Week 5 T2P

If students are emotionally connected to what they are learning, then they are more likely to understand the content. Instructional activities that provoke an emotional response, both positive and negative, have a direct and cyclical impact on student motivation. The human brain is a network of connections. Neuroscience informs us that there is a chemical reaction that happens when synapses in the brain fire that is directly tied to our emotions. Daniel Goleman, an education psychologist, believes that students who have the tools to recognize and manage their emotions are better equip to learn. His research illustrates that students who develop emotional intelligence are more motivated and better able to resolve conflicts, pay attention, and participate in teams. When teachers implicitly model how to express and manage their emotions, then students are able to learn from their example and apply those skills to their own lives. As previously mentioned, motivation to learn and emotional responses are cyclical; therefore, it is important for educators to reflect on their instructional activities to ensure that their students will be emotionally involved in the content. When students are emotionally connected to the material, then the material is relevant to them and they are likely motivated to learn more.