This lesson is designed around a short film called Educate the Heart and the themes of education and compassion. Students talk about education and compassion, categorise vocabulary, watch a short film and write a composition.
Language level: Intermediate (B1) – Advanced (C1)
Learner type: Teens and adults
Time: 90 minutes
Activity: Watching short film, speaking, watching an interview and writing a composition
Topic: Education and compassion
Language: Vocabulary related to education and compassion
Materials: Short video, interview, 2 wordles, and video and interview transcripts
Downloadable materials: educate the heart lesson instructions educate the heart transcript shane koyczan interview
Step 1
Show students this wordle and tell them that it was created from the words of a quotation by Aristotle. Tell them that “educating” and “the” are larger than the other words because they are repeated in the sentence. Put them in pairs and ask them to create a sentence from it. If they find this difficult tell them the sentence starts with the word “educating”.
Step 2
Get students to read out their sentences and then show them the correct quotation.
Step 3
Put the students into small groups and ask them to discuss the quotation. You may like to help them by giving them some questions such as:
How do we educate the mind?
Can you give examples of educating the mind?
How can we educate the heart?
Can you give examples of educating the heart?
Do we educate the mind and the heart in our educational system?
Step 4
Show students this wordle which was created using words from the transcript of a video they are going to watch later.
Put students into pairs and tell them that you want them to use a dictionary to look up words they don’t know and then to put the words into categories, however, you do not give them the categories they have to decide the categories themselves. The categories could be based on the type of word (verbs, nouns, and adjectives), short words, long words, stress patterns, positive words, negative words etc. The important thing is that students decide on the categories themselves as this will help them remember them.
Step 5
Get feedback from the whole class and write the categories on the board.
Step 6
Tell your students they are going to watch a short video about educating the heart in which the words from the wordle appear. Ask them what they think they will see and hear in the video.
Step 7
Show the students the video until 01:40 and ask them if their predictions were correct.
Dalai Lama Centre // Educate the Heart from Giant Ant on Vimeo.
Step 8
Give students the transcript of the video and let them read it for 5 minutes and then show the video again.
Ask students the following questions:
Did you like the video?
How did the video make you feel?
Do you agree with message of the video?
Step 9
The video is beautifully narrated by author and poet Shane Koyczan. Tell your students they are going to watch an interview with him in which he answers the following questions:
1. What does “educating the heart” mean to you?
2. How can we “educate the heart”?
3. Who educated your heart?
Before they watch to the interview, put them into pairs and get them to ask their partner the 3 questions.
Step 10
Now show the interview and ask students to answer the 3 questions.
Get students to compare their answers.
Step 11
Give students the transcript of the interview and go through any vocabulary they don’t understand. Now show the interview a second time.
Ask students the following questions:
Do you agree with Shane?
How would you describe Shane as a person?
Homework
Ask students to write a composition titled:
It is just as important to educate the heart as the mind.
Encourage them to use the vocabulary they have learned in the lesson.
I hope you enjoy the lesson.
I really love your classes!! It saves me so much time and effort looking on the internet for interesting things to show! A very big thank you to you!!!!!!!!!
Hi Els,
Thanks a lot for commenting. Im’ really happy that you like the lessons so much and that they save you time.
All the best,
Kieran
This class material ” Educate the heart” is so beautiful! I just loved it. I’m eager to use it with my English students as soon as we get back from vacation. Thanks indeed!
Hi Lucila,
Thanks very much for your kind comments. Please let me know how it goes with your students.
All the best,
Kieran
Hi Kieran! Thanks for sharing this wonderfull plan, I just loved it.
I´ve got some students of ESL studying to be teachers so it´s just perfect!
Thanks again.
Hi John,
Thanks a lot for commenting, I’m really happy that you like the lesson so much. I hope your students enjoy it too.
All the best,
Kieran
I am a fan always! Such an inspiring website and lessons. Will never thank you enough!
Hi Céline,
Thanks a lot for your kind words. Great to know you like the site so much.
All the best,
Kieran
Thanks so much for this lovely resource…it really struck a chord with me and my students. Beautiful.
Hi Pearl,
It’s a pleasure. Thanks a lot for your kind comments. I’m really happy that the lesson struck a cord with you and your students.
All the best,
Kieran
Super Great Wonderfull and Inspired. I would love to know how to download the lesson material, for use in a class without internet connection? My best regards, Matthew.
Hi Matthew,
Thanks a lot for commenting, ; I really appreciate your kind words. You could donload the video using this programme:
http://anytubedownloader.com/
and then watch it in class.
All the best,
Kieran
Thank you for this inspiring and motivating lesson! Your web is a great resource. This year I haven’t used any of your wonderful ideas so far; I’ve been too obsessed with programs and lacking energy… However, I’m planning to do something different when we go back to class after exams break, next week. Your web is not only a great resource of motivation for my teaching, for my students’ learning, but also for me as a human being. THANK YOU. I really appreciate all your work! HUGE HUG!
Hi Mar,
It’s a pleasure. I’m just happy you find the site useful, it makes all the hard work worthwhile. I hope you get to use the lesson in the new term.
un abrazo,
Kieran
i have to write a long essay, topic is “educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all” but now i don’t have idea, how can i write it, can you give me some reasons why do we need educate the heart
I think you’ve got all the answers you’re looking for in the video. Read the transcript and you’ll see lots of reasons for educating the heart. You could also google “compassin in education” and “empathy in education”, you’ll find lots of useful information. Good luck with the essay.
All the best,
Kieran
thank you so much
You’re welcome, Thuhao
Completely surprised! Your lessons are the best I have ever seen! You are on my favourites now! Can’t wait for the next lessons! Kisses from Argentina
Hi Gise,
Thanks a lot for taking the time to comment and for your kind words. It’s great to know the site is now one of your favourites
All the best,
Kieran
Hi Kieran,
I was truly happy to come across the video! The words are magical, they make not only students, but mature people as well reflect… Also, the lesson itself is fantastic, still, I’ve changed it a bit, having added dictation of the words from the word bank and changed the essay to “The things which are not taught at school” to broaden the topic and provide student with more freedom of self-expression… All in all, you’re doing a great job, thanks a lot!
All the best,
Denis
Hi Dennis,
Thanks for commenting. The way you’ve adapted the lesson sounds great.
All the best,
Kieran