Sonia Thompson, Head Teacher of St. Matthew’s C of E Primary School, is the guest on this episode of Mind the Gap. She talks about the concept of “reading for empathy” and discusses Empathy Lab, an organization whose research demonstrates the benefits of empathy on the brain and learning. Sonia explains how empathy is a concept that can be taught to all students and reinforces that empathy is not about sympathizing; it’s about doing something with those emotions that we feel. She also talks about using challenging content, how students’ increasing skill influences their will, and more. 

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Mind the Gap is produced by MindRocket Media Group and presented by John Catt Educational, a leading independent publisher that has supported teachers and school leaders with research-based, easy to use professional development publications since 1959. Learn more about books from Tom, Emma, and many other world-class authors at us.johncattbookshop.com (US) or johncattbookshop.com (International). Available to watch at edCircuit

About the participants:

Sonia Thompson is Head Teacher of St. Matthew's C of E Primary School in Birmingham, U.K., a vibrant, forward-looking and confident school which aims to meet the future needs of our young people and the world they inhabit. She is a contributor to The ResearchED Guide to the Curriculum: An Evidence-Informed Guide for Teachers. Follow Sonia on Twitter @son1bun

Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specializing in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. Through his consultancy – teacherhead consulting – he is interested in working with educators to explore and implement contemporary educational ideas that deliver an excellent all-round education for young people. His books include Rosenshine’s Principles in Action and The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook.  Tom is a regular contributor to ResearchEd events and other conferences for teachers and policymakers. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on Twitter @teacherhead

Emma Turner After 20 years in primary teaching, Emma joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust where she is currently the Research and CPD lead, devising and writing training for staff at all career stages, but specializing in continuous professional development (CPD) for early career teachers. She is the founder of ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early career teachers’, a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help to retain teachers in post. Turner is author of Be More Toddler: A Leadership Education From Our Little Learners. She is an advocate of balance in leadership and family life and regularly speaks at events across the UK on how part-time leadership and flexible working can be a hugely successful model in organizations. Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75