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Developing Emotional Intelligence in the Classroom
Developing Emotional Intelligence
The debate on social-emotional learning, also known as emotional intelligence has taken on great proportions today; after all, it is increasingly evident how necessary it is to talk about the practices that people have focused on this topic. It is possible to notice that more and more young people, in general, find it difficult to resolve conflicts in the most diverse situations, especially when the focus is on the school environment. Thus, the importance of social-emotional learning cannot be overemphasized.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
Developing Emotional Intelligence is the ability to identify one’s own and other people’s feelings, with the possibility of motivating and managing people, emotions, and relationships that are developed in life. Emotional intelligence can also be divided into five skills:
- Emotional self-knowledge: the ability to recognize and understand one’s feelings. Whoever can develop this skill, can “pilot” the path they decide to follow in life better.
- Self- motivation: knowing how to direct emotions around a goal or personal fulfillment, without being carried away by anxiety and problems that arise along the way.
- Recognition of emotions in other people: it is the ability to recognize what the other feels and empathize with that feeling.
- Interpersonal relationships: knowing how to interact with other individuals managing to deal with the feelings of others, after all, the relationship is, in the great majority, learning to deal with the other.
- Emotional control: it is the ability to deal with one’s own feelings in each situation that is experienced.
When the human being can control his own feelings, he can also develop his intelligence better. It is also necessary to understand emotions and their peculiarities to be able to learn to develop emotional education. Only then is it possible to work on each of the feelings in a more assertive way? With the development of this skill, it becomes easier to interact with others inside and outside the school.
The Debate about Emotional Intelligence in the School Environment
Currently, the actions of young people involving the school are more explicit. The school environment sometimes becomes the stage for situations such as the beginning of romantic relationships or bullying, for example. Thus, there must be a great deal of preparation to know how to deal with the individual student and understand that, in addition to being a student, he is also someone with feelings.
In the face of such situations, the school environment needs to be prepared to be the student’s support when developing their own ability to deal with emotions, which are intense.
Learning how to deal with emotions is crucial so that there is a greater possibility of success in problematic situations. The first step is to know how to recognize your own limitations and how they interfere in relationships with other people, and also knowing that there is a need for respect for others. One of the great aids for the student at this stage should be the teacher.
The school can and should assist both students and teachers so that the ability of self-knowledge, self-perception, and empathy are worked on by the student himself so that he understands them and knows how to deal with it, being helped by the teacher. With this, the work started in the educational environment can be easily extended beyond the classroom, making it possible to perceive the education of that student as part of society.
How is it possible to do this at School?
There are several ways to deal with emotional education; one of them, for example, is to have moments for reflection activities directed by a teacher. Thus, students can think about different issues and understand how they would behave before the world.
You can also work with dynamics, elaboration of works and murals, meditation and relaxation practices, always being guided by a school manager.
It is worth remembering that the teacher’s participation in this process is a fundamental part of the Developing Emotional Intelligence to be done in the best possible way. The approach needs to happen in a natural way, which can be done through an informal chat about each other’s experiences, personal tastes, and telling how the reactions to the problems are. This way, the student will have a fixed point of confidence in the classroom.
When there is a concern to take care of the emotional health of their students, the educational environment is automatically transformed into a safe, strong, and emotionally healthy place. Thus, it is possible to form better students who are aware of their attitudes in today’s society.
The importance of Social-Emotional Learning
To deal with the daily pressures of the educational routine, the key is to know how to apply emotional intelligence in your favor, so it is possible to have the return of several positive results, some of which are:
– Decreased levels of anxiety and stress in classes;
– Improvement in interpersonal relationships in general;
– Development of more empathy for others;
– Greater control and emotional balance;
– Improvement of the ability to make decisions;
– Increased commitment to school objectives and goals.
When the student is made to understand that emotion is the greatest influence of personal decisions, it becomes easier to work on the development of it within the classroom. After all, when young people learn to deal with emotional intelligence, they discover how to think, feel, and act intelligently and consciously, without allowing feelings to hinder their development as a student.
How to improve Emotional Intelligence
After the process of learning and developing emotional education, it is of utmost importance that the student studies the subject, keeping it in focus. After all, you need to improve on what you’ve learned over time.
Some techniques for the evolution of emotional education are to observe your own reactions during routine events, to look carefully at your feelings, and to avoid judging your own emotions. In this way, it is possible to keep the work of developing emotional education in motion not only in the classroom but also outside it.
In conclusion, the importance of social-emotional learning cannot be overemphasized, and working further on these skills is also important to break down barriers that go beyond academic knowledge. With this, it further becomes easier to have balance, being possible to teach young people to deal with their emotions while in and out of school. In addition, even if each student has a different profile, it is possible to adapt to the reality of each one so that quality teaching is a guarantee. Students who manage to develop emotional intelligence are increasingly valued; after all, it is important to recognize their own limitations to live in the society since daily, it is necessary to deal with different people with different cultures, ways of thinking, attitudes, and general beliefs.
Addison is a student of the Aust Abbottabad University of Science and Technology. He started his graduation in 2016 and graduated in 2020. I’m a professional article and blog writer, has written dozens of content on different topics and worked with professionals all over the globe. Feel free to contact me for any assistance. [email protected]
