A Publication of Mid-America Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
TEACHING TIPS AND MEMORABLE METHODS
Corner Editor: Ayse G. Stromsdorfer
Emotional Intelligence and Interactive Reading
By Elif Sebnem Sari
Emotional Intelligence (EQ)--the ability to
monitor and regulate one’s feelings and those of others and to use feelings
to guide thought and action (Salovey and Mayer,1990)-- is necessary for reading.
Reading involves the reader intellectually; however, emotional involvement would
help students to understand the reading better. Considering the connections
between EQ and reading will improve reading instruction.
Salovey
and Mayer (1990) first defined EQ as the ability to monitor and regulate one’s
feelings and those of others and to use feelings to guide thought and action.
EQ was further defined by Goleman (1996) --the author of the book Emotional
Intelligence-- as “the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those
of others, for motivating ourselves and for managing emotions well in ourselves
and in our relationships” (p. 318). In his book Goleman (1996) includes five
basic emotional and social competencies which are Salovey and Mayer’s (1990)
expanded explanation for EQ: these are knowing one’s emotions (self-awareness),
managing emotions (self-regulation), motivating oneself, recognizing emotions
in others’ (empathy), and handling relationships (social skills).
All
these social and emotional competencies seem to fit into Richard-Amato’s description
of interactive reading as “a process during which meaning is created by the
reader, not only through interaction with the text, but in case of the classroom,
through interaction with others in the class and in the total school, community,
and home environment (1996, p. 67). Richard-Amato puts emphasis on reader's
"values, relationships, experiences, prior knowledge, culture, dream and
goals, and expectations" (1996, p. 67). Likewise, Turners puts the emphasis
on the reader saying that, "readers are actively involved in constructing
meaning out of a text by using what they already know to help them make sense
of the words they are reading on the page (1998, p. 38). Perkins (1999) and
Klapper (1994) argue that students learn better when they are involved in the
reading material personally. Students can be involved in reading by being given
enjoyable readings, being allowed to choose their reading passages, or being
asked to identify with the characters in the text and relate them to their own
experiences, lives and feelings. All these involvement activities are related
to EQ in terms of self-awareness, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Students
should be allowed to express themselves and create their own images related
to their lives, feelings, emotions, and motivations that make them use their
EQ.
Since
interactive reading is a student-centered activity, EQ fits into this approach.
Asking students questions such as “In what sorts of dilemmas do you think the
characters might find themselves?” would let students use their images
and feelings about the passage they will read and make comments about the passage.
Guiding students with questions such as, “What is the author attempting to tell
us here? How do you think the character (author) feels?” will let students put
themselves into another’s shoes. “Does this event make you angry (happy, frustrated
etc.)?” will encourage students to express themselves. All these questions offer
guidance for interactive reading classes, and an opportunity to use their EQ
(Richard-Amato, 1996).
In
this respect, teachers have many opportunities to create an environment that
can encourage students to use their EQ actively. Consequently, it is clear that
both interactive reading and EQ are focusing on the person himself/herself to
achieve and to create a participative learning environment.
References:
Goleman, D. (1994). Emotional intelligence:
Why it can matter more than IQ. New York: Bantam Books.
Klapper, J. (1994). “Reading in a Foreign Language
Theoretical Issues”. Language Learning Journal, September, 27-32.
Perkins, M. (1999). “Learning to Read and Learning
to Teach Reading”. English in Education, 33, Autumn, 36-43.
Richard-Amato, P. (1996). Making It Happen.
New York: Longman.
Salovey, P. and Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional
Intelligence : Imagination, Cognition, and Personality. NY, Harper.
Turner, K. (1998). “Reading: meeting the demands
of the National Curriculum”. Language Learning Journal, 17, June, 8-14.
Elif Sebnem Sari is a graduate student in
TESOL at Central Michigan University. Elif can be reached at elifmorningdew@hotmail.com.
