people tend to learn more about cultural empathy from real life experiences. By pointing out situations when others are or are not practicing empathy towards someone different than them, you’ll be able to show them what cultural empathy looks like in real life.^[10]
   
   • For example, if you witness a person making a racially or ethnically insensitive comment, take the time to explain what it means and why it was so hurtful.
   • In addition, regardless of their age, if someone you’re with makes a judgmental comment about someone who is different from them, ask them, “How would you feel if you were in that person’s shoes?” Rather than chastising them for their comment, try to use this as a real life teachable moment and encourage them to understand how and why their comment was hurtful.
5. Incorporate different cultural customs into activities they enjoy. Perhaps one of the easiest ways to teach a child about different people and cultures is to incorporate different cultural elements into the activities they enjoy. For example, if your child loves dolls, try getting them a few dolls that represent cultures different than their own. By playing with dolls from a number of different cultures, they’ll learn to be comfortable and accepting of different appearances, clothing, and customs.^[11]
   
   • In addition, incorporating other culture’s customs into the activities they enjoy will subtly send the message that learning about and working with other cultures makes the world a more interesting, fruitful place.

[Edit]Creating Opportunities to Practice Empathy

1. Encourage them interact with people who are different from them. One of the best ways for people of all ages to become more tolerant and appreciative of other cultures is for them to build relationships with people who are different from them. Whenever an opportunity arises, urge them to go and talk to new people, or help them by introducing yourself as well.^[12]
   
   • For example, if you’re a teacher, try encouraging your students to get to know different people at their school by switching out the lunchroom seat assignments every week.
   • If you’re a parent, try organizing play dates with a variety of different people. While it may be tempting to stick to the people you already know, getting to know new people can help both you and your child become more culturally empathic.
2. Visit local institutions that teach about other cultures. In most places, there are a number of museums and cultural centers that provide a variety of activities and services aimed at teaching visitors about their culture. Taking advantage of these opportunities is a great way to help teach someone cultural empathy and learn more about the various cultures that make up your community as well.^[13]
   
   • Because museums and cultural centers are generally sites that are designated for learning, child or students of any age may feel more comfortable asking questions in this setting, which can help them learn more and become more accepting.
3. Travel to different places to expose them to different cultures. While traveling can be expensive and difficult to arrange, it can be one of the best ways to help someone learn to accept and appreciate cultures that are different from their own. Traveling to a new place allows them to immerse themselves in different ways of life and learn first-hand what their cultural customs and values are.^[14]
   
   • Traveling can also provide more opportunities to interact with people from different cultures.

[Edit]References

 

1. ↑ https://blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2015/02/04/teaching-cultural-empathy-stereotypes-world-views-and-cultural-difference/
2. ↑ https://blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2015/02/04/teaching-cultural-empathy-stereotypes-world-views-and-cultural-difference/
3. ↑ https://www.rchsd.org/health-articles/teaching-your-child-tolerance/
4. ↑ https://theievoice.com/teaching-kids-tolerance-and-empathy/
5. ↑ https://www.theedadvocate.org/4-ways-to-help-your-students-embrace-diversity/
6. ↑ https://theievoice.com/teaching-kids-tolerance-and-empathy/
7. ↑ https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/How-to-Teach-Tolerance-to-Your-Children
8. ↑ https://www.theedadvocate.org/4-ways-to-help-your-students-embrace-diversity/
9. ↑ https://www.theedadvocate.org/4-ways-to-help-your-students-embrace-diversity/
10. ↑ https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/How-to-Teach-Tolerance-to-Your-Children
11. ↑ https://theievoice.com/teaching-kids-tolerance-and-empathy/
12. ↑ https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/How-to-Teach-Tolerance-to-Your-Children
13. ↑ https://naturalstart.org/feature-stories/building-cultural-empathy-and-celebrating-diversity-nature-based-early-childhood
14. ↑ https://matadornetwork.com/change/7-ways-to-teach-kids-tolerance/