Leveraging Emotions for Learning in a Cultural Immersion Experience

• In Event: Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Pychosocial Examinations of Students’ Performance and Motivation in K-12 Schooling

Abstract

Our cultural immersion experience for pre-service teachers resulted in strong emotions on the part of our candidates, but we feel we could better leverage these emotions in their teacher preparation. Our research analyzed student emotions responses within three planes of emotional ecology (Zembylas, 2007), individual, relational, and socio-political. Most reflections, 63%, fit within the individual plane, 31% were ranked as relational, while just 6% fit within the socio-political plane. Reflections in the latter two categories showed improved empathy for English Language Learners in U.S. classrooms, pedagogical connections, and reflections about their own privilege. We recommend emotional scaffolding (Rosiek, 2003) in the requirements for student reflections in order to improve candidate teacher preparation and cultural competence.

Authors

• Carol J. Brazo, George Fox University

• Genevieve Harris, Linfield College