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🪶 Introductory Note to the Reader The more I delve into professional
development, the more I am convinced that this is not just about institutions
providing opportunities for teachers—it is also about how each of us, as
educators, actively takes advantage of them to become better equipped to
teach a language class. Though I have repeatedly stated that I
am not a teacher coach or supervisor, I believe that from my seasoned teacher
persona, I can offer insights on how to enhance teacher performance to
ultimately boost student learning. This reflection is born out of my
experience as a practitioner who has seen the transformative power of
emotional intelligence and well-being in professional growth. |
Emotional Intelligence and Teacher Well-Being: The
Human Dimension of Reflective Professional Development in ELT
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🪶 Abstract Teacher professional development (PD) in English
Language Teaching (ELT) has evolved to encompass not only methodological
knowledge but also the emotional and psychological dimensions that sustain
effective teaching. This essay explores how emotional intelligence (Goleman,
1995) and teacher well-being (Mercer & Gregersen, 2020) intersect with
reflective professional development frameworks such as the Kirkpatrick Model
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016) and Schön’s (1983) reflective practice.
It argues that integrating emotional awareness into teacher PD promotes
resilience, empathy, and reflective engagement, fostering a more humanistic
approach to teacher growth. Drawing on Hargreaves’s (1998) concept of the
emotional geographies of teaching and Farrell’s (2022) reflections on
emotional regulation through reflective practice, the discussion highlights
how emotionally intelligent institutions can support teacher well-being and
sustain professional excellence. |
🪶 Keywords:
Emotional Intelligence, Teacher Well-being, Reflective Practice,
Professional Development, ELT, Kirkpatrick Model |
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🪶 Resumen El desarrollo profesional docente (PD) en la
enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera (ELT) ha evolucionado para
incluir no solo los aspectos metodológicos, sino también las dimensiones
emocionales y psicológicas que sostienen la práctica educativa. Este ensayo
analiza cómo la inteligencia emocional (Goleman, 1995) y el bienestar docente
(Mercer & Gregersen, 2020) se integran con modelos de desarrollo
profesional reflexivo como el Modelo de Kirkpatrick (Kirkpatrick &
Kirkpatrick, 2016) y la práctica reflexiva de Schön (1983). Se argumenta que
incorporar la conciencia emocional en la formación docente fomenta la
resiliencia, la empatía y el compromiso reflexivo, promoviendo una visión más
humanista del crecimiento profesional. Basado en las ideas de Hargreaves
(1998) sobre las geografías emocionales de la enseñanza y de Farrell (2022)
sobre la regulación emocional mediante la reflexión, se propone que las
instituciones emocionalmente inteligentes pueden fortalecer el bienestar
docente y garantizar la sostenibilidad profesional. |
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🪶 Resumo O desenvolvimento profissional docente (PD) no
ensino de inglês como língua estrangeira (ELT) tem evoluído para abranger não
apenas o conhecimento metodológico, mas também as dimensões emocionais e
psicológicas que sustentam o ensino eficaz. Este ensaio explora como a
inteligência emocional (Goleman, 1995) e o bem-estar docente (Mercer &
Gregersen, 2020) se articulam com modelos reflexivos de desenvolvimento
profissional, como o Modelo de Kirkpatrick (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick,
2016) e a prática reflexiva de Schön (1983). Argumenta-se que integrar a
consciência emocional à formação docente favorece a resiliência, a empatia e
o engajamento reflexivo, promovendo uma abordagem mais humanista do
crescimento profissional. Com base nas “geografias emocionais” do ensino
(Hargreaves, 1998) e nas reflexões de Farrell (2022) sobre regulação
emocional, o texto defende que instituições emocionalmente inteligentes podem
sustentar o bem-estar e a excelência dos professores de línguas. |
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Introduction
In recent years, teacher professional
development (PD) in English Language Teaching (ELT) has moved beyond methods
and materials to encompass the teacher as a whole individual. While frameworks
like the Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016) and reflective
practices (Schön, 1983; Farrell, 2015) have provided systematic ways to assess
learning and growth, they often overlook the emotional dynamics that sustain or
hinder professional engagement among teaching staff in higher education institutions
or language schools. As Hargreaves (1998) argues, “teaching is an emotional
practice” (p. 835), where success depends not only on pedagogical competence
but also on emotional awareness, empathy, and resilience. This essay of mine,
my EduBlog post # 483, explores the intersection of emotional intelligence and
teacher well-being within reflective professional development, proposing a
humanistic model that complements existing evaluative frameworks such as the
Kirkpatrick Model.
The Emotional Landscape of
Teaching
A professor of mine once said that “Teaching
languages is deeply relational.” It involves continuous negotiation of meaning,
identity, and affect between teachers and learners, between instructors and
coaches, and between teaching professionals and supervisors. In this line of
thinking, Mercer and Gregersen (2020) describe ELT as “emotionally charged work
that requires sensitivity to the feelings of both learners and oneself” (p. 5).
Teachers’ emotional experiences, joy, frustration, pride, or exhaustion, directly
influence classroom climate and learning outcomes. Goleman (1995) also defines emotional intelligence (EI) as the
ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s emotions and those of
others. In the language classroom, this translates into managing anxiety,
fostering empathy, and creating a psychologically safe learning environment for
all students. Teachers with high EI are better able to maintain equilibrium
amid the challenges of assessment pressures, administrative demands, and
diverse learner needs and learning styles.
Reflection as Emotional
Regulation
The “reflective” language teacher, as envisioned
by Schön (1983), engages in “reflection-in-action” and “reflection-on-action,”
examining decisions made during and after teaching episodes. Farrell (2022)
extends this view by highlighting reflection’s emotional dimension, arguing
that “reflection helps teachers make sense not only of their teaching, but also
of their emotional experiences in the classroom” (p. 41). Reflection,
therefore, becomes a form of emotional regulation for each instructor, a
metacognitive process that allows teachers to process stress, reframe
challenges, and sustain his/her own motivation. Incorporating structured
reflective journaling or peer-dialogue sessions into PD helps educators
transform emotional labor into emotional learning, promoting resilience and
self-awareness as part of professional growth.
Emotional Intelligence within
the Kirkpatrick Model
It looks like integrating emotional intelligence
into the Kirkpatrick Model does offer a more holistic understanding of teacher
professional development. At Level 1 (Reaction) of this
model, teachers’ emotional responses to training (engagement, motivation, or
resistance) can be explored through affective feedback. At Level 2
(Learning), emotional intelligence can be treated as a learnable
competency, embedded within teacher training modules on empathy, communication,
and self-regulation. Level 3 (Behavior) assesses the
transfer of these affective skills into classroom interactions or
teacher-supervisor’s conversations, while Level 4 (Results)
considers the broader impact on student well-being and institutional climate.
As Mercer and Gregersen (2020) note, “emotionally intelligent teachers
contribute to emotionally intelligent classrooms” (p. 14), leading to improved
learner engagement and achievement in language mastery.
Building Emotionally
Intelligent Reflective Communities
The emotional aspect of teacher growth cannot be
sustained in isolation: it must be something shareable. Lave and Wenger’s
(1991) concept of communities of practice
(CoP) provides the collaborative foundation for emotional resilience and shared
learning. Within reflective teacher communities, emotions become resources for
connection rather than sources of burnout. Farrell (2022) asserts that when
teachers “open up their reflective practice to others, they humanize their work
and normalize its emotional complexity” (p. 58). These communities can organize
affective reflection sessions, mentoring circles, and well-being workshops
where teachers can share experiences, coping strategies, and emotional insights
without fear of judgment or negative criticism. Such initiatives build collective
emotional capital, a critical form of “professional capital” in the sense
used by Hargreaves and Fullan (2012).
The Humanistic Turn in
Professional Development
A humanistic approach to teacher PD recognizes
that emotions, reflection, and learning are inseparable; these three elements
sojourn together. Emotional intelligence should not be seen as an “add-on” but
as an essential and important part of teacher identity formation. Goleman
(1995) emphasized that the most effective professionals “are distinguished not
by IQ but by EQ—their emotional quotient” (p. xii). In the context of ELT, this
insight calls for PD programs that can help cultivate empathy, mindfulness, and
emotional literacy alongside pedagogical knowledge among the language teaching
community. Teacher well-being initiatives, such as mindfulness training,
emotional check-ins, and reflective storytelling, can enhance emotional
sustainability and prevent teaching burnout, which Mercer and Gregersen (2020)
identify as one of the most serious threats to teacher retention.
Leadership, Empathy, and
Institutional Culture
Leadership figures in ELT institutions must
model, sustain, and live by emotionally intelligent practices. As Hargreaves
(1998) explains, “the emotional geographies of teaching are shaped by the
distance or closeness between teachers and those who manage them” (p. 838).
Empathetic leadership bridges these distances by fostering trust, appreciation,
and psychological safety, elements that can help retain valuable teaching staff.
Institutional policies that prioritize teacher well-being, such as mentoring
programs, open communication channels, and recognition of emotional labor, create
fertile ground for reflective and emotionally intelligent practice among a
cohort of language instructors. Without this institutional and leadership
backing, emotional literacy risks becoming another individual burden rather
than a shared professional ethos.
Conclusion
Emotional intelligence and teacher well-being
are not peripheral concerns but central pillars of reflective professional
development in ELT. Integrating emotional awareness into reflective and
evaluative frameworks like the Kirkpatrick Model enriches the understanding of
what effective teaching and learning entail. Teachers who cultivate emotional
intelligence become not only better educators but also more compassionate human
beings capable of nurturing resilient learning communities. As Schön (1983) taught
us, reflection makes teaching an art; as Goleman (1995) and Mercer and
Gregersen (2020) remind us, emotional intelligence makes it a humane art. The
next goal to be achieved in ELT is professional growth, which lies in balancing
the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional dimensions of teaching, where feeling,
thinking, and reflecting intertwine to sustain the teacher’s professional and
personal well-being.
📚 References
Farrell,
T. S. C. (2015). Promoting reflective
practice in ELT: Research-based principles and practices. Routledge.
Farrell,
T. S. C. (2022). Reflective practice in
ESL teacher development groups: From practices to principles. Routledge.
Goleman,
D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it
can matter more than IQ. Bantam Books.
Hargreaves,
A. (1998). The emotional practice of teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 14(8), 835–854. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(98)00025-0
Hargreaves,
A., & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional
capital: Transforming teaching in every school. Teachers College Press.
Kirkpatrick,
D. L., & Kirkpatrick, J. D. (2016). Kirkpatrick's
four levels of training evaluation. ATD Press.
Lave, J.,
& Wenger, E. (1991). Situated
learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press.
Mercer, S., & Gregersen, T. (2020). Teacher well-being. Oxford University Press.
Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.
Handout - Comprehension and Reflection Worksheet
Handout - Comprehension and Reflection Worksheet by Jonathan Acuña
Emotional Intelligence and Teacher Well by Jonathan Acuña
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