Civic character

Perspective taking enriches an educator’s understanding of their students and helps them design learning experiences that are accessible and resonate with their students. It can also ensure that an educator more effectively differentiates their approach based on their knowledge of individual student needs. Incorporating perspective-taking activities, such as asking two groups to take turns explaining two opposing viewpoints or through studying multiple perspectives told through stories in literature, deepens students’ understanding of one another and contributes to building an inclusive and caring, others-focused — or altruistic — environment.

Perspective taking is a critical tool for undertaking systems change and sparking innovation in our school systems. Offering opportunities within a school system for community members to learn others’ experiences — for example, through strategies such as using newsletters to share families’ stories of challenges and successes, through using focus groups surveys, or through leading conversations structured around film showings and book clubs — educators can lead by example and better access the perspectives of the communities that they serve. This new information builds a shared understanding of our community challenges and assets that can push us to design more creative solutions and better mitigate consequences (Practice P1, P2).