APPLYING THE "EMPATHY MAP" METHODOLOGY IN PRIMARY SCHOOL NATIVE LANGUAGE AND READING LITERACY LESSONS

Abstract

The modernization of primary education requires teaching methods that not only improve academic achievement but also foster learners' emotional intelligence, communication skills, and critical thinking. One innovative approach that effectively supports these objectives is the Empathy Map methodology. This learner-centered instructional strategy enables primary school students to analyze literary characters, understand different perspectives, express emotions, and develop meaningful reading comprehension. The methodology encourages learners to identify what a character sees, hears, thinks, feels, says, and does while interacting with literary texts. As a result, students become active participants in the learning process rather than passive recipients of information. This paper examines the educational value of integrating the Empathy Map methodology into native language and reading literacy lessons in primary schools. The findings suggest that this approach strengthens analytical thinking, reading comprehension, vocabulary development, collaborative learning, creativity, and emotional awareness while increasing learners' motivation and classroom engagement.