The Science of Learning....
Emotions Drive Learning!
What do you think about this statement:
Elementary:
Young learners are highly sensitive to emotions, and their ability to self-regulate is still developing. A positive emotional climate is crucial for building confidence, curiosity, and motivation to learn.
Middle School:
Middle schoolers undergo rapid brain development, particularly in areas related to emotions and social interactions. They are highly sensitive to peer approval, self-identity, and fairness, which impacts their learning experiences.
How could these impact learning? I am researching to find out!
Rebecca Minerd
I find that statement about middle schoolers to be extremely true. There has been a phrase in education for many years that those who are loved at home come to school to learn, those who aren't come to be loved. What I see even more in middle school is they come for approval and acceptance. Students are exploring their own boundaries and who they want to be as humans- while balancing new content, different mixes of humans, and even high stakes testing. This causes a lot of cognitive dissonance and can lead to feelings of anxiety and stress. While we as teachers want to mitigate the extremes of emotion and help our students find healthy ways to emotionally regulate while finding themselves, we are also bound by the wishes of the stakeholders as well as the constraints of having larger groups at a time. So the questions becomes how can we support students, foster socioemotional growth while also improving academic skills? As teachers we can incorporate interactive discussions, making sure all students are heard and supported. Change our own way of responding, praising for showing thinking while redirecting to the best answers. Create group projects and hands-on activities that help students feel more connected and invested in the material. With the advent of AI, building real world applications for your content to make it relevant is much simpler and possibly with a few SEL cues in as well.
ReplyDeleteSo true about whether or not students feel loved at home, and searching for it when/where they can... goes back to Maslow's hierarchy of needs: physiological, safety, LOVE and BELONGING, esteem, and self-actualization. They won't learn academically and achieve true self-actualization without it! :)
DeleteWow! Amanda,you hit the nail on the head! I love how you stated that all students need to be heard and supported! Great post!
DeleteWow! I think that is such a powerful statement. I think that is so true! Not all students have the same experiences. Each student comes from a different background and environment. Some students do not get the support or love at home and thrive off of it at school. I think it is so important that all students have these positive emotional experiences.
DeleteI see the truth in the above statement about middle schoolers on a daily basis as we are chatting at the beginning of class and having conversations about content in class. I try to incorporate a mixture of opportunities for students - low-stakes opportunities for students to answer questions or participate, providing open-ended questions that allow students to share their thoughts and opinions, as well as trying to get students to put themselves in a person’s or group’s shoes during a time period in history to draw on their developing sense of fairness. I also try to create an environment in my classroom where students can feel safe to talk, whether it is in the chat or to unmute, to be silly and to try and answer questions without worrying about it being wrong because that is a chance to learn.
ReplyDeleteI do feel like it's important for middle schoolers to be allowed to "be silly". THey still like to have fun even though they are "the big kids."
DeleteMiddle school students are indeed highly sensitive to peer approval. I will never forget the one day that I subbed at Madras Middle School. We had about 10 minutes left of class when I said, "Should we play a quick round or two of heads up seven up?". In a flash they were animated and eager, but as quickly, they sat back and looked around to see if others were as excited as they were. It was one of those amazing moments where I realized that "acceptance means a lot to middle school students." It took two confident students to take charge and say yes before the group was once again all in. Students really need to trust their environment in order to learn. When we peer edit writing assignments the essays and stories are anonymous, I never share who wrote what. They can claim the writing if they want to, but they need to know I won't share their names without permission. I have also noticed that they are fair when they review the writing of their peers and that says a lot about their desire to be treated fairly.
ReplyDeleteI love that you are having anonymous peer editing! I think that is PERFECT for SEL and academic confidence. :)
DeleteI agree with the statement about rapid brain development in middle school students. The development in emotions and social interactions plays a huge part in their early teenage years. The majority of the students are very concerned with what their peers think. They are quiet or don’t answer aloud because they are worried of answering incorrectly in front of their peers. I have students this year that will only type in the chat box or in Go Guardian even when we are working in a small group. They are trying to figure out who they are as a person. They think of fairness as everyone having the same thing at the same time instead of what each individual needs to be successful. I think the constant need for peer approval stays at the forefront of their minds and really does impact their performance in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteEmotions and social interaction are so important for learners at all levels. I was listening to a psychology podcast this weekend, "Speaking of Psychology," and they were talking about how to increase the development of empathy. Empathy is a vital part of emotional and social development. I found it very interesting that one of the mentioned strategies for increasing empathy was reading fiction, reading in general, but particularly fiction because this can spark one's imagination of stepping into another person's situation and experiencing the story through their point of view. Running a full circle, this brought me back to all the conversations we had about read alouds last year! All of this reinforced my strategies that I try to bring into ELA and Social Studies as I encourage students to think about situations from various view points. Hopefully this can help them become more empathetic, better developing their emotional intelligence and promote positive social interactions.
ReplyDeleteYes! I totally agree with read alouds for empathy and safe discussion. When students are talking about fictional characters they can safely share opinions and/or supporting experiences.
DeleteI totally agree with you too! Read alouds are perfect for helping to teach the SEL lessons students need to learn how to regulate and navigate their own emotions. I read somewhere recently that instead of teaching the genres of fiction as "make believe/pretend" and nonfiction as "true" to include, Nonfiction=learning through information and Fiction=learning through imagination. I like how these descriptions of the genres open up how each is helping us learn and would go great in introducing a fiction read aloud like The Bad Seed.
DeleteMiddle schoolers undergo rapid brain development, particularly in areas related to emotions and social interactions. That stated needs to be in BOLD! My teammates and I have discussed this on almost a daily basis. Middle School teaching has its challenges due to the emotions and social interactions. This impacts on how we teach and how the MS student learns. First and foremost, they have acceptance of others in their minds, not learning, so as teachers we have to walk a fine line when getting students to participate and/or cooperate in learning. That is why I enjoy teaching virtually. It gives the students a safe place to voice opinions, answer questions, or speak up. Maybe not outloud(which I encourage), but in the chatbox or in GoGuardian, or even in a breakout room. Learning looks different in a virtual setting. The setting gets rid of that anxiety of speaking up in a classroom full of peers.
ReplyDeleteIt is often interesting to see the kids that don't want to speak out loud, but are so chatty in the written chat box. Maybe it's a sign of digital world and communication shifts?
DeleteWhen I was in school (even through high school and early college), I was VERY hesitant to raise my hand and ask questions out loud. I almost always waited till the teacher was done speaking and went back to his/her desk, and then I went up to ask my question in private. I think having GoGuardian helps provide that same safety in our virtual setting. :)
DeleteSince I am moving to middle school next year, I am really paying attention to these blogs and learning styles of my future kiddos!! You made a good point, that virtual gets rid of speaking outload and forming anxiety due to peer acceptance, because students can chat in either GG, email, or a breakout room. This also allows them to express themselves without losing much instructional time!
DeleteI love that we have so many different options for students to be able to communicate with us, as it allows individual students to communicate in a way that is comfortable for them.
DeleteA positive emotional climate is essential for young students. When children feel emotionally safe and supported, their natural curiosity flourishes, and they become comfortable in their classroom environment. When they are shown respect from their teacher, then will learn to give respect. I don't believe you can teach kids before you build the relationship first, and positive learning environment is crucial for building relationships. One of my favorite quotes is " Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
ReplyDeleteLOVE that quote, too! So true! :)
DeleteThis is so true!! That comment says it all!!! I feel like my students work hard for me, because not only do they know my expectations, but they know that I CARE!!!
DeleteThat quote is so good! Having positive relationships with our students and making them feel valued goes a long way in helping them learn and feel like they belong.
Delete-Both (elementary and middle school) statements are accurate and need to be well understood as teachers to address the vast increase of emotional poverty in our classrooms. That includes our students... and ourselves! When we enter our classrooms we all bring extra people...parents, children, bosses, siblings, etc. that are affecting our lives, our thoughts, our emotions...and therefore our learning.
ReplyDelete-As per Ruby K. Payne's book "Emotional Poverty in All Demographics", emotional poverty occurs when "the brain is not integrated or regulated; the inner self is underdeveloped; bonding and attachment is not secure; and [/or], the external environment repeatedly reinforces 'less than' or 'separate from' status."
-We all know that we WILL NOT, CAN NOT LEARN if we do not feel physically or emotionally safe. "By paying more attention to the emotional well-being of our students and ourselves, we [can] ensure a high-quality education that is safe for students".
-We all need to be "validated". In order to provide that safe, high-quality education, we can promote self-regulation and validate students [and others] by "calming [them]; helping to identify the hurt; helping to identify the ways the hurt is not true; visit the thinking of the other person(s) involved; identify the value/strength they possess; identify the consequences for negative behaviors; and, examine other choices for the future."
-This book is a must-read! :)
Young learners are highly sensitive to emotions, and their ability to self-regulate is still developing. A positive emotional climate is crucial for building confidence, curiosity, and motivation to learn.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with this statement! My kiddos at times have a difficult time self-regulating when it comes to emotions; especially if it something that they want to succeed at. I try to model, as well as teach strategies that will help them redirect their attention to the positive and try to move on, but it can be very hard. In addition, my classroom is very positive and it open to mistakes for everyone - even me; without any negative comments or judgement. I have some students that will remain "stuck" on something if they didn't complete it correctly; or if it's sports - maybe they didn't win the game or they didn't perform good. I try to teach them that everyone goes through "hardships" at some time or another, and we just have to pick up the pieces, look on the bright some, and move forward. Sometimes, we go over examples in class that relate to this, and it's easy for them to see it, but when they are in the situation; it's hard to come out of it. I think continuing strategies and teacher modeling will be an asset to help with this.
Boy is this true in middle school. However I see a trend of parents and teachers reacting to this sensitive to peer approval, self-identity, and fairness by removing anything that makes them uncomfortable. But I fear that removing uncomfortable experiences is retarding learning instead of enhancing it.
ReplyDeleteTo support their need for peer approval, self-identity, and fairness, I design activities that provide choices and ensure inclusivity. I was hoping that offering various workout options it would empower students to take ownership of their fitness journey. However, I am starting to think that left with the choice my students will never choose to step outside their comfort zone.
Additionally, I create equitable opportunities by designing workouts requiring minimal equipment and celebrating effort and progress. My students might describe me as tough but I also know that they would all say that I am fair. I hold everyone accountable to the same standards and I know that students appreciate that.
Cori, you are so right about parents not allowing for uncomfortable moments, In fact, I feel that some parents are parenting the way they wish they had been parented based on their experiences and do not consider that today's world is a very different place.
DeleteCori, I think holding everyone accountable/setting expectations goes such a long way! I think it helps create that safe environment because students know what going to happen.
DeleteI believe a positive learning environment to be crucial for all learners. The younger students I teach in K and 1 are just learning about emotions and how to deal with the "big feelings" that come along with them. These students are also learning how to navigate the feelings of others and how their actions impact other people. I try to build in SEL lessons with my students but also take learning opportunities that just naturally occur. I try to create a space where students can feel free to express themselves while modeling and guiding them on the most positive way to do it. If students do not feel safe and secure in a situation then often they will "shut down" to self protect and will not focus on what is being taught. A positive and safe learning environment allows students to gain confidence without fear of failure.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment about shutting down. Students will stop trying if they are overwhelmed emotionally.
DeleteI firmly believe that a positive learning environment is essential for student success. A supportive emotional climate fosters confidence, curiosity, and motivation, all of which are crucial for meaningful learning. When students feel safe, valued, and supported—not just through grades but also through encouragement from their teachers and peers—they are more likely to stay engaged and put forth their best effort.
ReplyDeleteTo cultivate this environment, I guide my students to strive for their personal best, which aligns closely with social-emotional learning (SEL). I also emphasize that emotional regulation is not just for students but for adults as well. I model self-awareness by demonstrating how I manage my emotions, including thinking before I speak and acknowledging when I make mistakes. By doing so, I help students understand that mistakes are learning opportunities and that self-correction is a valuable skill.
For example, I once had a student ask if I was angry. Instead of simply dismissing the question, I took the opportunity to explain that I was feeling frustrated and clarified the difference between frustration and anger. These moments help students develop emotional intelligence and empathy, which are essential for both academic and personal growth.
Additionally, I recognize the importance of peer interaction in the classroom. I intentionally provide time for students to engage in discussions and casual conversations, allowing them to build relationships, collaborate, and develop their social skills in a relaxed setting. Creating this balance between structured learning and informal interactions helps foster a sense of community and belonging, which ultimately enhances student motivation and success.
Angela, I completely agree that students are more likely to be engaged and put forth their best effort when they feel safe,valued, and supported. I have a friend with a middle school aged child. We recently had a conversation about the student doing much better in one subject over another. My friend shared that the class the student is doing well in is the one where there is a positive teaching environment and the student feels valued by the teacher. The student is motivated in the classes where they feel valued!
ReplyDeleteAccording to Sandler and Howell (ISTE 2023), to build psychological safety, educators can take several steps. 1-Providing clarity in the classroom: helps students feel comfortable asking questions and seeking clarification, which improves their understanding and performance. Establishing clear expectations and using approaches like the Wonderwall to guide learning helps maintain focus. 2-Building self-awareness is also crucial, and techniques like the traffic light reflection or Rock, Paper, Scissors reflection can encourage students to identify areas for improvement and take ownership of their learning. Additionally, 3-encouraging emotional expression through check-ins allows educators to address students' feelings and meet their emotional needs. 4-Facilitating open class discussions further promotes a safe space, allowing students to share ideas and build confidence. 5-Nurturing a growth mindset, where students are encouraged to take risks and view mistakes as opportunities for growth, fosters resilience and creativity. 6-Providing positive feedback through structured protocols like tag feedback and Glows and Grows reflections ensures that students receive constructive and meaningful insights. Finally,7-infusing joy into the classroom—through activities like game-based learning, creating a collaborative playlist, or using playful tools like a bubble machine—helps make learning more enjoyable, which in turn encourages student participation and engagement. By focusing on these strategies, perhaps we can create an environment where students feel valued, included, and supported, ultimately enabling them to reach their full potential. I think I am going to do an overview of my methods and just focus on one of the above to evaluate how well I am doing with each of these ideas!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the statement a positive emotional climate is crucial for building confidence, curiosity, and motivation to learn. This statement is something that I have always felt is a HUGE part of student learning. When a student feels safe and comfortable in their learning environment, they are more likely to participate and take risk in the classroom. If students are not in a positive environment then they will begin to lack confidence and the motivation to attempt assignments. I have always said it was important to me to have that learning environment that make students know that it is okay to not always have a correct answer as long as they are trying.
ReplyDeleteEmotions play a huge role in a students education. It is important for students to not only understand what the emotions they are feeling are, but learn positive ways to handle emotions as well. When students have a positive emotions modeled in their environment and understand their emotions and have positive experiences, it makes positive peer interactions. Positive environments and interactions can increase the students engagement.