EmpaTRaiNy’s Principal Investigator Dr. Kyriaki Mikellidou participated in the Two-Day Professional Development Programme for Educators (8-10th September 2026), organised by the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, delivering talks across three sites to primary school teachers from six schools: Kalo Chorio Larnacas Primary School, Psevdas Primary School, Agia Anna Primary School, Kamares Larnaca Primary School, Avdimou Primary School, and Zakaki XVI Primary School, Limassol.
The sessions focused on the development of students’ key interpersonal and soft skills, including empathy, communication, collaboration, resilience, and adaptability, with an emphasis on practical ways in which these skills can be cultivated in the classroom.
Particular attention was given to empathy and to the important distinction between cognitive empathy—the ability to understand another person’s perspective and emotional state—and affective empathy—the tendency to share or resonate with another person’s emotions. The sessions explored why this distinction matters for understanding children’s social interactions and for supporting the development of healthy and adaptive empathic responses.
The talks also created opportunities for discussion and exchange with teachers about the challenges they encounter in developing students’ interpersonal skills and maintaining positive and functional teacher–student relationships.
Through activities such as these, EmpaTRaIny brings research on empathy into dialogue with educational practice, supporting the translation of scientific knowledge into everyday educational settings.
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