[EURIP Workshop] The Power of Emotions in Learning

Think back to your favorite subject from school. Have you ever wondered why you liked it? Maybe it was a story that moved you or problem solving that was satisfying. Maybe the teacher made the subject interesting.

Take a pause.

Do you feel something? Chances are the clearer you remember what you learnt, the stronger you felt about it. So what if learning wasn’t just about how you remember, but about the way you feel? In this workshop, we explore the connection of how we feel, with what we learn, and how you can use the power of your emotions for learning new things.

We thus, bring to you a series of connected sessions centered around emotions in learning:

Introduction to Emotions in Learning – A demonstrative session from HABS AI, Paris – Domenico Guarino – Head of Product, HABS AI

We say that emotions make learning more effective. But what if the brain could prove it? To kick-start our programme, we welcome HABS AI to demonstrate their brainwave tech to showcase emotions in learning.

Making the intangible visible: emotions, embodiment, and Pedagogies of Togetherness – Marc Santolini, Interaction Data Lab Lead at the Learning Planet Institute.

Have you felt that you learn better when you’re around other people? To explore this phenomena, we bring to you a talk by Marc Santolini.

This talk explores how learning outcomes such as empathy development, relational awareness, and collective sense-making can be studied within Pedagogies of Togetherness, awareness-based learning designs that integrate social arts into educational settings.

Marc will present empirical methods combining the analysis of self-reported restitutions from embodied practices, systematic coding of body movements, and the analysis of individual and collective trajectories across programs to reveal developmental processes over time. Drawing on work from Relational Embodiment Residencies and Social Presencing Theater, he will share early results and methodological perspectives on how emotional and relational dynamics support learning and transformation.

The session concludes with a short participatory practice inviting participants to experience relational embodiment as a learning resource.

How to Build Educational AI That Serves HI? – Stéphie Herlin, AI X Education Tech startup founder and author

Our next session will involve educational tech and GenAI – the elephant in the room of today’s educational landscape. Most EdTech detect emotions to increase engagement, not learning. As a teacher and AI entrepreneur, Stéphie will present a framework grounded in developmental psychology and classroom experience for designing technology that serves the learner’s fundamental needs: competence, autonomy, and connection.

Emotions in the Classroom: Bridging Research and Practice – Insights from the LISA Project
Shaden Al Masri, Content Coordinator – Project LISA
Patricia Montes, Deployment Manager – Project LISA

We then move towards talking about learning emotions in actual classroom environments. For this, we welcome Shaden Al Masri & Patricia Montes – representatives from Project LISA France 2030.

This talk invites participants to explore what emotions are and how they operate in school settings. It highlights why developing awareness, understanding, and responses to emotions is essential for students’ well-being and learning. The session then introduces the LISA project, a state-supported initiative, illustrating how teachers can observe, interpret, and act on students’ strengths and needs through a shared observation framework and classroom actions.

Accepting emotions instead of fighting them: How emotional experience shapes learning under stress – Kateryna Kliuzko, Practice-based researcher, CBT psychologist, and certified MBSR teacher – Université Paris Cité

Finally, we conclude with a talk on the psychology of emotions brought to you by Kateryna Kliuzko.
This session explores how emotions shape learning under stress, drawing on research from psychology and education. It examines how stress influences attention, memory, and learning processes, and how certain emotional states can either hinder or support learning.

Using insights from acceptance-based approaches, the talk emphasizes changing our relationship with emotions rather than attempting to suppress or control them. The session concludes with a short guided reflective activity to help participants notice emotional experience in learning contexts.