I was first introduced to the concept of empathy walks/runs in William Pullen‘s book Running With Mindfulness. One of my #summerreads back in 2019, the book delves into the positive effects of running therapy, including anxiety relief and reduced stress by focusing on the meditative nature of exercise. There’s a wealth of carefully tailored thought exercises to be implemented while on a run or walk, and the concept of Dynamic Running Therapy (DRT) is used to bring the mind into perfect harmony with the body through the “healing experience of mindful running”.

The exercise from the book that has remained with me, and one that is always popular with my students, is the empathy walk which is the perfect activity for setting a tone of collaboration, empathy, and mutual respect that will carry throughout the school year.

Simply put, this activity involves two or more people engaging in a conversation while running or walking together. The primary purpose is to build empathy, understanding, and connection between the participants. During the run or walk, participants take turns asking and answering questions, often focusing on topics that encourage deeper reflection, sharing personal experiences, or discussing emotions and perspectives. While the participants in this context are students, this exercise is a great parent and child activity too.

The process: Conducted in the first few weeks of the school year, and with a focus on building community and connecting my junior and senior students, I ask students to get in pairs. I encourage students to lean into discomfort and pair up with a peer with whom they are unfamiliar. Emphasizing the exchange of thoughts and experiences, students assign themselves the role of ‘listening partner’ and ‘sharing partner’, are given a prompt, and walk one lap of our school track. The listening partner asks questions pertaining to the prompt, listens to the responses, and continues with the questions.

Once students have walked a lap, the listening partner gives a brief synopsis of what they heard and each partner shares what they felt about the experience. Roles are then reversed, and the activity is repeated with the same or new prompts.

While the author includes a great list of potential prompts, the ones that I have typically used at the start of the school year are “How was your summer and what were the highlights?” and “Looking ahead to the school year, what are you most excited about?”. These prompts alone always elicit great conversations.

This year I want to be more explicit. Knowing that I am continuing with my growth in understanding and incorporating the features of Meaningful Physical Education in my teaching I have decided that my empathy walk questions will foreshadow the first feature that I’ll weave into my content, namely that of challenge.

The empathy walk prompts that I will use this year are:

• What’s something you’ve always wanted to learn or try, but found challenging? Why do you think it’s challenging for you? In what ways do you think challenges help us grow, both in sports and in life?
• Is there a challenge you’re looking forward to this year, either in school or outside? What excites you about it? What steps do you think you’ll need to take to overcome that challenge, and who or what might help you along the way?

My goal is for empathy walks to create a lasting atmosphere of teamwork, empathy, and respect that will influence the students’ interactions throughout the school year. I’m fortunate to have my students for the whole year, and I’ll continue to encourage them to find connections to each other, breaking down social barriers and fostering a sense of community. Not only will this exercise provide an opportunity for students to practice active listening and empathy, but the first few weeks should allow us to explore how challenges can be growth opportunities, both in physical education and in their personal lives.

I have blogged before about my experiences of using the features of Meaningful Physical Education to guide my planning and teaching, and will continue throughout the school year. If you enjoyed this post, you’ll also appreciate the following:

Teaching Physical Education with Purpose: Embracing the Meaningful PE Approach

Meaningful PE: Autobiographical Assignment

Back Pocket Questions: Your Secret Weapon for a More Meaningful PE Class

Discovering Joy in Movement: Insights from Parents to Teenagers

Making Meaningful Physical Education Elementary Friendly

Buy the book! Meaningful Physical Education by Tim Fletcher, Déirdre Ní Chróinín, Doug Gleddie, and Stephanie Benni