Emotions and Their Impact on Learning

What is Emotional Literacy?

In schools, the term emotional literacy is used rather than emotional intelligence. Emotional literacy involves perception, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. Another term “emotional competencies” (Weare 2004) include the ability to understand, express and manage our own emotions and respond to the emotions of others.

If we think about it, learning is completely interwoven with emotions and the ability to work with others, therefore, social and emotional competencies cannot be separated from the learning task.

The neurological processes, social interaction and the ability to manage emotions become the three strands, which run throughout the learning process, and have to be managed by the learner. For some children and young people their emotional responses to learning, or the learning interaction, can trigger a range of difficulties, which then prevent them from learning. To be an effective learner a wealth of emotions have to be managed and regulated.

What Does the Research Say? 

Research has demonstrated that young people show enhanced social and emotional learning skills and attitudes and positive social behaviour after interventions that support emotional competencies, as well as fewer conduct problems and lower levels of emotional distress. 

We can clearly see that teaching emotional competencies within schools has a wide range of educational and social benefits including educational and work success, improved behaviour, increased inclusion, improved learning and improvements in mental health. When we have good emotional literacy, we are able to recognise our own emotions and regulate the intensity of them and we are able to recognise and manage the emotions of others in a thoughtful way. These skills make for a much better working and school environment. 

How Do We Approach Emotional Literacy in Schools? 

In 2003 Southampton Local Authority launched their Emotional Literacy Guidelines for schools. They were one of the first LA to recognise the importance of emotional literacy to academic achievement and wellbeing.  

Children enter the learning environment with an array of different experiences and beliefs created from their interaction with the world and the people they have met within it. These experiences have already influenced them, and had an effect on their learning. Have they learnt that it is safe to be curious and ask questions? Is learning a pleasurable thing or is this an area that is fraught with danger? Have they been encouraged to find out about the world in which they live or been shut down? Is making a mistake a step to succeeding or is it something that is punished and frowned upon? Is it safe to take risks? Has their experience been of an adult who supports them, or of trying to manage on their own? Is it safe to ask for help or is it something that they have learnt will get them shouted at or ignored? These are just some of the situations that many trigger an emotional response to learning. If the emotions are overwhelming then they create barriers to learning. Emotions are said to operate the on off switch to learning and so by teaching children and young people about emotions and ways of managing them they are more able to manage the learning task

What Does the Research Say? 

Research has demonstrated that young people show enhanced social and emotional learning skills and attitudes and positive social behaviour after interventions that support emotional competencies, as well as fewer conduct problems and lower levels of emotional distress. 

We can clearly see that teaching emotional competencies within schools has a wide range of educational and social benefits including educational and work success, improved behaviour, increased inclusion, improved learning and improvements in mental health. When we have good emotional literacy, we are able to recognise our own emotions and regulate the intensity of them and we are able to recognise and manage the emotions of others in a thoughtful way. These skills make for a much better working and school environment. 

What Can Teachers Do?

1) Use lessons based on developing emotional literacy to support children and young people develop these skills. 

2) Implement a whole School strategy by creating a Communication Policy, this can be a very useful activity to undertake with far reaching benefits to the whole school community. 

3) Ask yourself how, as a practitioner, do you:

• Help children and young people (CYP)  to identify and deepen their understanding of the feelings they regularly experience?

• Help CYP develop their emotional vocabulary

• Help CYP empathise with others and become aware of how their personal feelings and behaviours can impact on others?

• Encourage CYP to be reflective and to understand the consequences of their actions and behaviours?

• Help CYP to develop a range of strategies and encourage them to express emotions in appropriate ways?

4) Set up a quiet area in your classroom for children to use if they need some time out. It can have a range of resources for them to use including fiddle toys, books, comics, soft toys, lava lamps and colouring sheets. This will enable them to calm and reach a point where they can talk about things they need to discuss. It also allows you the time to introduce the lesson and get children working before you work with the child or young person. Sometimes other children can take the role of Wellbeing Champions and help a child while you are teaching.

Original article can be found here.