15. The Power of Positive Emotion

Send me a message! Remember: You're Awesome!Just a random reminder that you're an absolute legend. Seriously, your vibe is everything and you always bring the main character energy. ❤️🎉✨ -you're awz.meIntro/thesis — Based on Spencer Kagan's Brain-Friendly Teaching: eliciting positive emotion is one of the easiest, most powerful research-based tools for a brain-friendly classroom (~300 studies support it).Why it matters — Positive emotion broadens students' attention and improves thinking, problem-solving, learning, creativity, and test performance.Music — Use uplifting music/music videos (e.g., "Made By God," "Peace in Christ," LDS youth videos, Christian music/lyric videos).Happy recall — Have students recall a happy/proud/successful memory before tests or tasks to boost performance.Video clips — Share uplifting, inspiring videos (LDS youth videos, "On the Road with Steve Hartman" kindness stories) to spark discussion, including tying kindness to Christ. Sample: Count your blessings — Simple exercise: have students name blessings to a neighbor.Three wishes for others — Twist the classic genie question to focus wishes on friends rather than themselves.Recalling helping — Have students share a time they helped someone and felt good.Power posing — Have students stand and strike a superhero pose for 10–20 seconds to generate laughter and positive energy.Praise — Use positivity statements and peer praise (e.g., high-fives) to make positive emotion contagious in class.