How to boost learning through emotional engagement
Emotional engagement is a pivotal part of all learning processes. When we’re emotionally engaged in something, we’re much more likely to focus on that subject and be able to recall it, even after some time has passed.
There are endless ways to cultivate emotional engagement within your classroom. Here, we’ll discuss a few ideas to get you started.
Understand your students.
Most students are influenced by their culture, neighbourhood and peers. Knowing a little about this background may help teachers understand students better and develop a suitable teaching style.
Many teachers and trainers chat with students during breaks about the latest video game or genuinely discuss the news of the day. These small talks can build up trust and show students that we’re interested in their lives outside of the classroom.
Once we’ve understood students’ interests and expectations, it’ll be a lot easier to deliver exactly what they need.
Connect learning to real-life situations.
It can be difficult for people of any age to master a concept without some form of real-life context. Without context, students may not only disengage and quickly forget, but they may also lose the motivation to learn.
Students can benefit from a personal connection to new information, whether through demonstrating how the topic can affect them personally, or connecting the lesson with previously acquired knowledge.
Many teachers and trainers may struggle to find a way to make a topic relevant to students’ jobs or personal lives. However, it is well worth the effort.
Create a ‘safe’ learning environment.
When students feel ’safe’ to ask questions and share their opinions, they are more likely to contribute to classroom discussion and open to learning.
What does a ‘safe’ classroom look like? A place where students feel comfortable, realise their ideas are listened to, and taken seriously.
By finding ways to connect with students and facilitate interactions among students and their peers, trainers can promote this positive learning vibe in the classroom.
Students who feel comfortable and happy discussing a subject will often remember the information more easily and keep the conversation at the back of their minds.
Finally, it’s about sparking excitement and joy.
Learning doesn’t have to be dreadful and time-consuming. In fact, we’ve noticed that students are more engaged in learning when they’re having a good time.
While still possible to spark joy through traditional teaching techniques, there are many exciting new ways to engage students due to modern advances in technology and training techniques, such as:
- Integrating Virtual Reality (VR) into teaching and learning
- Incorporating fun knowledge-based games (Gamification)
- Including work-life scenarios and role plays
- Creating visually appealing materials (presentations, videos, 3D models)
- Plus so much more
Effective learning always involves an emotional component. With these tips and tricks you can transform any training course into an emotionally centred one that is highly effective and rewarding for your students.