In this ‘Emotion Matters in Higher Education’ podcast series we will explore the important, yet overlooked, role of emotion in university learning and teaching. Together with our guests, we’ll be explaining relevant concepts and ideas, sharing our experiences and offering practical take away strategies.
This podcast series is inspired by, and complements, the Emotion in STEMMB Education Special Interest Group.
Episode 1
Introduction to Emotion in University Learning and Teaching
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In the first episode, podcast hosts Dr Kate Ippolito, Dr Cathy Mansfield and Dr Manuela Mura talk about what emotion in learning and teaching is and why it is so important to understand emotion experienced in higher education. We share what inspired our interest in emotion, especially as educators in science-based disciplines, and how we apply our growing understanding in teaching and supporting students.
Useful resources:
Episode 2
Emotion in Action
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In the second episode, Student Wellbeing Advisers, Anna Goodwin and Becky Zamora, offer explanations and strategies for raising awareness about emotion and how to respond in ways that are helpful to our wellbeing, learning and development. They consider the relationships between our thoughts, feelings and behaviours and techniques to foster self-understanding and self-compassion.
Useful resources:
Episode 3
Navigating Transitions and Change
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In the third episode, Student Wellbeing Advisers, Anna Goodwin and Becky Zamora, help us to think about the negative and positive emotions involved in change and how students adapt in different ways to the many changes and transitions in the academic year. They suggest ways of having conversations with students about their expectations, changing routines, managing uncertainty and discomfort as part of the learning process.
Useful resources:
Episode 4
Social and Emotional Learning through Group-working
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In the fourth episode, Manuela Mura, Senior Teaching Fellow in Medical Biosciences and Kate Ippolito, Principal Lecturer in Educational Development, talk about how social and emotional learning (SEL) occurs as students collaborate. They illustrate how students use and develop their emotional awareness in the process of group working in science labs. Research-informed strategies for embedding SEL in STEMM and other curricula, and nurturing empathy and emotional support between student peers are discussed.
Useful resources:
- The Emotional Science Lab: Exploring Social and Emotional Dynamics in Undergraduate Biomedical Science Discovery Learning
- ‘It's all about balance’: exploring how engineering undergraduates and teachers regulate emotions in pursuit of group-based project goals
- RULER: A Theory-Driven, Systemic Approach to Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning
Episode 5
Teacher Emotion
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In the fifth episode, Kate Ippolito and Cathy Mansfield focus on the less considered phenomena of university teachers’ emotions. They identify why teacher emotion is important and consider why teachers feel the way they do. Relationships between teachers’ emotions and teaching goals, as well as interactions between teacher and student emotions are explored. They offer practical tips for working with emotion in teaching and what to do about difficult emotion in university classrooms.