Teaching with Emotions: Why Feelings Come Before Fluency

Ever watched a multilingual learner go quiet and assumed they didn't know the answer? They probably did — they just didn't feel safe enough to say it out loud. This session treats social-emotional intelligence not as an add-on to language teaching but as the soil it grows in. We will examine why multilingual learners disengage, the impact of emotion on language acquisition, and how teachers across subjects can build classrooms where linguistic risk-taking becomes possible. Participants will engage with classroom-ready strategies — emotion check-ins, belonging agreements, teacher pause-and-respond protocols, and translanguaging routines — that lower the affective filter and support student voice.

Presenter

Anna Zikou

English Language and Literature Teacher
YCIS Shanghai Pudong

Anna Zikou's teaching philosophy is simple: reach the heart before the mind. Across 25 years and three continents, she has built English programs that put that idea to work. Her work sits at the intersection of inclusive education, emotional intelligence, and rigorous curriculum design, including one program that lifted students two IGCSE grade bands in twelve months. Anna is currently teaching at the International Sector of Suzhou High School, having previously served at YCIS Shanghai and Beijing. She holds degrees from Bradford, Leeds, and AUTH, is an IB Examiner and trained in strategic intervention coaching, and is finishing an EdD on inclusive curriculum frameworks for multilingual learners in mainstream English Language Arts.