Emotional Intelligence

The emotional management of a problematic situation starts with the management of the teacher’s own emotions. You don’t turn into a robot when meeting the young people you work with and leave your emotions outside the door. Thus developing emotional intelligence is essential for every good teacher and educator. To learn more go through this unit!

Warm up

Answer the following questions, in dialogue with your buddy

What is intelligence? What is emotion? What emotions are there? (give examples)
What do you think emotional intelligence is? How do you define it?

Learn

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognise and manage your emotions, to recognise the emotions of others and to adapt to them.

It is thought to consist of three basic skills: 

  1. The ability to be aware of and recognise emotions - the ability to identify your own emotions as well as the emotions of other people;

  2. The ability to relate your emotion to your reactions and behaviours. This includes the ability to ‘read’ the reactions and behaviours of others and hypothesise what emotion might be causing them;

  3. The ability to manage emotions - to curb and direct your reactions so that they help you think and solve problems rather than hinder you; to regulate your own emotions; to be able to understand another person.

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Dive in 1

  • Why is developing emotional intelligence important for teachers and educators?

  • Why is developing emotional intelligence important for students?

  • What benefits would you have in your professional life, if you develope your emotional intelligence?

Dive in 2

Think of the last problematic situation that occurred in your class/group. 

  • What did you feel at the first moment? 

  • What did you feel after the situation was over?

  • How did you solve the problem?

  • What do you think the students felt?

Evaluate the situation and think whether you could have handled it better.

Write your ideas down and exchange with your buddy.

Transfer 1

Step 1

Create an emotion board.

Step 2

Ask regularly your group to record the emotions they are experiencing by putting their cross on the board.

Step 3

At the end of the week/month discuss:

  • What emotions did the class/group go through?
  • What are the prevailing emotions? Why?
  • Are there any circumstances/events that have influenced the students to feel in a certain way?

You can use the emotion board also as an individual instrument: ask your students to register the emotions they feel together with its source (the activity they are doing, the person they are with, the things which have happened…).
At the end of the week/month, invite them to take a critical look at it. In this way you foster their personal reflection and increase their awareness about what/who is good for them and what/who is not. Finally you can support them to re-orientate/re-shape their relationships/habits.

Reflect

Reflect

For a month keep a daily diary of your emotions and your students’ emotions during different situations related to class activities. 

At the end of the month answer the following questions:

  • How do I feel about my emotional intelligence work throughout the month?
  • Did any changes occur?
  • What helped me distinguish my own and my students’ emotions?
  • What was difficult?
  • What would I improve in my ability to recognise and manage my and other people’s emotions?

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