Give a person a baby, and theyre bound to soften up. Place a baby in a group of angst-ridden pre-teens, and, not too surprisingly, it has the same effect.
Students open up and empathize, becoming more social and kind to each other.
A possible anti-bullying tool?
Oh yeah, it can certainly be used to combat bullying in schools, said UBC professor Kimberly Schonert-Reichl. That isnt to say all bullies need to learn empathy, some bullies have empathy, but it could work in certain situations.
The applied developmental psychologist will discuss the importance of incorporating social and emotional development into the curriculum at the 14th Annual Learning and the Brain conference this Saturday.
The conference consists of a series of workshops, from anti-bullying to supporting an anxious child, to help parents, caregivers and educators understand how children learn.
Schonert-Reichl was part of a nation-wide study, Roots of Empathy, where students interacted with a baby for 40 minutes a month over a period of nine months.
Kids learned how to empathize with the baby and subsequently opened up to each other. The result in certain age groups was a dramatic decrease in aggressive tendencies.
With the theme of this years conference being Caring, Communicating and Connecting with 21st Century Kids, Schonert-Reichls keynote speech seeks to raise awareness for social and emotional learning (SEL), which includes becoming more self- and socially aware, conflict resolution and getting along with others.
Video: The Hawn Foundation - The MindUp Program
When kids get along, theyre more competent, said the mother of two adolescent sons. When youre stressed out about peers or whatever, youre more individually-focused. You dont retain as much information. This directly correlates to academic achievement.
More so, these are life skills, theyll help students in their careers.
SEL can be incorporated into curricula in two ways, according to Schonert-Reichl. A school can allot specific times of the day for this development, as in the Roots of Empathy program or another similar program, MindUp.
HELP Fall Expo 2012 Keynote Preview - Kim Schonert-Reichl
It can also be integrated into the standard subjects. For example, books for Language Arts can encourage kids to discuss empathy and responsible decision-making.
B.C. is actually the place to watch for this, said Schonert-Reichl. Its leading the world in SEL. Theres something happening here and its important to start involving parents in this.
Part of her talk will address educators and caregivers directly, discussing how to deal with their own stresses so these dont become part of their childs stress.
Time for discussion with ones children needs to be made an intentional part of a familys day, whereas in previous decades it was a natural component.
Before, it was built into the fabric of the family, she said. Meal time became a time for discussion.
Today, most families see both parents working. Technology places an additional burden on being available 24/7. It increases the likelihood of screen time, when family members splinter off to their electronic devices.
After a career of teaching troubled kids, Schonert-Reichl decided to complete her masters in psychology and focus on SEL.
Those kids taught me that context has the power to promote well-being and positive development, she said. Given the context of caring and trust, the most troubled kids became less aggressive.
Schonert-Reichls research has been used to create policy change in schools, and can be read at http://earlylearning.ubc.ca.
For more information about the conference, visit http://learningbrain.sd38.bc.ca.
