PIDP 3250 - ASSIGNMENT 1 Reflective Writing - 2 (Week 3, Jan 29- Feb 04)

Submitted by

Reena Alias (Student ID: 000411787)

REFLECTIVE WRITING – 2

Objective: While reading chapters 3 to 6 of the book, ‘Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty’, what really struck me is the notion that consider the value in designing courses to address student’s emotional states and the following statement in the same paragraph: “Recognising and making adjustments when a student feels sad, stressed, or threatened can remove roadblocks not solvable by cognitive strategies alone” (Barkley, 2009, p. 35)

Reflective: Understanding and addressing the emotional state of a student is an undoubtedly significant role of any teacher. I perfectly agree to the statement and also emphasize the fact that cognitive strategies alone cannot solve and remove the roadblocks affected by the emotional state of a student in learning. Many instances that I encountered during my teaching career are the reason why I strongly feel that cognitive strategies alone cannot manage some critical situations. During the early stages of my teaching career, I met a student who was devastated due to his mother’s untimely death. He became totally disengaged and loses his and motivation. After addressing his emotional state of , he got back to his feet. Similarly another student, who was a chain smoker and alcoholic, could not actively engage in his learning in of his immense abilities and talents. These are only few examples among those many that flash through my mind.

Interpretive: Surveys showed that our present generation is more emotionally troubled than the previous, which is a really disturbing fact. Children are growing more lonely and depressed, more angry and unruly, more nervous and prone to , more impulsive and aggressive (Goleman, 2005). There is a worldwide decline in the emotional competencies of youngsters and Goleman expressed his concern on the mounting problems such as drug abuse, crime and violence, depression or eating disorders, unwanted pregnancies, bullying, and dropping out of school. In today’s hectic world, the interpersonal skills are often under-utilized, as students are much adept at ‘being social’ through technological means of communication. Also the multilingual and multicultural blend of today’s classrooms is crammed with problems and of immigrants where deportation is a central concern. Educators should know that fearful brains are hijacked brains. Marc Brackett of , regarded that “ can either enhance or hinder your ability to learn,” The affective domain includes factors such as student motivation, attitudes, perceptions and values. He said that an anxious or agitated student may not be able to focus on what is being taught by the educator. The brain’s fight-or-flight response compromises the functions of the frontal lobe that involve attention, short-term memory, planning, and motivation. By creating a positive climate and building rapport with teachers and peers students will give a comfortable feel, leads to endorphins in the blood and stimulates the frontal lobes (Sousa, 2006). The pivotal role of frontal lobe in motivation, attention, memory and active learning is really a key take away for me. Further learning on the affective domain led me to the concept of (Goleman, 2005) that enables the struggling students into more successful ones. The four components explained by Goleman are the important aspects that make one emotionally intelligent, and they are: - Emotional self-awareness: The skill to recognize how one is and the impact of those on decisions made or actions taken. - Emotional self-management: The ability to keep negative emotions and impulsive behavior under control, stay calm and unflappable even under stressful situations, maintain a clear and focused mind directed on accomplishing a task. - Social awareness: It means knowing others’ emotions, having people skills and towards others. - Relationship management: The ability to use awareness of your emotions and others’ emotions to manage interactions successfully. Studies have shown that promoting the emotional intelligence of students can cause an increase in academic success, improved quality of relationships between teachers and students, and a decrease in problem behavior. Another fresh piece of learning for me is the Krathwohl’s taxonomy of the affective domain (Krathwohl, Bloom, & Masia, 1964) that addresses the manner in which we deal with things emotionally and suggests that all learning may begin with the affective domain.

Decisional: Education had been focusing on building students’ academic intellect and brilliance for decades, but least bothered about their emotional intellect which has critical impact on education as well as their lives as a whole. Therefore I believe that it is the need of the hour to address this crucial factor of developing emotional competencies. Based on the insights gained, I think the following strategies can be practiced to build an emotionally healthy generation actively engaged in learning. • Always consider the taxonomy of affective domain, while planning and delivering courses, and assessing student learning. • Incorporate structured emotional intelligence instructional programs to train the emotional skills (four components) that are essential to confront and handle emotions properly. • Incorporating relaxation strategies such as meditation, yoga and two minutes breathing exercise that can develop a calming effect in the students. • One to one mentoring and active listening to identify the challenges faced by students. • Creating positive emotional climate regardless of race or status, in order to foster connectedness among the peers which may create a greater sense of safety and harmony. • Counseling services for students who need special attention and care. Despite of how ambitious and well-articulated the curriculum is, without considering the emotional domain, we cannot ensure active learning in students. So, by teaching emotional intelligence explicitly and focusing on implementing other related strategies that can address and enhance the affective domain can definitely reap positive benefits. Building emotional competencies will boost motivation for engaging in learning, behaving positively, and performing academically thereby augmenting students' ability to succeed in school, careers, and life.

References Barkley, E.F. (2010). Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. San

Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Brackett, M. A., Rivers, S. E., Reyes, M. R., & Salovey, P. (2010b). Using to

improve classroom social-emotional processes. Presented to WT Grant ⁄ Spencer

Grantees’ Meeting. Washington, DC.

Goleman, D. (2005). Emotional Intelligence, New York, NY, England: Bantam Books, Inc.

Krathwohl, D. R., Bloom, B. S., & Masia, B. B. (1964). Taxonomy of educational objectives. The

classification of educational goals. Handbook II: The affective domain. New York, David

McKay.

Sousa, D.A. (2006). How the brain learns. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-importance-of-emotional-intelligence-in-education.html https://www.learningliftoff.com/teaching-emotional-intelligence-important/ http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2012/04/25/why-emotional-intelligence-is-needed-more- than-ever/