Body Matters: The Critical Contribution of Affect in School Classrooms and Beyond

Abstract

Set within the context of the cultural logic of neo-liberalism and its heightened individualism, and sceptical about current manifestations of the discourse of the centrality of the teacher, whereby teachers are taken to be the difference with respect to student outcomes, this chapter investigates the role of embodiment and affect in teachers' work. 'Evidence is building that indicates that the potency of quality teaching is not restricted to pedagogical techniques solely concerned with subject content and academic processes, but that its efficacy also lies in attending to the affective dimension of teaching and learning' (Lovat 2010, p. 491).Bringing together concepts from actor-network the..