Studia Filologiczne UJK

Summary

The paper focuses on the importance of cultivating empathy and tenderness in teacher candidates. Empathy and tenderness are teaching competencies within the affective dimension of educational objectives. The affective and cognitive domains of education are highly integrated and are two parts of a whole. Nevertheless, the affective part of education needs more serious attention as it is inherent in the development of democratic societies (Lang 1998: 5; LeBlanc & Gallavan 2009: xiii). It also plays an important role in the holistic education of future generations for the functioning of the planet. Part one of the paper provides a critical overview of the concept of affective dimension in human learning in general (Dewey 1899, 1910; Krathwohl et al. 1964; Rogers 1969, 1983), and in teacher education (Lang et al. eds., 1998; LeBlanc & Gallavan eds., 2009). The second part in turn is devoted to a review of selected current longitudinal empathy teacher preparation programs. Conclusions are based on the research findings.