The Emotions of Teaching and Educational Change

Abstract

One of the most negtected dimensions of educational change is the emotional one. Educational and organizational change are often treated as rational, cognitive processes in pursuit of rational, cognitive ends, If emotions are acknowledged at all this is usually in a minimaIist way in terms of human relations or climate setting, where the task of leadership is to manipulate the mood and motivation of their staffs, in order to manage them more effectively. The more unpredictable passionate aspects of learning, teaching and leading, however, are usually left out of the change picture. In this chapter, Andy Hargreaves makes a case for studying and energizing the emotions within the educational change process: Then, drawing on an empirical study of a group of change-oriented Grade 7 & 8 teachers in Canada, he describes how teachers' emotional goals for and bonds with their students permeate teachers' orientations and responses to all other aspects of educational change - such as curriculum planning, teaching and learning, and school structure. When the emotional aspects of teaching and educational change are considered seriously, Hargreaves argues, what is at stake in educational change and how best to manage it, will never look the same again.