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Impact of Emotion on Learning
Without thinking about it and before you read the next paragraph, take a
moment to point to yourself.
Where did you point? You probably didn’t point to your head. You
probably didn’t point to your hands. We’re pretty sure you didn’t point to
your feet! If you’re like virtually every person on the planet, you pointed to
the centre of your chest, in the area around the heart.
In recent years, neurologists and educators have confirmed a strong link
between the heart and the brain—between emotion and reason.
Neurologist Antonio Damasio says, “in organisms equipped to sense
emotions—that is, to have feelings—emotions have an effect on the
mind, as they occur, in the here and now” (Weiss, 2002). How people
feel in any given learning opportunity has a huge impact on what they
perceive, how much they understand, and how well they store
information for future retrieval and application. Diagnostic imaging allows
us to actually see that intellectual energy and capacity are drained by
negative emotional states. Successful teachers use effective
interpersonal communication skills to create an emotional space that
physiologically supports learning.
In recent years, neurologists have meticulously mapped the areas of the
brain that support learning. The primary neural support system for
learning is found in the cerebrum, the largest part of the human brain.
The cerebrum is associated with higher brain function: reasoning,
planning, speech, movement, emotions, problem solving, recognition,
perception of stimuli, and visual processing (to name only a few). The
limbic system, sometimes called the “emotional brain,” is an integral part
of the cerebrum; the limbic system is, essentially, the heart path to
learning. Effective teachers open this heart path to learning by using
communication strategies that reflect curiosity, empathy, and courage.
The limbic systems in your students’ brains interpret the emotional value
of incoming stimuli—that’s the stuff you’re teaching. This system decides
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whether the value of that stuff is neutral, positive, or negative; this
interpretation is then broadcast to the whole body. Depending on the
interpretation, the limbic system either opens or closes access to higher
cortical function—namely, reason and memory. A positive interpretation
opens access to the following learning prompts: the imagination,
creativity, risk-taking, reason, the capacity to make connections, and
memory. A negative interpretation closes access to these critical learning
cues.
Priscilla Vail (1994), an educational therapist and expert on learning, has
described emotion as the “on-off switch to learning.” She notes that
research has shown that positive emotions such as joy, contentment,
acceptance, trust, and satisfaction can enhance learning outcomes and
the motivation to learn. Conversely, negative emotional states, such as
anger, confusion, and sadness have been shown to have a negative
impact on motivation and learning.
When the switch is off, the system is dormant, and only the potential for
learning is available. When the switch is on, however, the pathway to
learning is open. When the limbic system interprets sensory information
and dispatches it to the cortex for processing, it sets the emotional tone
of the information before it reaches the cortex. If the limbic system
interprets the information as positive, it dispatches a message of
purpose, excitement, and trust; consequently, the brain will direct the
learner’s behaviour toward the instructional goal. When this happens,
students become motivated to act; thinking and learning are enhanced.
When the interpretation is negative, the switch is turned off and thinking
and learning are stifled. The more positive the learner’s memories and
reactions to the event (emotional state), the higher the incidence of
authentic learning.
Successful teachers create an emotional space that supports learning.
They consciously and conscientiously use communication strategies that
reflect curiosity, empathy, and courage—encouraging trust in the learning
process and its possibilities.
REFERENCES
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Vail, P. (1994). Emotion: The on/off switch to learning. Rosemont, NJ:
Modern Learning Press.
Weiss, Ruth P. (2000). Emotion and learning - Implications of new
neurological research for training techniques. Training &
Development. 54(11) (November), 44-48.
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