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“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

--W. Shakespeare, Hamlet

Getting savvy about the role of emotions in learning.Mary Lynn JohnsonHarris County Department of EducationTSSSA—March 2006

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Select one word to describe your emotional state right now

Alive Confident Delighted Empowered Enthusiastic Inspired Reflective

Overwhelmed Confused Conflicted Discouraged Frantic Rushed Worried

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Session Content

Impact of emotions on learning 4 Emotional states frequently in classrooms Influencing emotional states Emotional Intelligence

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Categories of Emotions

Fear Joy/pleasure/happiness Surprise Disgust Anger Sadness

(Rozin, P., 1997)

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Generous Antsy Dislike Numb Startled Disturbed

Antagonistic Manic Flabbergasted Thrilled Melancholy Shy

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Emotions…(Eric Jensen, Teaching with the Brain in Mind, 2005)

Constitute the passion for learning Help orchestrate our attentional priorities Support either persistence or retreat Are sources of information about the outside

world

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Emotions, Cont.

Evoke necessary empathy, support or fear Associate our learning with either pain or

pleasure Help us make meaning out of our learning,

work and lives Push the pursuit of rewarded behavior

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Emotions, Cont.

Improve social problem solving Provide incentives for desired social behavior Allow us to enjoy and even celebrate our

learning success

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4 Emotional States in Classrooms

Fear/threat Joy/pleasure Sadness/disappointment Anticipation/curiosity

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Fear/Threat

Fear arises from threat perception.

3 Possible choices of action: Fight

Try to escape

Freeze

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Common Threat Experiences in School

Peer pressure Deadlines with consequences Being forced to stay after school Making reparations Giving public apologies Violence or perception of violence Stress/distress

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Distress

Heightened excitability or arousal Perception of the event as aversive Loss of control

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Teachers and Stress

Females tend to increase nurturing behaviors.

Males tend to show withdrawal and sarcasm.

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Joy/Pleasure

Emanates from an area near the brain stem Dopamine—the pleasure chemical—pushes

toward the front of the brain. This state is essential for all learning.

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Negative/Positive Emotions

Negative emotions during learning create an association that may result in students quitting.

Positive emotions during learning create a great association in the brain.

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A positive emotional state…

…leads to improved flexibility in behavior and judgment;

…releases high levels of dopamine leading to greater flexibility in the executive attentional system.

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Sadness/Disappointment

Experienced in the lower half of the brain Originates in the temporal lobes Pain and sadness last longer than joy Remembering negative biases cause us not

to repeat them

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Anticipation/Curiosity

Create a positive state of hope and vigilance Increased activity in attentional areas of the

brain “Appetitive” states Highly motivating states

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Influencing Emotional States

1. They are ubiquitous.

2. They are connected.

3. They are not who we are.

4. They are transient.

5. Stable emotional states can be a problem.

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Teacher Influence

Compelling questions Role modeling Celebrations Physical activity Engineered controversy Purposeful physical rituals Getting personal

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Emotional Intelligence--Defined

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.

--Daniel Goleman, 1995

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5 Dimensions of EQ

1. Self-awareness

2. Self-control

3. Self-motivation

4. Empathy

5. Relationship skills

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Self-awareness

To promote, encourage students to: Reflect on their own emotional states Learn about emotions and theories of

emotions Determine the causes and effects of their

emotions Expand their emotional vocabulary Identify emotions as they experience them

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Self-control

To control their emotions, encourage students to Role-play emotionally-charged scenarios and ways

to respond Use inner dialog or “self-talk” to handle intense

emotions Sharpen decision-making skills Practice relaxation techniques Count to 10 when angry, to 100 when really angry Delay gratification

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Self-motivation

To improve self-motivation, encourage students to Set goals for themselves Monitor their effectiveness and modify their approach Persevere with projects and skills Visualize achievement Develop a sense of internal locus of control,

optimism, and efficacy

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Empathy

To nurture empathy skills, encourage students to Role-play being others in different scenarios Engage in perspective-taking: seeing the world

through the eyes of others Develop cognitive flexibility, examine multiple

perspectives Tune into the feelings of others Reflect on the effect of their behaviors on others

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Relationship Skills

To enhance relationship skills, encourage students to Engage in cooperative learning and develop social

skills in context Improve leadership skills through organization,

communication and inspiration Develop peacemaking, conflict-resolution, mediation

and negotiation skills Stretch communications skills (speaking/listening) Interpret the facial expressions and body language of

others

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Relationship Skills

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