Authentic Connection: Engaging with Students through Empathy

Abstract: As learning environments shift toward meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse student population, empathy is becoming an important tool for instructors. Empathy deepens the connection between students and instructors. This connection can also emerge in the library, where librarians are teaching students in a variety of contexts, from the reference desk to the one-shot instruction session. This article references current literature on empathy in the classroom and elaborates on how empathy can lead toward relationship-building based in trust, which ultimately enables learners to put aside their apprehensions and deepen their understanding of new concepts.