EDCI 6218 Emotions and Learning

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INDEX

STUDENTBOOKS Click here to download

RESOURCES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

REFERENCE LINKS

Module 1: Emotions and their impact

MODULE1A Intended learning outcomes for Module 1

MODULE1B Activity 1: How emotions affect our lives

MODULE1C How emotions affect our lives

MODULE1D Activity 2: Why consider emotions?

MODULE1E Activity 3: Emotions in the classroom

MODULE1F Activity 4: Why emotional learning matters

MODULE1G What have you learned? Evaluation of your learning from Module 1

MODULE1H Congratulations

Module 2: What are emotions?

MODULE2A Intended learning outcomes for Module 2

MODULE2B Defining emotions

MODULE2C Activity 5: Defining emotions

MODULE2D The separation of emotions and feelings

MODULE2E Activity 6: Basic and higher emotions

MODULE2F Activity 7: John Bowlby on feeling and emotion

MODULE2G Why consider emotions?

MODULE2H Appropriate emotional responses

MODULE2I Task 1: Appropriate emotional responses

MODULE2J What have you learned? Evaluation of your learning from Module 2

MODULE2K Congratulations

Module 3: How emotions affect learning

MODULE3A Intended learning outcomes for Module 3

MODULE3B A quick recap

MODULE3C Activity 8: The correlation between emotions, learning and thinking

MODULE3D Emotions and the body

MODULE3E Activity 9: Emotions and the body

MODULE3F Activity 10: Engaging emotions (1)

MODULE3GActivity 11: Engaging emotions (2)

MODULE3H Task 2: Engaging emotions (3)

MODULE3I Task 3: Delivering the lesson

MODULE3J Task 4: Evaluating your lessons

MODULE3KWhat have you learned? Evaluation of your learning from Module 3

MODULE3LCongratulations

Module 4: The emotionally intelligent classroom

MODULE4A Intended learning outcomes for Module 4

MODULE4B The emotionally intelligent classroom – an overview

MODULE4C Activity 12: Why consider emotions?

MODULE4D Task 5: Emotions and ‘demanding’ classes

MODULE4E Activity 13: Being emotionally aware (1)

MODULE4F Activity 14: Being emotionally aware (2)

MODULE4G Emotional fallout

MODULE4H Activity 15: Emotional fallout

MODULE4I High challenge, low stress

MODULE4J Activity 16: High challenge, low stress (1)

MODULE4K Task 6: High challenge, low stress (2)

MODULE4L What have you learned? Evaluation of your learning from Module 4

MODULE4M Congratulations

Module 1: Emotions and their impact

MODULE 1A: Intended learning outcomes for Module 1

"We live in a society that wastes much of its most precious resource: the energy and creativity of its people. This is a consequence of our reluctance to acknowledge that feelings influence almost everything we do. They are the basis of thought, not an impediment to it."
(The Antidote Manifesto )

Module 1 is a brief introduction to get you thinking about the significance of emotions. By the end of this module you should:

• begin to understand how emotions affect all life experience
• have started to reflect on how emotions can affect learning

MODULE1B: Activity 1: How emotions affect our lives

Think of a clear memory from the last ten years of your life. Choose a memory that stands out, that you can recall quite vividly. Go to your Student book (1) and, in a couple of sentences, briefly outline the memory in the opening box. Then return here.

Now, think about the emotions you felt at the time of the event you outlined. Were your emotions particularly strong? What would you call the emotion you felt? Joy? Anger? Distress? Surprise? Something else? How does your recollection of the event compare with the day-to-day events that were occurring at about the same time?

Return to your Student book (1) and briefly write up your thoughts in the remaining space provided.

(Remember - whenever words appear on screen in blue, like above, you should click on those words. This will open a new window. When a word appears in red, like "emotions", simply point your mouse over that word to see a pop-up definition or explanation.)

MODULE1C: How emotions affect our lives

The chances are the memory you chose to recount was of an event which triggered strong emotions in you. Perhaps you chose the birth of a child, getting married, or getting a new job. Maybe your strong memory was a sad one - the death of a loved one perhaps, or the break-up of a relationship.

Either way, the reason you remember it so clearly has a lot to do with the strength of emotions you felt at the time. We'll discuss the correlation between memory and emotions in greater detail in Module 3.

For now, it's enough for you to remember that every strong memory is emotionally laden. This is just one example of the profound effect emotions have on everyone's experiences in life - not least your students'.

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MODULE1D: Activity 2: Why consider emotions?

It's not just memory that emotions can affect so profoundly. Emotions affect our lives, our relationships, our creativity, our productivity and our achievements. Throughout history, people have debated the far-reaching significance of emotions in life.
Click on Resource 1: Philosophies of emotion and read the notes there. Then read Resource 2: Some quotes on emotion.

What are your thoughts on the importance and significance of emotion? Do you elevate it to the heights that Rousseau does? Or, like Evans, do your believe that there is a case for balance between the head and the heart?

Write your thoughts in your Student book (2).

For some more information about the philosophers mentioned in Resource 1, (Resource 3)

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MODULE1E: Activity 3: Emotions in the classroom

Think back to a class you've taken in the last few weeks which you'd consider a success. Perhaps it was one of those lessons where you felt your pupils made a good deal of progress, or just accomplished more than you were expecting.
Were "positive" emotions like joy and surprise especially prevalent in the class, either in you or in your students? Perhaps there was an absence of "negative" emotions like anger. How did the presence or absence of certain emotions contribute to the success of the class? What were those important emotions?

Consider what effect emotions might have had in making the lesson successful, and write up your thoughts in your Student book (3).

MODULE1F: Activity 4: Why emotional learning matters

In the last Activity, you might have been quick to see the links between emotions and your successful lesson. On the other hand, you might be more skeptical, and think that there were many other more important factors as to why that lesson went well. We'll return later to discuss emotions and successful learning in more detail.

Read Resource 4: "Why emotional learning matters". Based on research, it explores just some of the reasons why taking into account emotions in the classroom can be so useful.

(Remember, rather than read this Resource on-screen, you can print it out if you prefer and read it from the print out.)

In your Student Book (4), note down any useful points you want to take from this Resource. Is there anything you would like to add to the list of why emotional learning matters?

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MODULE1G: What have you learned? Evaluation of your learning from Module 1

When you have worked through the Activities in this module, please look again at the intended learning outcomes for Module 1.

By the end of this module you should:

• begin to understand how emotions affect all life experience
• have started to reflect on how emotions can affect learning

How much has this module helped you to achieve these outcomes? Make a note in your Student Book (5) and e-mail your comments to your instructor.

MODULE1H:Congratulations

Module 2: What are emotions?

MODULE2A: Intended learning outcomes for Module 2

"Emotion is meaning. Unfortunately, many philosophers, psychologists and therapists haven't realized this." (Dorothy Rowe, Guide to Life, page 102)

By the end of this module you should:

• have clarified what you understand by "emotion"
• know how experts in the field define emotion and know how it differs from "feelings"
• understand the idea of appropriate emotional response

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MODULE2B: Defining emotions

The word "emotion" carries many meanings. Ask three people to define the term and you'll probably get three quite different explanations. Some will associate emotion with feeling, others might think of emotion as a means of communication, while for many, the word will evoke a list including the likes of anger, joy and fear.

The fact is that we simply do not have a definitive theory of emotion, and many in this field of study believe that such a theory may forever be beyond our grasp. But seeing as emotions are connected to everything we do, it's worth clarifying exactly what we mean by the word.

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MODULE2C: Activity 5: Defining emotions

What do you understand by the word 'emotion'? Write a brief definition of your initial thoughts on emotion in your Student Book (6) and after having decided on your definition of the word, list as many emotions as you can.

Then make brief notes on why you consider the words on your list to be emotions and not "moods" or "feelings". Perhaps you don't think there's much of a distinction between the three words.

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MODULE2D: The separation of emotions and feelings

Researchers disagree on how many emotions there are and on where the blurred line between "emotion" and "feeling" should be drawn. It does seem that there's a consensus, however, in that the following "basic" emotions appear on most researchers' lists:

• joy
• distress
• anger
• fear
• surprise
• disgust

People in all cultures exhibit these basic emotions and it's thought that they are not learned, but that they are "hard-wired" in our brains and psyches. Experiments have shown that even blind babies, who obviously cannot have observed the expressions of others, are still able to make the facial expressions associated with these emotions.

Other experiences such as happiness or sadness, frustration, anxiety or optimism are thought by many researchers to be indicative of moods or feelings rather than emotions. These are thought not to be part of human nature, but to be culturally or environmentally developed responses to circumstances.

It is also believed that there are "higher cognitive emotions" such as:

• love
• guilt
• shame
• embarrassment
• pride
• envy
• jealousy

These higher emotions may vary from culture to culture, take more time to develop and last longer than basic emotions.

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MODULE2E: Activity 6: Basic and higher emotions

Go to the original list of emotions you noted in the second section of your Student Book (6). Can you categorize them into "basic" and "higher" emotions?

Explain in a short sentence for each emotion why you have categorized them in that way. Remember that there are no right or wrong answers here. Just be sure to explain the rationale for your decision.

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MODULE2F: Activity 7: John Bowlby on feeling and emotion

John Bowlby's classic 1969 work of psychology, Attachment and Loss (volume one, Attachment ), in part explores ideas on feeling and emotion.

Resource 5 comprises selected quotes from the chapter, Appraising and Selecting: Feeling and Emotion (pages 104-123). Read the extracts.

In what ways do these extracts further your understanding of emotions and feelings? How can you link this information to the knowledge you have so far? Use your Student Book (7) to record your thoughts.

Let's be honest, there's a bottom-line motivation in giving time to the consideration of emotions within schools: results. If there needs to be an emotional element to learning as explained by researchers such as Carla Hannaford, then schools that make no attempt to understand the impact of emotions on learning cannot be achieving to their highest potential. The direct link between emotions and learning can help to raise standards.

In her Guide to Life, psychologist Dorothy Rowe explains that an emotion is always a response, which is itself an attempt to create meaning from a situation. Therefore, if you want to understand why a child behaves as he or she does, then you must look at the whole picture of the situation the child is in. This behavior is not a consequence of the situation itself. It's a consequence of the way in which the child is interpreting the situation. For both teachers and pupils to have an understanding of emotions has a huge implication for improvements in student behavior.

Emotions are sometimes spoken about in terms of "negative" and "positive". Joy, surprise, love and so on are categorized as positive emotions, while anger, fear and disgust are seen as negative.

However, an emotion itself is not negative or positive. The expression of an emotion such as anger may be negative if the person affected is shouting aggressively or hitting out at others, but the emotion itself is merely the result of the person's interpretation of events.

The "negative" and "positive" labels which are attached to emotions can be thought of as rooted more in our cultures than in our nature. And our cultures tend to dictate that "negative" emotions should be hidden, while "positive" emotions can be freely and openly expressed with the blessing of society!

The aim in schools should be to encourage students to show the appropriate expression of any emotion - they should be able to express emotional responses that match the circumstances, while allowing for the fact that each adult and each learner will have varying ranges of emotional intensity that will last for differing lengths of time.

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MODULE2I: Task 1: Appropriate emotional responses

The next time you're with a class, be particularly mindful of your students' emotional responses. Watch out for inappropriate and appropriate responses, and as soon as possible after the lesson, note your responses to the following questions:

• Can you identify students who consistently appear to demonstrate inappropriate emotional responses? In what ways are these manifested?
• Do these students have a wide range of emotional intensity? In other words, do they display anger and joy in equal measure? Is their emotional expression pure, or mixed (do they, for example, laugh in the middle of expressing anger)?
• Do you find yourself responding to the emotions of your students with consistency? Can you identify the emotional responses your students display that you find easiest and most difficult to deal with?
• Can you see any link between the inappropriate responses of students and underachievement?

Write up your thoughts in your Student book (8).

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MODULE2J:What have you learned? Evaluation of your learning from Module 2

When you have worked through the Activities and Tasks in this module, please look again at the intended learning outcomes for Module 2.
By the end of this module you should:

• have clarified what you understand by "emotion"
• know how experts in the field define emotion and know how it differs from "feelings"
• understand the idea of appropriate emotional response

How much has this module helped you to achieve these outcomes? Make a note in your Student book (9) and e-mail your comments to your instructor.

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MODULE2K: Congratulations

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Module 3: How emotions affect learning

MODULE3A: Intended learning outcomes for Module 3

By the end of this module you should:

• understand some of the physical processes which accompany emotions
• understand how emotions can contribute to high quality learning
• have started to engage emotion in lesson activity, and to evaluate and reflect on its success

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MODULE3B: A quick recap

So far in Modules 1 and 2, we've looked at the broad impact of emotions -their influence on life in general. We've also tried to nail down a definition of what emotions are, and looked at how they should be categorized.

Now, we'll go on to look at their impact on learning, in particular what goes on in the body and brain that can have such a profound influence on learning.

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MODULE3C: Activity 8: The correlation between emotions, learning and thinking

Back at the start of Module 1, you were asked to recall a strong memory from the last ten years. You probably found that this memory was accompanied by strong emotions.

This capacity of emotions to help "peg" memory is obviously hugely significant for your students, and just one way emotions can influence "mental life". Read Resource 6: Excerpts from Emotional Intelligence (taken from Daniel Goleman's book, Emotional Intelligence). The excerpts should help to explain the correlation between emotions, learning and thinking.

Then note your reflections in your Student Book (10). To what extent do you agree with Goleman's views on the links between emotions, moods and thinking?

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MODULE3D: Emotions and the body

"Because our meaning structure and our body is one whole, the process of creating meaning and of bodily changes happen together."

'Meanings which are accompanied by noticeable bodily changes are usually emotions or feelings.'
(Dorothy Rowe's Guide to Life, page 103)

The emotions that we feel and experience create changes and responses in our physical bodies. These are scientifically measurable - in other words, it's possible to determine precisely what is happening when emotions such as fear and joy are felt. However, we don't yet have a way of measuring feelings like sympathy, for example.

In his book, Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Eric Jensen explains that we can use information from the autonomic (sweat glands, heart activity, blood pressure and gastrointestinal), central (electrical activity of the brain's neurons), or sensorimotor systems (respiration, eye movements, etc) to measure emotions.

Just to illustrate the extent to which science claims to be able to measure emotion, look at this list of some of the bodily functions that can be measured. As you go through the list, see if you can identify what type of emotion(s) they might reveal.

• SCR - skin conductance response
• Pulse - heartbeats per minute
• EGG - electro gastrography ... gastrointestinal system measures
• BP - blood pressure
• BEAM - brain electrical activity mapping
• SPR - skin-potential response
• ERP - central-nervous system, the event-related potentials
• fMRI - functional magnetic resonance imaging
• EEG - electro encephalography
• BR - breathing rates
• RCBE - regional cerebral blood flow
• MT - muscle tension
• HRPSA - heart rate power spectrum analysis
• MEG - magneto electro encephalography
• PET - position emission tomography (blood flow measurements)
• SC - skin color (flushed skin)

We all know instinctively that the presence of emotions can affect our ability to think. Just remember, for example, how difficult it is to think rationally when we're really excited, or desperately worried.

Read the material contained in Resources 7, 8, 9 and 10. Don't be put off by the technical language - we explain any complicated terms.

Reflect on how emotion affects mind and body. Do the views put forward in the Links match your own instinctive understanding of how emotions affect you and others?

Record your opinions in your Student Book(11).

So having looked at what happens in our minds and bodies when emotions are present, the next challenge is to make this work to our advantage in the classroom.

Triggering emotions at random will of course not be productive in the classroom, nor will anything that produces extremes of emotion. Like all good teaching practices, the use of emotions needs to be planned with learning outcomes in mind. The aim is to engage emotions appropriately at suitable opportunities.

Resource 11 is an extract from Teaching with the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen. Read the Resource and use it to reflect generally on how you might appropriately engage emotions in the classroom. What are the challenges? Do you believe these challenges can be overcome? Make notes on your reflections in your Student Book (12).

Have a look at Resource 12: Engaging emotions in the classroom, which contains some ideas for engaging the emotions in the classroom.

Now consider some recent examples of when you have used similar strategies in your teaching. Were they clearly planned beforehand, or did you find yourself using them spontaneously?

Record your thoughts in you Student Book (13).

Choose two or three of the ways of engaging emotions from Resource 12.

Take a lesson plan or a plan for a series of lessons that you intend to use in the coming week or so. Add to your plan the suggested ways to engage emotions as appropriate to your class(es). Think through how you expect to put these into practice. Try to envisage how opportunities to use these methods might arise, and add any necessary notes to your lesson plan(s).

Then continue to Task 3, where you'll actually deliver the lesson.

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MODULE3I: Task 3: Delivering the lesson

Deliver the lesson(s) you planned in Task 2, and evaluate the lesson in your usual way.

Was the lesson more or less successful than similar lessons that you've taught, but which did not have the role of emotional engagement?

Record your thoughts in your Student Book (14).

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MODULE3J:Task 4: Evaluating your lessons

(Note: this Task will take you a couple of weeks to complete. Carry on with the rest of the course in the meantime.)

Having thought about several forms of emotional engagement, choose a few you believe you would be comfortable with.

Plan to incorporate them into a series of lessons, over a fortnight.

Evaluate your lessons as you teach them, and if necessary, adjust your planning.

What changes have you noted in the response of your pupils? What changes have you noted in the learning outcomes in your classroom? Make notes in your Student Book (15).

When you have worked through the Activities and Tasks in this module, please look again at the intended learning outcomes for Module 3.

By the end of this module you should:

• understand some of the physical processes which accompany emotions
• understand how emotions can contribute to high quality learning
• have started to engage emotion in lesson activity, and to evaluate and reflect on its success

How much has this module helped you to achieve these outcomes? Make a note in your Student Book (16) and e-mail your comments to your instructor.

MODULE3L: Congratulations

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By the end of this module you should have:

• cemented your understanding of the importance of considering the emotions in the classroom
• considered the importance of being emotionally aware in the classroom
• considered the impact of emotional fallout in the classroom
• developed ideas on how to create an atmosphere of high challenge and low stress in the classroom

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MODULE4B: The emotionally intelligent classroom – an overview

From the earlier modules, you will have learned that there is a significant enough link between emotions and pupils' abilities to learn for teachers to need to address them specifically in the classroom. This begs the question, what are the characteristics of the emotionally intelligent classroom?

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MODULE4C: Activity 12: Why consider emotions?

Read Resource 13: "Letting young people discover how clever they really are". It describes a teacher's experience of dealing with under-achieving students. It's quite a long extract, so set aside a few minutes of peace and quiet in which to read it.

Then go to your Student Book (17) and answer the questions based on the reading.

Think of a group of students that you teach who are particularly demanding. Watch this group closely over two or three teaching sessions. What are the most frequent emotions displayed by the group? Aim to identify three approaches you have taken with them that have worked positively and three that were not as effective as you had hoped. Think about what role individual and group emotions play in the effectiveness or otherwise of teaching strategies that you employ with this group.

Briefly describe these approaches in your Student Book (18).

Think back to your own school days. Can you think of a time when a teacher treated you in such a way as to upset your emotional equilibrium? What was it in their actions that stirred up your emotions? Can you think of a fellow pupil who experienced emotional upset because of some treatment by teachers?

Record your thoughts in your Student Book (19).

MODULE4F: Activity 14: Being emotionally aware (2)
It's a troubling thought, but there is a chance that, as a teacher, you have on occasion given a student an emotional problem to deal with. The nature of the job means that teachers may treat whole groups of students in such a way as to ignore individual sensitivities. The following list offers some ideas on the ways in which teachers may inadvertently give their students emotional problems to deal with:

• not listening, or having the time to listen, until the moment has passed and it's too late
• being insensitive to a student's feelings or preferences by, for example, insisting on public rewards
• dishing out unreasonable reprimands
• being inconsistent or, worse, not dealing with matters in a level manner
• pigeon-holing students by saying, for example, "it's always you", or, "you never do your homework"
• public humiliation

Of course, we're not suggesting that teachers deliberately harm their students emotionally, but there will inevitably be times when this happens. Think hard about your own practice. In what ways have you contributed to emotional upset for your students?
What were the circumstances around this? What were the immediate and longer term outcomes?
Record your thoughts in your Student Book (20)

Of course, for most children, teachers aren't the sole (or even major) source of emotional distress.
Do you ever feel as though you are trying to teach through a sea of emotion that can threaten to drown all your learning intentions? Events that took place in students' homes, on the way to school, at break time, between lessons and so on can all have a huge impact on the emotional well being of students and consequently on their ability to be responsive to new learning.

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MODULE4H: Activity 15: Emotional fallout

Think back over the last week or fortnight about the classes you have taught. Have there been any occasions when your students (individually or collectively) have worked particularly well? (You may like to use the same class you identified in Activity 3.) Were emotions at all responsible for this positive working atmosphere?

How about times when your students have not responded well to the work you have set? Do you know of any events that might have occurred prior to the lesson that would have affected their emotional ability to take on new information? For example, had students been fighting before the lesson? Had there been a reason for students as a class or individually to feel emotionally upset?

Record your thoughts in your Student Book (21).

MODULE4I: High challenge, low stress

The emotionally literate classroom gives pupils the opportunity for high challenge and low stress. This is an environment supportive enough to allow pupils to take the necessary risks for their learning while knowing that, whatever the outcome, they will not experience emotional adversity.

In order to create this environment for pupils, certain characteristics need to be in place. Click on Resource 14: High challenge, low stress to see some of these

MODULE4J: Activity 16: High challenge, low stress (1)

Of the list of characteristics of the high challenge, low stress classroom listed in Resource 14 , which do you cover particularly well already?

How, specifically, do you encourage your students to relax into their learning (preferably with balanced emotions)?

What would you like to pay more attention to in your classroom and in your teaching in order to move closer to the high challenge, low stress classroom?

Make a few notes in your Student Book (22).

Read Resource 15: Suggestions for high challenge, low stress .

Over the next week, consciously plan activities that you could describe as being high challenge, low stress. Use what you have learned in this module as inspiration.

What, specifically, do you plan to do with your students that you would describe as high challenge, low stress? To firm up your thoughts, note them in your Student Book (23).

Having delivered these activities, analyze how your students responded.

Again, note your thoughts in your Student Book (23).

MODULE4L: What have you learned? Evaluation of your learning from Module 4

When you have worked through the Activities and Tasks in this module, please look again at the intended learning outcomes for Module 4.

By the end of this module you should have:

• cemented your understanding of the importance of considering the emotions in the classroom
• considered the importance of being emotionally aware in the classroom
• considered the impact of emotional fallout in the classroom
• developed ideas on how to create an atmosphere of high challenge and low stress in the classroom

How much has this module helped you to achieve these outcomes? Make a note in your Student Book (24) and e-mail your comments to your instructor.

MODULE4M:Congratulations

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RESOURCES

Resource 1: Philosophies of emotion

The emotions have captivated the interest of many philosophers from the past. David Hume, Adam Smith and Thomas Reid, all wrote about the sentiments, passions and emotions, believing them to be vital to individual and social existence.
Later, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the eighteenth century philosopher, argued that there is a stark choice to be made between reason and emotion – the head and the heart – and that there is wisdom in following the heart/emotion and not the head/reason.

In his book Emotion: The science of sentiment, Dylan Evans states:
'I believe that intelligent action results from a harmonious blend of emotion and reason. I believe that a creature without emotions would be less rational than us, not more, but I also believe that there are times when it is better to listen to the head rather than the heart. Knowing when to follow our feelings and when to ignore them is a valuable talent that some have called "emotional intelligence"'.

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Resource 2: Some quotes on emotion

"Our natural way of thinking about … emotions is that the mental perception of some facts excites the mental affection called the emotion, and that this latter state of mind gives rise to the bodily expression. My theory, on the contrary, is that the bodily changes follow directly the perception of the existing fact, and that our feeling of the same changes as they occur is the emotion."
(William James, The Principles of Psychology)
"Emotion is that which leads one's condition to become so transformed that his judgment is affected, and which is accompanied by pleasure and pain. Examples of emotions include anger, fear, pity and the like, as well as the opposites of these."
(Aristotle, Rhetoric)

"We merely state that they [emotions] all are tantamount to setting up a magical world by using the body as a means of incantation."
(Jean-Paul Sartre, The Emotions: Outline of a Theory)

Resource 3: Further reading on philosophy and philosophers on emotion

Evans, D (2001). Emotion: The science of sentiment. (This inexpensive book contains useful lists of further reading suggestions.)
Honderich, T (1995). The Oxford Companion to Philosophy.

Smith, A (1759). The Theory of Moral Sentiments. An online version of this book is available free of charge on the Adam Smith Institute website.

The Theory Of Moral Sentiments was a real scientific breakthrough. It shows that our moral ideas and actions are a product of our very nature as social creatures. It argues that this social psychology is a better guide to moral action than is reason. (From the Weath of Nations)

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Resource 4: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Resource 5: John Bowlby on emotion and feeling

(From Attachment and Loss Volume 1 by John Bowlby)
"To speak of "an affect", "a feeling", or "an emotion", as though it were an atom or an orange, is as inadmissible as it would be to speak of "a redness" or "a squareness". Instead, feeling is regarded as a property that certain processes connected with behavior from time to time come to possess. Any phrase that reifies feelings or emotions is, therefore, held inadmissible." (page 105)

"In everyday living we take for granted that to some extent we can tell how our friends are feeling, and also, though with decreasing confidence, how acquaintances and strangers are feeling. In doing so we note facial expression, posture, tone of voice, physiological changes, tempo of movement, and incipient action, all with reference to the situations in which they occur. The stronger the feeling being experienced by our companion and the clearer the situation, the more confident we are that we can identify what is going on." (page 120)

"To ascribe a feeling is usually to make a prediction about subsequent behavior. Thus to describe a person (or an animal) as amorous, angry, or afraid is to predict that during the coming minutes certain behavior is much more likely than any other sort – always provided the situation does not change." (page 121)

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Resource 6: Excerpts from Emotional Intelligence

(From Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman)
"The extent to which emotional upsets can interfere with mental life is no news to teachers. Students who are anxious, angry or depressed don't learn; people who are caught in these states do not take in information efficiently or deal with it well…powerful negative emotions twist attention toward their own preoccupations, interfering with the attempt to focus elsewhere…"
"When emotions overwhelm concentration, what is being swamped is the mental capacity cognitive scientists call "working memory", the ability to hold in mind all information relevant to the task in hand…Working memory is an executive function par excellence in mental life, making possible all other intellectual efforts, from speaking a sentence to tackling a knotty logical proposition. The prefrontal cortex executes working memory and is where feelings and emotions meet. When the limbic-circuitry that converges on the professional cortex is in the thrall of emotional distress, one cost is the effectiveness of working memory: we can't think straight."

"…worry is the nub of anxiety's damaging effect on mental performance of all kind…Anxiety undermines the intellect."

"People who are adept at harnessing their emotions, on the other hand, can use anticipatory anxiety – about an upcoming speech or test, say – to motivate themselves to prepare well for it, thereby doing well."


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"Good moods, while they last, enhance the ability to think flexibly and with more complexity, thus making it easier to find solutions to problems whether intellectual or interpersonal. This suggests that one way to help someone to think through a problem is to tell them a joke. Laughing, like elation, seems to help, people think more broadly and associate more freely, noticing relationships that might have eluded them otherwise – a mental skill important not just in creativity, but in recognizing complex relationships and foreseeing the consequences of a given decision."

"Even mild mood changes can sway thinking. In making plans or decisions, people in good moods have a perceptual bias that leads them to be more expansive and positive in their thinking. This is partly because memory is state specific, so that while in a good mood we remember more positive events; as we think over the pros and cons of a course of action while feeling pleasant, memory biases our weighting of evidence in a positive direction, making us more likely to do something slightly adventurous or risky, for example."

"By the same token, being in a foul mood biases the memory in a negative direction, making us more likely to contract into a fearful, over cautious decision. Emotions out of control impede the intellect. But… we can bring out-of-control emotions back into line; this emotional competence is the master aptitude, facilitating all other kinds of intelligence."

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Resource 7: Emotions and the body (1)

(From Emotion: The Science of Sentiment by Dylan Evans)
"In all mammals, including ourselves, basic emotions such as fear and anger are mediated by a set of neural structures known as the limbic system. These include the hippocampus, the cingulate gyrus, the anterior thalamus, and the amygdala. All these structures are tucked away in the centre of the brain, underneath the outer layer of neural tissue known as the neocortex. The neocortex is, as the name suggests, much more recent in evolutionary terms." (page 46)

"If basic emotions like fear are mediated exclusively by the limbic system, the higher cognitive emotions such as love and guilt seem to involve much more cortical processing. This would suggest that they evolved much later than basic emotions, some time after the point when the neocortex began to expand with the emergence of the higher mammals. In other words, higher cognitive emotions could be no more than sixty million years old, which is very young compared to the 500 or so million years for which the vertebrate brain – and the basic emotions – have been around. In fact, they may well be much more recent than that." (page 48)

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Resource 8: Emotions and the body (2)

(From A User's Guide to the Brain by John Ratey)

"Even though different brain structures have roles to play in emotion, a few stand out. Andrew Young and his colleagues in Cambridge, England, have recently had the opportunity of working with a female patient who had a rare disorder that required removal of her amygdala in both hemispheres. While not cognitively impaired at all, the woman has some deficits in recognizing emotions of all kinds and a complete lack of recognition of the emotions of fear and anger in people's voices. She understands what fear and anger are and when and how they might be expressed, but she cannot comprehend fear or anger as they are manifested in real life. Imagine how your life would be if you could not understand that someone was angry with you or that you were angry with them. Imagine the danger if you could not understand the urgency in a command like in a command like "Look out for the bus!". "

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"One interesting new theory, developed by Edward and Carol Diener at the University of Illinois in Urbana, involves the notion of a "set point". According to this theory, people have an in-born set point for mood, similar to the set point for weight. The set point is your basic level of happiness or sadness, which is subject to the ups and downs of life but will inevitably return to some kind of baseline, even in people who experience dramatic changes in their life circumstances. Research with lottery winners and victims of spinal-cord injury has shown that despite these life-changing events, people's moods return to their set point, often within a few months. Christopher Reeve, who became paralyzed from the neck down after falling off a horse, is as incredibly enthusiastic in his new life as a high-profile supporter of research into cures for spinal-cord injuries as he was in his formerly high-profile life as an actor. In some people, however, set points decline with age.'"

Resource 9: Emotions and the body (3)

(From Smart Moves: why learning is not all in your head, by Carla Hannaford)
"Emotions meet at the intersection of body and mind. This is almost literally true since most emotional processing occurs in the limbic system, the area that lies between the reptilian brain and the cerebral cortex. The limbic system has links with the neocortex allowing for emotional/cognitive processing. It also works in concert with the body to elicit the physical signs of emotions like the flush of embarrassment, and the smile of joy. Limbic system emotions also determine the release of neurotransmitters that either strengthen or weaken our immune systems.
The limbic system consists of five major structures in the brain: the thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, amygdala and hippocampus.' (page 53)

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The intricate wiring of the limbic system shows that in order to learn and remember something, there must be sensory input, a personal emotional connection and movement. As we experience the world, the collage of images and our responding actions are all run through an emotional filter in the limbic system that determines the value, meaning and survival potential of the experience in light of past experience. Socially, everything we do stems from our need to be accepted within our group so we may survive. Emotions interpret our experience and help us to organize our view of the world and our place in it.

All of our emotional/cognitive processing appears to be biochemical. How we feel about a situation triggers specific neurotransmitters. Objectively speaking, to the mind/body every experience is simply an event. The way we choose to perceive that event, colored by our emotions, determines our response to it and our potential for learning from it." (page 54)

Resource 10: Emotions and the body (4)

(From Unhealthy Societies, by Richard Wilkinson)
"Studies have shown that those who have strong relationships and a poor diet are two to three times less likely to die from heart disease than those who are lonely and socially isolated but eat healthily."


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Resource 11: Engaging emotions (1)

(From Teaching with the Brain in Mind, by Eric Jensen)
"We remember that which is most emotionally laden. That happens because all emotional events receive preferential processing (Christianson 1992) and the brain is over stimulated when strong emotions are present. Emotions give us a more activated and chemically stimulated brain, which helps us recall things better. The more intense the amygdala arousal, the stronger the imprint (Cahill, Prins, Weber, and McGaugh 1994), says Goleman (1995). In fact, Larry Squire – a neurobiologist and memory expert at the University of California at San Diego – says that emotions are so important, they have their own memory pathways. James McGaugh, a neurobiologist at the University of California at Irvine, and fellow researchers agree. When emotions are suppressed or expressed in inappropriate ways, we get discipline problems. As teachers, we can purposely engage productive emotions. It's common for students to remember the death of a friend, a field trip, or a hands-on science experiment far longer that most lectures. Good learning does not avoid emotions, it embraces them."

"Emotions researchers and prize-winning neuroscientist Candace Pert of Georgetown University Medical Center says that "when emotions are expressed… all systems are united and made whole. When emotions are repressed, denied, not allowed to be whatever they may be, our neural pathways get blocked, stopping the flow of the vital feel-good unifying chemicals that run both our biology and our behavior." (Pert 1997, page 273)."


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Resource 12: Engaging emotions in the classroom

• Show your own enthusiasm – it's catching!
• Create reasons to celebrate, and celebrations – parties, food, music, "free" time, and so on
• Share good learning – let everyone know
• Use debates – encourage legitimate differences
• Use drama for the expression of emotion
• Let children write private thoughts about their work in journals
• Show films, tell stories with emotional content – discuss this content openly
• Teach subjects with emotion. For example, empathy in history, emotion in science and technology and so on
• Use outside speakers and costume to make a difference
• Ask open-ended questions – they make us respond rather than reply
• Talk about "heroes" and tell stories
• Use genuine, appropriate praise as much as possible
• Use emotional vocabulary – "I love that!" instead of "That's good"
• Make connections with your students – where are your similarities? What helps you to understand them?
• Use posters and stickers positively – not indiscriminately
• Use positive desk labels for appropriate age groups – e.g., 'Today's calm spot' and "The best organizer"
• Help children to set and review their own targets
• Encourage students to spot positive happenings

Resource 13: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PDF

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Resource 14: High challenge, low stress

• Students must feel as though they belong in your classroom and that their presence is valued.
• They must be motivated to learn what you teach.
• The environment must be such that pupils can relax into learning; it mustn't threaten them in any way (for example through hostilities between students, or activities that they cannot anticipate or that perhaps push them beyond their comfort zones dangerously early.
• Being thrown in the deep end of a swimming pool on your first lesson could be an example of this for some learners).
• They must be encouraged to continue learning about themselves throughout their school careers. Their strengths and developmental needs naturally alter over time. Labels don't help this change, for example, "you're good at sport but not academic".
• Students must be allowed to feel successful.

Resource 15: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PDF


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DEFINITIONS

limbic system

A portion of the forebrain concerned with various aspects of emotion and behavior.

cingulate gyrus

Function includes the regulation of maternal behavior, e.g. nursing and rearing young, and the regulation of pain and attention

amygdala

An almond-shaped mass of grey matter within each cerebral hemisphere. Links to parts of the brain involved in cognitive and sensory processing. Also plays a part in the recognition of facial expressions and body language.

thalamus

Relays all the information coming from senses except smell. It has a role to play in emotions an memory as well as relaying motor impulses from the cerebral cortex out to the muscles.

 
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hypothalamus

Controls the pituitary gland and is in charge of the what is known as "mind over body" phenomenon. It also plays a role in pain, pleasure, rage and aggression.

basal ganglia

Helps to control body movement, for example, the fine motor control of facial muscles that conveys emotional states to others.

hippocampus

Forms short-term memory which can than become long-term memory.

 
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Author: Bowlby, J
Title: Attachment and Loss, Volume one: Attachment (1969)
Publisher: Pimlico
ISBN: 0712674713

Author: Evans, D
Title: Emotion: The science of sentiment (2001)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192853767

Author: Goldie, P
Title: Understanding Emotions: Mind and morals (2002)
Publisher: Ashgate
ISBN: 0754603652

Author: Goleman, D
Title: Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 0747528306

Author: Goleman, D
Title: Working with Emotional Intelligence (1998)
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 0747543844

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Author: Hannaford, C
Title: Smart Moves (1995)
Publisher: Great Ocean Publishers
ISBN: 0915556278

Author: Honderich, T
Title: The Oxford Companion to Philosophy (1995)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198661320

Author: James, W
Title: The Principles of Psychology (1995)
Publisher: Dover Publications
ISBN: 0486203816

Author: Jensen, E
Title: Teaching with the Brain in Mind (1998)
Publisher: Atlantic Books
ISBN: 0871202999

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Author: Pert, C
Title: Molecules of Emotion (1997)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
ISBN: 0671033972

Author: Ratey, J
Title: A User's Guide to the Brain
Publisher: Abacus
ISBN: 0349112967

Author: Rowe, D
Title: Dorothy Rowe's Guide to Life
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0006384226

Author: Sartre, Jean-Paul
Title: The Emotions: Outline of a Theory
Publisher: Plurabelle Books
ISBN: 0301A259575

Author: Wilkinson, RD
Title: Unhealthy Societies: The Afflictions of Inequality
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0415092353

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REFERENCES

Name: Campaign for Learning
Description: An independent charity created to stimulate an appetite for learning in every individual.
URL: http://www.campaign-for-learning.org.uk

Name: CASEL
Description: "The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is a trusted source for knowledge about high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL)."
URL: https://casel.org/

Name: US Department of Education: Progress in Our Schools
Description: Two goals were set by the Obama Administration: "United States would once again lead the world in college completion, and that every student would receive at least one year of college or specialized training after high school."
URL: https://www.ed.gov/k-12reforms

Name: Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence: A Systematic Approach to SEL
Description: "RULER is a systemic approach to SEL developed at the Center for Emotional Intelligence. RULER aims to infuse the principles of emotional intelligence into the immune system of preK to 12 schools, informing how leaders lead, teachers teach, students learn, and families support students."
URL: https://www.ycei.org/ruler

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