Reflecting on Emotions During Teaching - Developing Affective-Reflective Skills in Novice Teachers Using a Novel Critical Moment Protocol

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy

Affective-reflective skills are treated as a core element of classroom pedagogy, strengthening teachers’ emotional understanding and confidence to improve learning conditions. The study reports a case study of early career primary teachers, demonstrating development of these skills through iterative use of a purpose-designed collaborative protocol. Teachers analyze affective responses using lesson-video critical moment procedures, enabling non-judgmental self evaluation and linking affective-reflective growth with teaching confidence. Findings support reframing professional learning to include emotional experience and analysis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Theoretical Framework and Study Context

Methodology and Research Design

Results and Discussion

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 45 Issue 10 | Article 4 | | --- | --- | | 2020
Reflecting on Emotions During Teaching: Developing Affective-Reflective Skills in Novice Teachers Using a Novel Critical Moment Protocol
James Bleakley
Southern Cross university, [james.bleak59@gmail.com](james.bleak59@gmail.com)
Geoff Woolcott
Southern Cross University, [geoff.woolcott@scu.edu.au](geoff.woolcott@scu.edu.au)
Tony Yeigh
Southern Cross University, [tony.yeigh@scu.edu.au](tony.yeigh@scu.edu.au)
Robert Whannell
University of New England, [rwhannel@une.edu.au](rwhannel@une.edu.au)
Follow this and additional works at: [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte)
Part of the Educational Psychology Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Elementary Education and Teaching Commons, and the Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons | | Recommended Citation Bleakley, J., Woolcott, G., Yeigh, T., & Whannell, R. (2020) . Reflecting on Emotions During Teaching: Developing Affective-Reflective Skills in Novice Teachers Using a Novel Critical Moment Protocol. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45(10) . [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2020v45n10.4](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2020v45n10.4) [This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[ ](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss10/4](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss10/4) Reflecting On Emotions During Teaching: Developing Affective-Reflective Skills In Early Career Teachers Using A Novel Critical Moment Protocol James Bleakley Geoff Woolcott Tony Yeigh Southern Cross University Robert Whannell University of New England Abstract: Affective-reflective skills are an integral component of classroom pedagogy, providing teachers with emotional understandings and confidence that can improve overall classroom performance. This article presents a case study of early career primary school teachers, showing how such affective-reflective skills can be developed through iterations ofa purpose-designed collaborative protocol. Use of this novel protocol allowed teachers to examine their classroom practices via critical moment analysis of affective responses observed from lesson videos. Findings demonstrate how teachers’ use of this non-judgmental and self evaluative protocol contributed to an emerging understanding of the relationship between their affective-reflective skills and teaching confidence. Findings support an argument for reframing teacher professional learning, from a focus largely on curriculum content and pedagogy, to a focus that includes the teacher’s emotional experience and its subsequent analysis, as part of the learned content that supports the growth of teacher confidence. Introduction A substantial body of literature developed around the importance of teacher emotional literacy has begun to converge with an equally substantial literature supporting collaborative teacher professional learning (Woolcott et al., 2017a, 2017b; Wurf & Croft-Piggins, 2015) . This convergence links reflective practice, seen as critical for the purpose of improving teaching and sustaining change (Cavanagh & Prescott, 2010), with the affective skills that encompass teachers’ emotional understandings and regulation (Galligan et al., 2019; Uitto, Jokikokko, & Estola, 2015; Yeigh et al., 2016) . Such affective-reflective skills are related to notions of emotional intelligence (Goleman, 2006) and are linked with the ability of a teacher to identify and control their emotions (Vesely, Saklofske, & Leschied, 2013) . Teacher professional learning that develops such skills is important in positively supporting a teacher’s enthusiasm, resilience, adaptability and abilities in understanding their own emotional states; a teacher so armed has more confidence in teaching and mor

FAQs

What are affective-reflective skills in the context of teaching?

They are described as an integral part of classroom pedagogy, involving teachers’ emotional understandings and regulation that can strengthen confidence and overall classroom performance.

How does the article propose these skills are developed for early career teachers?

Through iterations of a purpose-designed collaborative protocol that uses critical moment analysis of affective responses observed from lesson videos.

What are the main outcomes reported from using the novel critical moment protocol?

The protocol enables non-judgmental, self-evaluative examination of classroom practices and supports an emerging understanding of how affective-reflective skills relate to teaching confidence.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy