Research On The Teacher's Affective Literacy

In the history of educational theory and research affect, especially teacher's affect, has long been misunderstood and devalued when compared to reason. Contemporary educational researchers mainly discuss teacher's affect as if it was a tool, regarding it as one of the methods of education. The paper:(1) discusses the affect-laden nature of education and its potentialities; (2) explores the notion of affective literacy on the part of teachers; (3) sets out the idea of affective rationality, that is, the integration of affect and reason; (4) considers the ways amd means of affective literacy on the part of teachers that might transform older understandings of the relationship between teacher's affect and schooling such that affect becomes fundamental attribute of the school and of education.Firstly, the paper defines the concept and connotations of the notion of teacher's affective literacy. As an "occupational affect", teacher's affect points to the experience of likes and dislikes vis-a-vis people and situations in and around the school, and to the teacher's sense of well-being. A teacher's affective literacy is seen in the awareness of and capability to continuously recognize, manage and express the integration of affect and reason, in ways consistent with educational aims and school contexts, based on an understanding of affective natures and states. Teacher's affective literacy has three components:affective consciousness, affective management, and affective expression. When compared with the affective literacy of other occupations, teacher's affective literacy differs from them in its focus on educational activities:in its educational motivation, its concern for educational principles, and its pursuit of the integration of affect and reason.Secondly, the idea of affective rationality links two topics that have been traditionally kept apart—affect and reason—into a single frame. The paper reviews the historical development of the separation of affect from reason, and reaches several conclusions:teacher's affect is aimless without reason; teacher's reason is dull without affect; affective rationality is the union of affect and reason.With social and cultural development, more and more people accept the role of affect in education. When teaching is seen as a form of affective labor, teachers must follow the affective rules (such as responsibility for self's affect; the pursuit of satisfaction/positive affect; watchfulness towards displeasure/negative affect; the reasonable expression of affect, etc.). The process of teacher following affective rules is a process that nurtures and develops affective literacy.Thirdly, the paper analyzes the resources that are available for the development of teachers'affective literacy (including affective relationship and of curriculum resources, etc.). These become the conditions, and the resources that teachers might use and enhance.Finally, the paper suggests strategies for developing affective literacy:(1) for developing the "rationality" of affective consciousness, teachers should have appropriate understandings of the self, of constructing affective atmosphere, nurturing positive affective experience, etc.;(2) for developing the "rationality" of affective management, teachers should learn to manage the intensity and duration of affective states by, e.g., increasing self-confidence, changing roles, reducing negative affect, etc.; and,(3) for developing the "rationality" of affective expression, teacher should "perform" affect expression appropriately.In summary, through the discussion of teachers'affective literacy, the paper aims to enrich discussions of the affective dimension in educational theory and practice, to find the Tao of education that acknowledge teachers' affect.