Using Emotion to Teach Writing #EDU407Sum19 #literacies #clmooc

As I completed research for this post the idea that learning fills a desire (Mozère, 2914) hit me (cited below). Many philosophers express learning in some type of change state. It begins and ends with conflict (Piaget), or consist of even growing from pain. We have always associated learning with excited emotional states. Makes sense writing with emotion is a tool every author should carry.

Cynthia Lewis often notes that schools seek to regulate emotion while we our emotions are really mediated actions rather than a state of being.

When a writer gets stuck, drawing on emotion allows them to draw upon all the embodied experiences of the event.

As Leander notes:

humans are not merely “using” materials in mediated activity; rather, humans and materials enter into affective relationships and intensities, the nature of which is often not prescribed. Foldings of the human and non-human are constant and complicated; people “use” things and things “use” people, and these movements and relations can be rife with affective movements

In a writing classroom the writing becomes both the tool, the expression, and sometimes the emotion itself.

How to Use Emotion In Your Class

First review your responsibilities as a mandatory reporter. When given the freedom to write children can be raw. Let them know the types of writing you must report and always encourage them to feel free to write you if they want to seek help.

Connotative language

Play with connotation. So far we have used figurative (metaphor), connotative (emotion) and literal (observation) types of language. Explore these with students. An activity I did with students had them creat a meaning number line. We put two adjectives or adverbs on a scale and then had students populate it from most positive to most negative.

Read a poem like Chicago by Carl Sanburg. Look to see how the author uses emotion to paint the city in different light. Discuss the connotative nature of the language.

Teach Childreen to Talk About Emotions

A benefit to building a writing space that includes an exploration of emotion is creating a space that allows all children to explore emotion.

When you see children expressing frustration. Explain to them that you can see the source of frustration. Ask them what they can do. Offer journaling as a couping mechanism...Trust me having a student write out frustration is far more valuable than whatever you are currently doing.

Use Children's Books

Ask questions that encourage students to think about a character's emotions. Explore the cuases of the emotions. Ask for what they do when they feel those emotions.

Give students writing prompts about these emotions. Have them connect to their own coping mechanisms. Have students explore author's word choice. Have them choose a book and one emotion for how that story makes them feel.

Use Pictures

Put up a picture. Have students write a story or describe the picture in two different emotions.

Boldt, G., Lewis, C., & Leander, K. M. (2015). Moving, feeling, desiring, teaching. Research in the Teaching of English, 49(4), 430.

Featured Image: Emotions... flickr photo by  JoesSistah shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) license