Big Feelings in the English Classroom with Alice Elwell

Why do big feelings matter in English, and what happens when teachers make space for them?In this episode of Hoops of Steel, Mel is joined by educator and researcher Alice Elwell to explore the transformative potential of emotional inquiry in the English classroom. Alice frames affect not as something to manage or minimise, but as a vital force. Students’ (and teachers’!) emotions can be an energy that fuels student agency, deepens interaction, and opens up new pathways for learning about human experience.This episode invites English teachers to step boldly into affective work, to refuse dispassionate analysis, and to recognise that in English, thinking and feeling are never separate.Bio:Alice Elwell is a full-time school leader who teaches Language and Literature, Global Politics, and Theory of Knowledge at The Queensland Academies Creative Industries — known locally as QACI. She is a PhD candidate whose work explores emotional inquiry through literature in the classroom.Show notes:Elwell, A. (2023). "Student Voice, Choice, and Agency: The Benefits of Co-designing English Curriculum." English in Australia 58(2): 47.Elwell, A. (2021). Critical affective literacy, feminist pedagogies, and democracy: exploring possibilities for the high school English classroom. In New perspectives on Education for Democracy (pp. 138-152). Routledge.Macmillan, D. (2025). Every brilliant thing. Bloomsbury Publishing.Connect with us:Join our community at:🔗 ETAQ WebsiteEnter the conversation at:🔗 ETAQ Facebook🔗ETAQ InstagramSend us Fan Mail