Εmotional Intelligence at School

Emotional intelligence is directly related to the ability of individuals to express their feelings creatively, to respect and understand the feelings of others, to activate motivation, to express themselves, to be able to manage different emotional states, to have self-control, selfawareness and ability to empathize and respond to the moods of others [1]. According to the theorists of Pedagogical Psychology, emotional intelligence is not an innate characteristic of the individual but can be developed and cultivated through appropriate pedagogical activities, which means that people with the right education have the opportunity to be taught to control their feelings, to acquire social empathy and to change the perception they have of themselves [2]. As it is considered as a multidimensional feature that can be developed and evolved, just like with cognitive behavior, the crucial role of teachers and the school is to support their students through appropriate activities and learning experiences. learn to have confidence in their abilities and strengths and to give them opportunities to take initiatives, with the ultimate goal of learning and developing appropriate emotional behavior [3]. This practically means that emphasis should be placed on achieving the various psycho-emotional goals, when drafting school curricula, which should attract teachers, so that in addition to the transfer of knowledge, they should pay special attention to the value of students’ education [1]. As there is a direct link between emotional intelligence and school, the purpose of the work that follows is to show the ways in which school can contribute not only to the development but also to the enhancement of children’s emotional behavior.

In addition to verbal and logical-mathematical intelligence, which is the traditional form of intelligence, determined by various psychometric tests and determined by the intelligence index, there is also emotional intelligence, which is directly related to the ability to control existing emotional states, with the ability to restrain oneself, with the social empathy and the perception that the individual has of himself [4]. This type of intelligence is a key factor in the differentiation of individuals, has a decisive role in terms of individual success and according to developments in matters related to intelligence, must be calculated and taken into account in various psychopedagogical and didactic activities [2]. The first to refer to the concept of emotional intelligence was Goleman, who argued that emotional intelligence includes the ability of an individual to be self-aware, to control his impulses, to be able to seek and find motivation for himself. to face the various frustrations, to manage his impatience, to determine according to the circumstances his mood, to be able to adapt to new situations, to be able to resolve the differences that he is likely to have with other people, to be able to collaborates with others and has hope and empathy [1]. As he argues, emotional intelligence, although influenced by the neurophysiological composition and structure of the brain, can be developed and evolved through the influence of various environmental factors and especially the school, which in addition to the transmission of knowledge, has as a basic mission the development of various emotions and the skills associated with them.[5] argued that emotional intelligence has five dimensions, the first three of which concern the individual himself and the other two his relationships with other people and more specifically: Selfawareness, Self-control, Motivational behavior, Empathy and Social Skills (collaboration and communication). Essentially, emotional intelligence is a meta-skill that is taught and determines the ability of the individual to use not only the abilities he has, but also his intelligence in its traditional sense [1].

Collaborative learning

Collaborative learning is a didactic approach, which goes beyond the traditional teaching model and contributes to the enhancement of students’ emotional intelligence and which takes place in small groups and has as its ultimate goal, students to work and work collectively, to learn and to acquire knowledge [6]. This method of teaching enhances the mental and social development of students, since individual development leads to the balanced development of relationships with their social environment. According to modern psychology, one of the reasons why collaborative learning is crucial for enhancing emotional intelligence is that members of a team that work together and interact with each other more easily develop their social skills, their perceptions. for themselves and enter the process of internalization of various social roles, which helps them to adapt to any conditions and to more easily manage the situations they are called to face in their daily lives [7].

Teaching in groups

Teaching in groups, although not easy, nor ordinary, helps to enhance students’ emotional intelligence, as it creates experiential learning environments, which help them socialize and get into the process of getting to know each other. Working in groups, students learn to work conscientiously and responsibly, to work together, to rely on each other, to listen and respect the opinion of others, to practice and accept criticism, to be self-critical, to recognize their mistakes, to respect the other members of the team, to understand them and to accept them [8,9]. As members of a team, they learn to take initiatives, to express themselves freely, to discuss, to develop their skills and to face the difficulties that arise [9].

Role-playing games

Role-playing is an effective way for students to develop and cultivate their emotional intelligence, as it is part of a theatrical play during which almost all of the participants’ senses are activated. Through the application of appropriate techniques, students are taught ways to deal with the various situations of everyday life, to realize the difference of emotions not only in relation to themselves but also to others, to manage their emotions, to enter into position of others and to understand them and in this way to develop their empathy and self-knowledge and consequently to strengthen their emotional intelligence [10].

Artistic actions

The implementation of artistic activities, which enable students to express themselves freely, to discover themselves, to understand their feelings and the feelings of others, to accept their possible difference, to get in touch with other classmates and to Make New Friendships [11]. In this way, they will be able to activate motivation, to express themselves, to manage the various emotional states, to have self-control, self-awareness and the ability to empathize and respond to the moods of others [1].

Behaviors of teachers

Teachers can make a decisive contribution to enhancing the emotional intelligence of their students by following certain practices, such as those listed below [12]:

a) To motivate students, which can take the form of rewarding or preventing punishment.
b) Talk to students and in case of conflict to help them understand and control their emotions.
c) To enable them to perceive and correct their mistakes.
d) Encourage them to express themselves freely and to treat them with patience and respect.
e) Encourage students to express their feelings freely and talk about their own feelings.
f) Discuss with them how they should manage various negative situations.
g) To strengthen group activities.

School is not a place for a sterile transmission of knowledge, but as children spend many hours of the day in it, it plays a crucial role in developing and cultivating the emotional world of children. There, they actually socialize more actively and safely, since the constant friction with other classmates makes this socialization possible, they learn to curb his desires, explore their potential, seek motivation for every aspect of their daily life, collaborate with others and with a few words acquire emotional intelligence, which is necessary to succeed in their personal, social and professional development [13,14]. By enhancing their emotional intelligence and related skills, they are able to manage any situation they face, as they will be socialized and their image and perception of themselves will be enhanced.

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