Strategies for utilizing emotions to promote learning: spark curiosity via knowledge gaps, foster mastery orientation, transmit enthusiasm, and time emotional events within lessons¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 theoretical), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The review enumerates implementable strategies by which teachers can use emotions to facilitate learning and prevent emotions that compromise it. These include increasing the cognitive and motivational quality of instruction; as the article puts it, "to spark students' curiosity, teachers can create a knowledge gap and promote a sense of wonder through questioning and inquiry." Further strategies are fostering goal orientation towards learning and improvement (since performance orientation can lead to anxiety and anger), demonstrating enthusiasm to transmit enjoyment, being authentic in emotional expression, evoking positive emotional experiences at the start of class, and postponing unfavorable performance feedback until the end of class.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Teachers need knowledge of the intrinsic connection between emotions and learning, including achievement, epistemic, and topic emotions

Constraints¶

• Strategies are drawn from cited classroom research and theory rather than tested as a package in this article

Target Learners¶

• K-12 and higher education teachers

Target Learning Goals¶

• promoting positive academic emotions such as curiosity, enjoyment, and pride
• reducing anxiety and boredom that compromise learning

Claims¶

• Curiosity balanced against knowledge-gap overwhelm drives prolonged engagement and memory [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Keep Your Love of Teaching
• Racial Equity in PBL - Spark Engagement with Student-Generated Questions
• Discussing Emotions
• Explicate, Validate, and Address Negative Emotions
• Teaching strategies to prevent and manage negative emotions in learning

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Elena Savina, Caroline Fulton, Christina Beaton. (2025). Teacher Emotional Competence: A Conceptual Model. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10018-2