Affect using the Science of H appiness as a learning strategy for student success Utah Valley University Orem UT 18 October 2014 Neon Dots Pink dot 1 thing you are grateful for in your personal life ID: 303259
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Slide1
Effective
Affect: using the Science of Happiness as a learning strategy for student success
Utah Valley University
Orem, UT
18 October 2014Slide2
Neon Dots
Pink dot = 1 thing you are grateful for in your personal lifeYellow dot = 1 thing you are grateful for about I-TESOLOrange dot = One person in this room that you are grateful for Green dot = Think of one positive experience from the last 24 hoursSlide3
Cognitive
AffectiveSocioculturalMetastrategiesPop Quiz: What were the 4 types of learning strategies identified by Dr. Oxford yesterday? Slide4
What is Affect/Why important?
How to implement “effective affect” in classroom?What/Why Happiness? Scientific benefits of happinessHow to capitalize on/influence happiness levels in order to help our students succeed.Happiness planOverviewSlide5
Good Luck or Bad Luck?Slide6
Affect
Definition: affect = students feelings; (based on their interpretation of the experience)“Affect goes way beyond concerns about how people learn and remember language items. [it] relates to the whole learning experience. If students are not [relaxed and feeling positive and unthreatened], then their affective filter is raised and blocks the input from being absorbed and processed. But if…the affective filter is lowered…then comprehensible input the students are exposed to will contribute far more effectively to their acquisition of new language.” (Harmer, J. “The practice of English Language Teaching”, p. 58).
“The human brain is an emotional brain”
–(Le
Doux
, 1996)Slide7
Impact of Negative Affect in the classroom
“In the presence of overly negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, stress, anger or depression, our optimal learning potential may be compromised. The most innovative techniques and the most attractive materials may be rendered inadequate, if not useless, by negative affective reactions involved with the language learning process. Anxiety, for example, can wreak havoc with the neurological conditions in the prefrontal lobe of the brain, preventing memory from operating properly and thus greatly reducing learning capacity. Fortunately, language teachers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of negative emotional factors and of ways to handle them” (Arnold and Brown, p. 2 )
. Slide8
Affect
“Attention to affective aspects can lead to more effective language learning” (Arnold and Brown 1999:2).Slide9
Good Examples
Best practices in lowering the affective filter: What have you done?Slide10
“How then can teachers ensure that their students feel positive about learning- that the affective filter is lowered
?” (Harmer, J. “The practice of English Language Teaching”, p. 58).How?Slide11
Affect
Awareness TestSlide12
What do you see?Slide13
What do these have in common?
AristotleThe Declaration of Independence“Despicable Me Two”/Pharrell WilliamsBobby McFerrinThe Amazon book list (70,801 titles)Slide14
Aristotle
“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”Slide15
U.S. Declaration of Independence
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, liberty, and
the pursuit of Happiness
” (July 4, 1776).Slide16
Achor, S., “The Happiness Advantage,”(2010).
Lyubomirsky, S. “The How of Happiness,”(2007).The Science of Happiness course at edx:Berkeley- Greater Good Foundation
CreditSlide17
Happiness = “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful and worthwhile.”(Sonja
Lyubomirsky, “The How of Happiness, ”) What is Happiness?Slide18
Complete this sentence: “Happy People…
.” Slide19
What are the results of being
happy? Happy people:Live longer than average (39% more likely to live to age 94)-
Achor
HBR 2012
Have better health habits;
Have lower blood pressure
Have more robust immune systems
Are more productive on the job
Have higher incomes
Are able to tolerate more
pain
Are more sociable and energetic
More charitable and cooperative
Are better liked by others
More likely to get and stay married
Show more flexibility and ingenuity in their thinking
(
Achor
2012, Danner, 2001,
Diener
, 2002,
Lyubomirsky
, 2007) Slide20
Happiness = success
“Happiness leads to success in dearly every domain, including work, health, friendship, sociability, and energy.” (Achor, Shawn, “The Happiness Advantage,” p. 21)Learning strategy for student success?Slide21
That’s great for Happy people, but what about the rest of us?Slide22
CircumstanceSlide23
Who is Happier?
Lottery winner?ParaplegicSlide24
How much of happiness is:
Circumstantial?Genetic?Under our control?Slide25
The Anatomy of HappinessSlide26
How does
this relate to learning?Slide27
P
ositive brain= best performance“It turns out our brains are literally hardwired to perform at their best not when they are negative or even neutral, but when they are at positive”(Achor, Shawn, “The Happiness Advantage,” p. 15). Slide28
Happy = Smarter
“When we are happy—when our mindset and mood are positive—we are smarter, more motivated, and thus more successful. Happiness is the center, and success revolves around it” (Achor, Shawn, “The Happiness Advantage,” p. 37). Slide29
6
Happiness Habits that will impact student success:Slide30
Remember
your S.M.I.L.E.S.: Share your gratitude (3/day) Remember the dots?Meditation moment (5 minutes)I
ntentional acts of kindness (5 people/day)
L
ook back (the
doubler
)
green dot
E
xercise (15 minutes/day
)
S
ocial spending (
prosocial
activity)
*These are scientifically based
SMILES
MethodSlide31
Sample:
43 Students:9 M, 34 FAges 17-42Intermediate High Slide32
Results
Qualitative responses to the following questions: Describe your experience with the happiness habits this week. What did you do, and how did it make you feel?How has practicing the happiness habits affected you academically (educationally)
How has practicing the happiness habits affected your social life?
How has practicing the happiness habits affected your attitude about life in general?Slide33
“
I'm felling a better person. One act of kindness leads to another act of kindness. I had good experiences with my husband, with my cat, my friends and with people whom I never spook before. I'm a new woman. Simple words and acts can make all the difference. I'm glade with this new experiences.”
Results: What
students are saying about the
SMILES
method:Slide34
Anthares
, Brazil“My brain feel happy and open for new things! =D”“The truth, with happiness habits the
culture shock is less
.
”Slide35
Rose, Haiti
“It make me happy, I can learn better, and it make me try my best everyday.”Slide36
Alexa, China
“I feel confident about my life.”Slide37
Vanessa, ChileSlide38
Cristian, Mexico
“I think that these has helped me a lot because a can have more happiness in my live and I can be more focus on my studies :
)” Slide39
Zaya, Mongolia
“From this week, I have started to do my homework and other assignments more actively, felt motivate, and also improved my confident in speaking English.
”Slide40
Developing your own happiness plan:
Measure Happiness set point (Subjective Happiness Scale) http://sonjalyubomirsky.com/subjective-happiness-scale-shs/Regularly measure happiness levels (Oxford Happiness Questionnaire) http://www.marin.edu/~npsomas/Projects/OxfordHappinessQuestionnaire.pdf
Variety of activities/ carried out in a variety of ways
Be consistentSlide41
How can the science of
happiness be a learning strategy to assist you in helping your students find success?“Therefore, what?”Slide42
Suggested Additional R
esources:Michael Norton- “How to Buy Happiness” TED TalkShawn Achor- “The Happiness Advantage” TED talk.Slide43
References
Achor, S., “The Happiness Advantage,”(2010).Arnold, J and Brown, H.D. (1999) “Affect in Language Learning,” p. 2 Danner, D.D.,
Snowdon
, D.A. & Friesen, W.V. (2001).
“
Positive emotions in early life and longevity: Findings from the Nun Study,
”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
80:804-813.
Diener
, Ed. And Seligman, Martin. (2002).
“
Very happy
people,
”
Psychological Science
, 13:81-84
.
Harmer
, J. “The practice of English Language Teaching”, p.
58.
Lyubomirsky
, S. (2007). “The How of Happiness,” p. 25
.Slide44
Thank You!
Contact Information:Carrie DrakeBrigham Young Universitycarrie_drake@byu.edu