Purposeful thought in the classroom: Do emotions matter?

Newton, Douglas

Abstract

The fostering of cold, emotionless reason has been central goal of formal education for a long time. Given the evident successes attributed to such thought, this is understandable, but there is no thought without emotion. Moods and emotions, however, are commonly seen as bad for purposeful thought. This can be true, but moods and emotions can also support it – if they are the right ones. Teachers and researchers need to consider this in their work. The purpose of this presentation is: (i) To point out that moods and emotions play key roles in teaching and learning yet are ‘elephants in the classroom’, ignored or suppressed, and rarely consciously recruited to optimise students’ thinking; (ii) to describe how moods and emotions affect various kinds of thought expected in classrooms, and do not always respect ‘tried and tested’ teaching strategies; and (iii) to suggest that pedagogy should include ‘emotional design’, the management of the emotional climate, and stream of affect in the classroom, and that research is needed to explore these. This keynote builds on an extensive review of research on the role of moods and emotions and their interaction with cognition. This research has burgeoned in recent years and is now beginning to be applied in educational contexts. It offers food for thought about the ‘emotional labour’ of all engaged in teaching and learning.

Citation

Newton, D. (2017, December). Purposeful thought in the classroom: Do emotions matter?. Paper presented at 15th International Conference on Excellence, Creativity, and Innovation in Basic-Higher Education and Psychology 3-5 July 2017, International Centre for Innovation in Education (ICIE), Lisbon, Portugal

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: 15th International Conference on Excellence, Creativity, and Innovation in Basic-Higher Education and Psychology 3-5 July 2017
• Conference Location: International Centre for Innovation in Education (ICIE), Lisbon, Portugal
• Publication Date: 2017
• Deposit Date: Jul 28, 2017
• Publisher URL: http://www.icieconference.net/index.php/portugal-2017-1/keynote-speakers-2017