Critical Thinking Meets Empathy: thinkLaw’s Sarah Pfeiler to Deliver Must-See Session at PBIS Conference

A 2010 study presented by the Association for Psychological Science by the University of Michigan found a shocking statistic: Empathy dropped 40% in college students since 2000. At the same time, a Harvard study found that in schools with less empathy, there was a pervasive culture of bullying, discrimination, and chronic disciplinary issues. Why does it even matter? The truth is – If students’ don’t care enough to even uncare, then how can teachers prepare students for success in life?

We know how powerful empathy is to overcome the behavioral barriers I mentioned above, yet educators still struggle with the training and time to teach students the social-emotional skills needed to succeed. Emphasizing critical thinking, however, is one such solution to overcome these barriers, help students develop empathy and manage disruptive behavior. The ability to “see” through someone else’s eyes and “step into another’s shoes” is a necessary critical thinking skill-set that ALL students must have for 21st Century learning.

The chance to delve into this topic is why we are so excited to attend the BET-C PBIS Conference on October 5th! thinkLaw’s Curriculum and Training Manager Sarah Pfeiler will give a jaw-dropping session “Thinking Like a Lawyer: Practical Tools for Critical Thinking and Decision Making” and provide very practical and easy-to-adopt tools teachers can easily incorporate in their classes to help students develop empathy. Sarah’s 14 years of teaching experience, 3 years as a leader of a Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support committee, and personal experience as a foster and adoptive mother will provide insight into the enormous roles schools have in influencing positive behavioral changes. This is a session you won’t want to miss!

thinkLaw is honored to attend BET-C to give our teachers the ultimate support they need to feel empowered and confident when the daily disruptive behavioral challenges do happen. To see a preview of Sarah’s interactive session that uncovers 4 ways for helping students develop empathy, click here.


To learn how your school or organization can adopt thinkLaw’s standards-aligned program that helps educators teach critical thinking to all students, please click here to schedule a time to speak with someone on the thinkLaw team, call us now at (702) 318-7512 or join us on our next webinar; Thinking Like a Lawyer: Powerful Strategies to Teach Critical Thinking to All Students

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