First, and perhaps biggest of all, when a student gets excited about a project, that passion becomes a motivator that pushes them toward trying harder, engaging further, and thinking outside the box. Students who feel stressed or indifferent toward a challenge won’t engage with the workload, while those who work on a task with authentic interest and curiosity are more likely to get lost in their work, iterate their ideas or brainstorm solutions that would otherwise be overlooked. These moments of emotional connection to learning matter in academic and personal development.
The Importance of Emotions for Learning
Emotions play an important part in cognitive phenomena like memory, attention, and problem-solving. When the brain’s reward system is activated, when excitement and curiosity are present, dopamine is released, which improves motivation and learning retention. If students can connect a project to positive emotions, they will more likely step outside of their comfort zone, try something new and continue to overcome hurdles.
Stress and indifference have the reverse effect. And when students feel pressure or boredom (because the school does not ignite a burning interest in learning), they lose the ability to think critically and outside the box. Stress activates the body’s fight-or-flight response, which can result in anxiety, frustration, or even avoidance of the task. With indifference comes disengagement, where students put in the least amount of effort required without sincere investment in the outcome. In either case, deep learning and meaningful problem-solving is reduced.
Excitement Ripe Lead to Extra Effort
Students who have a vested interest in a project are less likely to seek the minimum for required output. They are proactive about their learning, dedicating additional time to research, hone their ideas and find creative ways to showcase their discoveries. It was about the desire to make something in itself, not seeing it as the grades, putting in this little extra effort.
For instance, a student building a science fair project around renewable energy that interests her might construct an elaborate building model, experiment with various types of materials and interview experts. Their enthusiasm makes the project an exploration and discovery experience instead of a chore. On the other hand, an apathetic student may scrape information together without effort, but fail to delve deeper in their exploration at all.
Building on the Excitement of Learning
It is the duty of educators and parents to encourage students excitement. A few strategies to increase student engagement could include:
- Make Projects Relevant to Students Themselves – If students get a say in what they write about or an opportunity to add their personal interest into the assignments, they will be more engaged and dedicated.
- Promote Practical Learning – Experiential learning using practical work, field work, and creative expression make tasks fun and interesting, and memorable.
- Give students Autonomy and Choice – When students are able to participate in how they do a project, they are more likely to feel ownership and responsibility.
- Foster a Positive and Supportive Environment – Positive encouragement and constructive feedback makes students feel confident and excited in their work.
- Use Collaborative And Real-World Applications — Collaborating with peers or applying knowledge to real-world problems builds motivation and deeper learning.
