Triggering emotions as a tool to increase involvement of students and foster learning and development

Abstract

Introduction. We are often faced with students who do not apply what they learn at university in their practice. Our team worked on a teaching design in order to use emotions as cornerstone of students’ involvement in their studies and, most importantly, in the investment of the acquired knowledge in their praxis. Although they play fundamental role in human development, emotions are seldom used as a starting point in education.

Material and Methods. The research led us to conceive a training method based on pictures to provoke emotions. In turn, these emotions trigger a response from students, leading them to be eager to learn, persevere and try to implement new knowledge in their field of activity. We present parts of our theoretical framework that underpin our training method. We describe some challenges that we faced during its implementation. Finally, we give an example of using this method in a classroom of agricultural trainers. We applied our method to the training of farmers about the ways to counter the effects of climate change.

Results. The trainers reacted strongly to the pictures and showed high involvement in the workshop. After applying these methods in teaching farmers, they reported a higher motivation and willingness of farmers to implement new knowledge.

Conclusion. The emotions triggered by pictures seem to be able to form the cornerstone of an effective approach to teaching and learning. This method holds promise for the practical application of knowledge gained in the classroom. It may also drive long-lasting changes in the students’ approach to teaching. This calls for more research on the possible use of emotions and art to foster learning at different levels of schooling.