Noticing in and Learning Through Emotional Spaces

• In Event: Collaborative Approaches to Noticing for Anti-Oppressive Mathematics Education

Abstract

Objectives or purposes
Teacher noticing research highlights how teachers' histories and participation in sociocultural communities supports their noticing of students to advance equity (Kalinec-Craig, 2017; Louie, 2017; Mendoza et al., 2021). We build on this work to theorize teachers’ developing awareness of how and why they organize the emotional spaces in their classrooms to create more equitable learning environments. We also investigate how the noticing interview supported teachers’ developing deeper awareness of their noticing practices, to further expand, or rupture, patterns in their noticing to advance equity in the classroom.

Perspective(s) or theoretical framework
We draw on research that identifies aspects of the emotional climate of the classroom that have consequences for student success, including: (a) being sensitive to students’ needs; (b) developing warm, caring, nurturing, and congenial relationships; (c) valuing students’ perspectives; and (d) refraining from sarcasm and harsh disciplinary practices (Reyes et al., 2012, p. 2). In these classrooms, students feel supported, connected, and an increased sense of belonging. These themes are consistent with research that documents instructional practices in mathematics that advance equity in the classroom, including connecting to students’ experiences, positioning students as capable and attending to students’ knowledge and perspectives (Bartell et al., 2017; Rubel, 2017). Less is known about how teachers attend to these aspects of the classroom to support students’ developing identities and how we can create contexts for teachers to develop deeper awareness of the emotional climate of the classroom.

Methods and Data Sources
The primary data sources include noticing interviews for four teachers, and associated video segments from classroom observations. In a noticing interview, teachers view selected video segments from a classroom lesson and discuss the significance of noteworthy events and interactions. We identified themes related to teachers’ noticing of the emotional classroom space, including teachers’ attention to students feeling supported, included, and a sense of ownership (Bartell et al., 2017; Gutierrez, 2012). We also analyzed the discourse in the noticing interviews to understand how this context helped them gain deeper insight into their noticing practices.

Results
Teachers’ awareness developed related to the emotional space of the classroom as they participated in the noticing interviews. We document how teachers’ developing awareness of their noticing related to emotions allowed them to focus on student wellbeing, connectedness, and learning. For example, one teacher shared how she responds to “blooming, buzzing confusion” of the classroom, with a low, calm voice to foster an emotionally healthy learning environment. Additionally, through the noticing interviews, the teachers gained insight into their noticing practices, allowing them to name and intentionally leverage practices to create a more humanizing classroom climate. We also discuss how teachers’ organization of the emotional space of the classroom is informed by their personal histories and broader narratives about teaching and learning.

Scholarly significance of the study or work
This work expands research on teacher noticing by characterizing teachers’ attention to the emotional space of the classroom, what is recognized as a critical component of instruction for cultivating equitable classroom spaces.

Authors

• Jose Angel Mendez, University of California - Irvine

• Elizabeth A. van Es, University of California - Irvine

• Elizabeth Mendoza, University of California - Irvine