Learning to consider the perspectives of other people is a powerful– and sometimes difficult– skill for children to learn. While I believe in teaching personal narratives, this type of storytelling centers on the experiences of the storyteller. When we nudge students to consider other people’s stories and versions of our own experiences, we not only supply them with additional writing materials, but also, we nurture empathy and perspective-taking, foundational skills for positive friendships.
Perspective-taking is the neglected secret of constructive problem solving, negotiations, conflict resolution, higher-level cognitive and moral reasoning, and most other aspects of human interaction. While it is not always easy or comfortable to do, it is essential for building and maintaining constructive relationships. Teaching children how to take others’ perspectives is a needed aspect of schooling and socialization. Becoming skillful in taking the perspective of others will tend to significantly improve the quality of one’s life.
Captured from Psychology Today and written by David W. Johnson, Ed.D., a Co-Director of the Cooperative Learning Center at the University of Minnesota
Perhaps this week, consider challenging students to revisit stories, especially personal narratives, and write them from a different person’s point of view. Maybe students write only small snippets of a longer story, and that’s okay!
TWO WRITING TEACHERS 