2026-06-25 - Andrea

Andrea Dawn Short  - Education Specialist (PhD ABD) | Curriculum Design & Assessment | Social Studies & Humanities | Supporting Diverse Learners 

I’m currently ABD in Curriculum & Instruction, and my dissertation focuses on historical empathy . My theory is that starting with a single human story—rather than dates or battles—makes history less abstract. When students connect empathically with one person’s raw emotions, they naturally become more curious about the broader social and political forces that shaped that person’s world.

I'm also writing a book called, Give Language to Survival. I made a flyer to find individuals to share their stories, and I’d love it if you could share it with anyone you think might be interested.

Your project sounds amazing, and I would love to contribute—especially with curriculum design given my PhD focus. 

Meeting summary

Quick recap

Edwin and Andrea reconnect after many years to discuss Edwin's empathy movement and training project. Edwin explained how the organization has grown from empathy circles into a 501c3 center with multiple training programs, including a four-week facilitator training starting July 25th and regular empathy circles. Andrea shared her extensive experience teaching empathy in various educational settings, from middle school to adult education, and discussed her ongoing research and book project about giving language to survival experiences. They explored the structure of the empathy circle training program, which combines experiential skills-building with didactic knowledge, and discussed how the project could incorporate different perspectives including neuroscience and curriculum design. Andrea expressed strong interest in joining the project team and participating in future training sessions, leading to Edwin adding her to the project team list and email discussion group.

Next steps

Andrea

• Attend the Empathy Circle facilitator training starting July 25th.

• Attend the meet and greet on Fridays at 9 AM Pacific (starting tomorrow).

• Attend an upcoming Empathy Circle (e.g., the one tonight at 6 PM Pacific).

• Look for and share her previously designed social-emotional learning class materials with Edwin.

• Consider developing a training module on neuroscience and empathy.

• Share her definition of empathy and ideas for the curriculum project.

Edwin

• Add Andrea to the project team list and email group.

• Work on developing the training section on the definition of empathy.

• Continue to recruit curriculum designers for the project.

Summary

Empathy Circles Discussion

Edwin and Andrea discussed their experiences with empathy circles and related projects. Andrea shared her background using empathy circles in education, particularly with inner-city students who showed more engagement than private school students. Edwin described his work with Stanford high school students and mentioned his organization's broader mission to build an empathy movement through their 501c3 center. The conversation ended with Edwin mentioning a website but the transcript cut off before he could elaborate.

Empathy Circle Training Program

Edwin presented a training program starting with empathy circles as a gateway practice, including a free four-week Empathy Circle facilitator training that begins July 25th. He outlined the onboarding process for getting involved, which includes watching a video about curriculum needs, reviewing the website, and joining a discussion list. The next steps include attending a meet and greet tomorrow at 9 AM Pacific time and participating in upcoming empathy circles, with one scheduled for tonight at 6 PM Pacific time.

Empathy Summits Framework Overview

Edwin explained the Empathy Summits framework, which holds four events per year in October, January, and April, inviting trainers to present different empathy training programs. The curriculum includes empathy circle practices, facilitator training, and various projects on topics like speaking and listening empathically, conflict resolution, and empathy in education. Andrea shared her teaching experience across different age groups and discussed her work with at-risk students, including those at Excel centers for adults transitioning out of prison or addiction.

Empathy Training Curriculum Development

Andrea and Edwin discussed empathy and neuroscience, sharing insights about Dr. Bruce Perry's work with trauma-affected children and the practical application of empathy circles in education. They explored various neuroscience researchers including Ramachandran, Marco Iacoboni, and Christian Kaiser, and discussed the development of an extensive empathy training curriculum with a focus on establishing clear definitions and starting with practical listening exercises. Andrea suggested incorporating authors as speakers in future empathy summits and noted that having well-known experts like Dr. Perry could help attract more participants to the program.

Enhancing Educational Content and Curriculum

Andrea discussed incorporating personal stories and real-world examples into educational content to make historical events more relatable to students. She shared examples from authors like Bruce Perry and Sir Ken Robinson about creativity and empathy in education. The conversation then shifted to curriculum development, where Andrea suggested starting with measurable learning objectives and including formative assessments to gauge student understanding. Edwin mentioned a capstone project partnership with Indiana University's Instructional Systems Technology program for curriculum design work.

Empathy Program Training Method

Edwin explained the dual approach of their empathy program, which combines theoretical knowledge with experiential skills-building through empathy circles. He described how the empathy circle serves as a training ground for active listening and reflection skills, with a practical example of how psychotherapist Maheep successfully implemented this method in couples counseling. Edwin also outlined their organizational approach, requiring board members and key staff to agree in advance to participate in empathy circles to resolve conflicts.

Empathy Circles Discussion

Andrea and Edwin discussed different types of empathy circles, with Edwin explaining the process of restorative empathy circles which include pre-circles with facilitators and specific questions about feelings during and after conflicts. Edwin described how additional components can be added to basic empathy circles, including a pre-circle phase where facilitators listen to each participant's concerns before bringing everyone together. At the end of the discussion, Edwin offered to add Andrea to the project team list for ongoing work on empathy circle development.

Empathy Project Discussion Meeting

Edwin and Andrea discussed Andrea's involvement in an empathy project, where she expressed strong interest in participating and contributing her expertise in historical empathy and curriculum design. They discussed the project's structure, which includes training modules, empathy circles, and potential applications in various settings including prisons and educational environments. Andrea shared her current work including tutoring, book writing project titled "Giving Language to Survival," and potential professorships at Ball State University, while Edwin explained the project's progression from basic empathy training to more advanced concepts like imaginative empathy and neuroscience applications.