By Jodi Toering.

It wasn’t until working with the ‘hardest to teach’ children that I really began to understand the role emotions played in learning. Up until then, I worked hard, teaching and assessing to my heart’s content, with little thought about how the students were actually feeling about the work, our class or even school in general.

I always acknowledged the saying that ‘happy kids learn’, but I didn’t really take the time to consider the deep implications of this notion until a few years ago.

I was working with a little fellow who was not making the gains that he really should have been making. I couldn’t understand it.

Through daily assessment, I knew exactly where he was in terms of his reading and writing and I also knew the next logical step for him in regard to his teaching and learning needs, but he just wasn’t progressing. I tried everything, to no avail.

Then I read a few chapters of Carol. A. Lyons’ excellent book, Teaching Struggling Readers. I discovered a lot about brain based research and the impact of emotions on learning.

I learned that if children are anxious, stressed out, feel incompetent or unable to do the work, chances are these feelings will directly impact their ability to take on new learning at an appropriate rate. Learning is simply not high up there on their little agendas.

However, if children are feeling safe, comfortable, happy; able to take risks and experience success, then they are more likely to take on new learning and manage the day to day expectations of the classroom. But how can we achieve this?

A light-bulb went on. I was able to re-assess my teaching interactions with him and hey presto, the little fellow started to move, making great gains. He went on to finish Reading Recovery successfully and is doing well back in the classroom to this very day.

There are a number of different ways, but one resource stands out to me in particular. In this digital age, ICT is one tool within the classroom that successfully engages and excites students, promoting positive emotions that we now know, directly impact learning.

Online reading resources can promote engagement and positive emotions as well as literacy acquisition at the same time, from the moment students log on. Ziptales is one such resource. Not only are the stories entertaining and engaging, but the fact that there is audio for each story means that less confident readers are scaffolded and supported throughout the reading process, even if the stories are unfamiliar texts.

There are also interactive texts aimed at older students who may be reading below the expected level, that offer even further support. This support is paramount for struggling readers because it enables them to experience the much needed success and positive feelings that are so important to set the scene for further learning.

We know that interested, excited, happy children learn. By using engaging resources that promote enjoyment and excite students, we are actually providing stimulating learning experiences that are proven to be more memorable, enabling long term learning to occur.

About the author:

Jodi Toering is an experienced primary teacher, based in Victoria, Australia. She is a trained Reading Recovery specialist.