Emotions are vital components in just about every facet of life. Emotions can either be positive or negative. The nature of emotions impacts everything that human beings are involved in. This is to say that one’s emotional state is likely to determine the reactions as well as the behavioural interactions that such an individual will have with the person or people whom an individual is around. In the learning process, the role of emotions cannot be understated. Emotions affect several parts of the brain that are integral in the process of receiving stimuli, processing and storing information derived from such stimuli. This paper will therefore offer an analysis of how emotion affects the learning process from its implications on the brain to attention, memory and meaning as well as how a positive emotional atmosphere can be created in the classroom context.
The Brain and Emotions
The temporal lobe acts as a host for the limbic system which is usually responsible for emotions such as fear and love. However, in as much as the limbic system plays a major role in the emotions expressed by an individual, the epicentre of emotions in the brain is the amygdala ( Hoemann, Gendron & Barrett, 2017) . The amygdala is essential in understanding the emotional context of an individual since it plays the vital role of receiving input from other brain functions such as memory and attention ( Hoemann, Gendron & Barrett, 2017) . The input received by the amygdala usually helps the brain to choose the right emotion to express at a particular time.
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The amygdala’s role in emotions involves a wider scope than the limbic system. The amygdala is responsible for a wider range of emotions including love, fear, anger and sex and its affiliated desires ( Hoemann, Gendron & Barrett, 2017) . The amygdala is quite vital to the emotional structure of the body that damage to it is likely to result in the expression of abnormal emotional states by an individual. Similarly, if the amygdala is stimulated excessively, it is likely to result in heightened emotional reactions from individuals ( Hoemann, Gendron & Barrett, 2017) . The hippocampus is another area of the brain that is affiliated with emotions. The hippocampus sends signals to the amygdala whenever an individual has memories that have an emotional tie to them ( Hoemann, Gendron & Barrett, 2017) . The connection between the amygdala and the hippocampus therefore defines how individuals respond to memories that have emotional ties to them.
Whenever the brain is exposed to certain emotions, it has to make decisions with respect to how to react in response to such emotions. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that is usually responsible for making the decisions after the brain has been exposed to emotional stimuli ( Hoemann, Gendron & Barrett, 2017) . The hypothalamus is also part of the limbic system and it plays a vital role in regulating emotions ( Harley et al., 2016) . The hypothalamus helps to control emotions by controlling an individual’s need for sex, anger, pleasure and anger ( Hoemann, Gendron & Barrett, 2017) . The cingulate gyrus is another part of the brain that is affected by emotions. It connects the hypothalamus to the hippocampus thus helping individuals to remember moments that were highly charged emotionally.
Influence on Learning, Memory, Attention and Meaning
Emotions have significant impacts on learning, memory, attention and meaning. Research has shown that emotional events are remembered more clearly, accurately and for a longer period of time ( Harley et al., 2016) . The relationship between emotions and memory can be traced down to the interactions between the cognitive and emotional neural networks ( Harley et al., 2016) . These neural and emotional networks rely on the stimulation of the amygdala, the hippocampus as well as the visual, frontal and parietal cortices of the brain ( Hoemann, Gendron & Barrett, 2017) . From this analysis, emotions therefore have implications on how individuals remember, learn, pay attention and also with how they assign meaning to situations.
Emotions affect four crucial areas of learning which include motivational, psychological, social and cognitive ( Desautels, 2016) . The cognitive impact of emotions has been discussed above where emotions trigger the sending of signals to the amygdala that makes an individual remember a learning experience clearly, accurately and for a longer period of time ( Desautels, 2016) . Emotions have a psychological impact which affects learning, memory, attention and meaning ( Jeong & González-Gómez, 2016) . Positive emotions towards a subject taught in school are likely to result in a child being psychologically indented towards learning, remembering and paying attention when the subject is taught.
Emotions also have a motivational impact on learning, memory, attention and meaning. If a child has positive emotions towards learning, they are likely to be motivated to pay closer attention to the learning materials ( Desautels, 2016) . The child is also likely to maintain attention in the learning materials for a longer period of time. Negative emotions towards learning on the other hand lead to decreased attention towards the learning material ( Jeong & González-Gómez, 2016) . Children with negative motivation towards learning are less likely to pay attention or remember whatever they learn during their interaction with learning material ( Desautels, 2016) . Learning in the classroom is a social activity. Positive emotions normally help to enhance social cohesion between learners in groups which helps to smooth the learning process.
Positive Classroom Climate
The creation of a positive emotional climate in the classroom isn’t as simple as it might seem. It entails more than just having a good a personality since it requires that every child in the classroom understands the importance of maintaining an atmosphere that fosters positive emotional expression from themselves and from their colleagues ( Jeong & González-Gómez, 2016) . The first step in the creation of a positive emotional climate in the classroom is the development of classroom rules and norms ( Khajavy, MacIntyre & Barabadi, 2018) . Through classroom rules that are easily enforceable and understandable by the children, it is easy for a teacher to maintain an atmosphere that encourages the positive interaction of all children. Rules in the classroom first of all create boundaries. Children get to know the difference between what they can say what needs to remain unsaid ( Jeong & González-Gómez, 2016) . Similarly, through classroom rules, children get to understand the consequences of floundering the social codes of etiquette as well as the ethical standards that they are supposed to maintain.
A positive classroom climate can also be created by the promotion of positive peer relationships. In the classroom, there are normally relationships that emerge between children ( Khajavy, MacIntyre & Barabadi, 2018) . It is the responsibility of the teacher to recognise the emergence of such relationships and to reinforce them ( Jeong & González-Gómez, 2016) . After noticing a positive relationship between children, the teachers should encourage children to persist with such interaction ( Khajavy, MacIntyre & Barabadi, 2018) . Relationship building activities organised by the teacher should be conducted regularly to ensure that good relationships are reinforced ( Khajavy, MacIntyre & Barabadi, 2018) . In order for the teacher to be able to observe and reinforce the social dynamics within the classroom environment, observation of the social behaviour exhibited by the children is vital.
Finally, a positive classroom environment can also be created through the teacher taking an extra effort to nurture positive relationships with all children. Efforts taken to nurture positive relationships between the teacher and children start with the teacher taking actions to know the children on a one on one basis ( Jeong & González-Gómez, 2016) . The teacher should at least ensure that they know the individual names of each of the children in the class ( Khajavy, MacIntyre & Barabadi, 2018) . After knowing the individual names of the children, the teacher should call them by the name whenever addressing them to create a bond of familiarity ( Khajavy, MacIntyre & Barabadi, 2018) . Knowing children also entails the teacher being keen to detect their emotional and physical changes. If there is a positive atmosphere between teachers and child and between child and other children, it is easy for a teacher to maintain a positive emotional climate in the classroom.
References
Desautels, L. (2016). How emotions affect learning, behaviors, and relationships.
Harley, J. M., Poitras, E. G., Jarrell, A., Duffy, M. C., & Lajoie, S. P. (2016). Comparing virtual and location-based augmented reality mobile learning: emotions and learning outcomes. Educational Technology Research and Development , 64 (3), 359-388.
Hoemann, K., Gendron, M., & Barrett, L. F. (2017). Mixed emotions in the predictive brain. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences , 15 , 51-57.
Jeong, J. S., & González-Gómez, D. (2016). Students’ perceptions and emotions toward learning in a flipped general science classroom. Journal of Science Education and Technology , 25 (5), 747-758.
Khajavy, G. H., MacIntyre, P. D., & Barabadi, E. (2018). Role of the emotions and classroom environment in willingness to communicate: Applying doubly latent multilevel analysis in second language acquisition research. Studies in Second Language Acquisition , 40 (3), 605-624.
