Theory Review: Emotions and Learning - Keila Escobedo

 

Not Too High, Not Too Low: Emotions and their Relationship to Learning

 

Keila Escobedo

Ball State University

EDAC 635: Strategies for Teaching Adults

Dr. Bo Chang

February 21, 2021

 

Name	Commented on
Keila Escobedo	Adrienne Carrol Mady Folz

 

Main Theoretical Points

Emotions and their relationship to learning are contextualized within the interconnected concepts of arousal, stress, and anxiety. A learner’s arousal, stress, and/or anxiety levels can either promote or inhibit one’s learning ability. The first concept mentioned, arousal, refers to the energy levels within the human body, and includes physical responses such as increased adrenaline, heart rate, and blood pressure. When these levels are minimal, the brain may experience being attentive or aware. When these levels are increased to optimal, the brain experiences an appropriate state for learning. When these levels continue to increase beyond optimal, emotions are developed and are experienced as either positive or negative by the individual. Another increase in arousal could result in extreme emotions such as “euphoria” being experienced as positive or “distress” being experienced as negative. Regardless of the perceived positivity or negativity of the extreme emotion, neither are conducive to learning (MacKeracher, 2004).

Since a learner must be in an optimal state of arousal to learn, this also means that a learner must feel safe in the learning environment. An arousal state that arises in response to perceived threats is “stress”. This stems from humans’ primitive fight-flight-freeze defense mechanism, and when one cannot relieve the threat, stress can increase to the previously mentioned distress, which is a state incompatible with the ability to learn (MacKeracher, 2004). Although this emotion originates from one’s primal survival instincts, a learner doesn’t have to be facing a grizzly bear in the woods to feel distress. This feeling can arise in a learning environment in the form of receiving negative feedback from the teacher, failing to demonstrate a role-play correctly in front of the group, or more physically, having to walk through an unlit parking lot at night to reach the learning venue.

A related arousal state that may arise is “anxiety”, which is triggered by fear of which the source is not identified. Anxiety differs from stress in that the source of one’s fear is clear when experiencing stress. Whether or not this is actually occurring in the external world, the internal self fears it to be true. In addition to this perceived external factor “not going to plan”, anxiety can also include an individual’s focus on “what if” scenarios, and can manifest as “worry and rumination, leading to, among other things, cognitive distractibility”, thus inhibiting the ability to learn (Corr, 2011). However, if the source of the fear can be named and essentially become “real”, it can become less threatening, thus providing anxiety management (MacKeracher, 2004).

In addition to feeling optimally aroused and safe, learners must also be able to channel their feelings of motivation into change outcomes as a result of learning. “Motivation” is the “tendency within a person to produce organized and directed behavior” (MacKeracher, 2004). Motivational needs can be split into four types: deficit, growth, achievement, or affiliation needs. The first two needs widely depend upon the content of the learning environment. The first, “deficit needs”, refers to a focus on survival and security, not only of one’s self, but also those within the one’s social network, such as family. These may include learning experiences such as driver’s education, training for a job, or substance rehabilitation. The second, “growth needs”, refers to positive goals such as connecting with others or promoting one’s self-esteem and/or self-actualization. These may include professional development trainings, networking events, leisure learning, or self-help workshops. The latter two needs mentioned depend more upon the individual, regardless of the content being learned. “Achievement needs” refer to an individual’s tendency to work alone, and is fueled by the desire to “reduce feelings of powerlessness and incompetence” and “to improve self-esteem and self-concept”, while “affiliation needs” refer to an individual’s tendency to with others, and is fueled by the desire to “reduce isolation and alienation, to build and improve interpersonal relationships, and to create and maintain communal and collaborative groups” (MacKeracher, 2004). Knowing the unmet needs implied in the learning space as either deficit or growth needs, in addition to knowing a learner’s tendencies to function autonomously or in collaboration with others, can help the facilitator to direct a learner’s motivation to be most productive.

A final key point of emotions and their ties to learning is the concept of “learning how to learn”. As there are a multitude of different learning styles that are door-opening for some, and barriers for others, it is important for the learner to be “managers of their own change”, with their focus on “their own actions, ideas, and learning processes” (MacKeracher, 2004). This requires a learner’s ability to look introspectively at their own preferred learning styles, trust themselves to do such work, and know when to ask for help. This level of self-directedness depends upon the learner first feeling a level of arousal that is conducive to clear-thinking, feeling safe and free from threats, and being able to use their motivation to productively direct their own learning.

Emotions, stress, and anxiety all relate to different levels of arousal and all have the ability to either support a state of mind conducive to learning or inhibit learning abilities. Some effects of emotions, stress, and anxiety on learning and information processing include lack of motivation, poor communication, and misunderstanding information. Facilitators must be aware of emotions and their relationship to learning by ensuring learners are optimally aroused, feel safe, and are open and able to appropriately use their motivation to process the change that occurs when learning. Finally, the meta-concept of learning how to learn ties together these elements of how emotions affect the learning process.

Applications

            I find the following four theoretical points of emotions and their relationship to learning, including the listed respective strategies for accomplishing each, to be informative for adult education practitioners:

1)   A learner’s arousal, stress, and/or anxiety levels can either promote or inhibit one’s learning ability, with optimal arousal levels being the most conducive to learning; therefore, a facilitator should begin the learning experience with intent to lower anxiety levels. Strategies for doing so include:

·     Sending learners an email with details in preparation for the learning experience, including how to access the learning space, any pre-session assignments learners should complete prior to the first day, a detail of learning expectations, as well as contact information in case assistance is required (Lawson, 2016). 

·     Planning buffer time for learner adjustments such as technological difficulties (for virtual learning spaces) or finding the learning space (for physical learning spaces). This also includes knowing that not everyone in the learning space may have completed the aforementioned pre-sessions assignment, so leaving time in the session to address that possibility (Lawson, 2016).

·     Providing account of overall learning experience to come, such as through an agenda or syllabus. This can be sent in the previously mentioned preparation email, as well as given on the first day.

2)   A learner must feel safe in the learning environment to have the ability to learn; therefore, a facilitator should promote both a safe physical and safe relational learning space. Strategies for doing so include:

·     Mitigating potential physical threats present in learning environment. Within the learning environment, this could include ensuring all the chairs to be used are stable and that any wiring on the ground is taped down so reduce the risk of tripping. Outside of the learning environment, this could include ensuring that the pathway to the learning venue is well-lit with visible and ample signage (Davidson, 2017).

·     Establishing group learning agreements, especially for topics which may be personal for individuals or are considered controversial. This allows for the discussion space to have expectations of conduct that all learners have agreed to observe, and that the facilitator can direct learners back to in case of transgression (Davidson, 2017).

·     Encouraging learners to let the facilitator know if a space feels unsafe, so that the facilitator may address the potential barrier to learning (Davidson, 2017).

3)   A learner must be able to channel their motivations to process the change that occurs through learning to have a productive learning experience; therefore, the facilitator should help learners maintain their motivations throughout the learning experience. Strategies include:

·     Finding out an individual learner’s motivations. This could be through a consultation or a quiz-like survey. The results should be shared with the facilitator so they are aware of what motivates that specific learner (MacKeracher, 2004).

·     Working with the learner to come up with goals based on their motivations. This also supports the practice of allowing adult learners to lead their own learning experiences (MacKeracher, 2004).

·     Providing feedback on the chosen goals. Because of the individualized nature of the goals and the sensitive nature of receiving feedback on one’s progress, feedback should be provided to the learner one-on-one. Feedback that is strengths-based, even when addressing areas of improvement, promotes feelings of success and/or satisfaction (Aguinis et al., 2012).

4)   A learner must “learn how to learn”, according to their own individual learning needs, to have a productive learning experience; therefore, a facilitator should help a learner “learn how to learn”. Strategies include:

·     Offering opportunities for learners to recognize their most conducive learning styles. This could be done through a consultation or quiz-like assessment.

·     Facilitating content through various channels to cater to different learning styles. This way, multiple learning styles that are potentially within the learning group are covered (Lawson, 2016).

·     Encouraging learners to consult with the facilitator when help managing the learning process is necessary. Adults may have difficulty coming forward to ask for help, so a welcoming and non-judgmental facilitator attitude is vital (MacKeracher, 2004).

Reflection

Highlights

I found the most significant part of emotions and their relationship to learning to be its focus on the individual and their emotions. Because one’s emotions and reactions to a certain stimulant will depend entirely upon their own personal life experiences, one learner’s reaction to a topic may differ significantly from another learner’s, even if it’s the exact same content presented in the exact same way. While a facilitator can attempt to mitigate elements that may push a learner’s arousal levels above optimum, it is important for a facilitator to recognize that not every trigger can be planned for. A facilitator should encourage individual learners to come to them with anything that is proving to be a barrier to learning, so the facilitator can tend to that individual learner’s needs.

Process

I began this review by looking back at a previous assignment from this class, “Assignment 2: Topic Summary & Selection”. It was helpful for me to review what I already learned about this topic and have somewhere to start, which for most of us, is the hardest part. In addition, I reviewed the chapter titled “Emotions and Motives in Learning” from the assigned book, Making Sense of Adult Learning by Dorothy MacKeracher. From here, I used two databases to search for more sources: Ball State University’s online library and Google Scholar. I organized the review by filling out the table below first, and then completing the review sections titled “Main Theoretical Ideas” and “Applications”. As I wrote the review, I amended the table as needed to reflect the body paragraphs.

Although I learned technical skills through writing this review, such as how to efficiently navigate Ball State University’s online library (as this is my first semester at BSU), I also learned the power of motivation through social support. Throughout the week, our group has been using Microsoft Teams to keep up with one another, and an unexpected lesson I learned is to be open to admitting feelings of intimidation, fear, or vulnerability with others who are tasked with the same undertaking. Their honest admissions of uncertainty laced with words of encouragement were unforeseen but valuable factors in me believing in my own abilities to learn. My tip: Get to really know your group members – they may be more valuable to your learning process than you know.

Main theoretical ideas		Applications
A learner’s arousal, stress, and/or anxiety levels can either promote or inhibit one’s learning ability, with optimal arousal levels being the most conducive to learning.	A facilitator should begin the learning experience with intent to lower anxiety levels, as most adult learners come into learning spaces with already established levels of stress and/or arousal. Strategies include: ·        Sending preparation emails ·        Planning buffer time for adjustments (ex. technological error, finding learning space, etc.) ·        Providing account of overall learning experience to come (ex. agenda, syllabus, etc.)
A learner must feel safe in the learning environment to have the ability to learn.	A facilitator should promote a safe physical and relational learning space. Strategies include: ·        Mitigating potential physical threats present in learning environment, including pathway to the specific learning space ·        Establishing group learning agreements ·        Encouraging learners to let the facilitator know if a space feels unsafe
A learner must be able to channel their motivations to process the change that occurs through learning to have a productive learning experience.	A facilitator should help learners maintain their motivations throughout the learning experience. Strategies include: ·        Finding out an individual learner’s motivations ·        Working with the learner to come up with goals based on their motivations ·        Providing feedback on the chosen goals
A learner must “learn how to learn”, according to their own individual learning needs, to have a productive learning experience.	A facilitator should first help learners “learn how to learn”. Strategies include: ·        Offering opportunities for learners to recognize their most conducive learning styles ·        Facilitating content through various channels to cater to different learning styles ·        Encouraging learners to consult with the facilitator when help managing the learning process is necessary

References

Aguinis, H., Gottfredson, R. K., & Joo, H. (2012). Delivering effective performance feedback: The strengths-based approach. Business Horizons, 55(2), 105–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2011.10.004

Corr, P. J. (2011). Anxiety: Splitting the phenomenological atom. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(7), 889–897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.09.013

Davidson, S. (2017). Trauma-Informed Practices for Postsecondary Education: A Guide. Education Northwest.

Lawson, K. (2016). The trainer’s handbook. (4th ed.). Wiley. 

MacKeracher, D. (2004). Making sense of adult learning (2nd ed.). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.