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Emotional Intelligence: The Missing Piece
Social and emotional learning can help students successfully resolve conflict, communicate clearly, solve problems, and much more.
by Edutopia Staff
VIDEO: Emotional Intelligence Overview
Running Time: 8 min.
Whether it's in the boardroom or the classroom, individuals need the skills to communicate, work in teams, and let go of the personal and family issues that get in the way of working and learning. Such skills add up to what is known as emotional intelligence, and they are even more important as educators realize that these skills are critical to academic achievement.
Emotionally intelligent individuals stand out. Their ability to empathize, persevere, control impulses, communicate clearly, make thoughtful decisions, solve problems, and work with others earns them friends and success. They tend to lead happier lives, with more satisfying relationships. At work, they are more productive, and they spur productivity in others. At school, they do better on standardized tests and help create a safe, comfortable classroom atmosphere that makes it easier to learn.
Psychologist and author Daniel Goleman popularized the term "emotional intelligence" in his landmark 1995 best-selling book of the same name. What emotional intelligence is, says Goleman, "is the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships." Or, as Maurice Elias, Rutgers University psychology professor, puts it, "It's the set of abilities that helps us get along in life with other people in all kinds of life situations." He calls it the "missing piece" in American education.
Students in Sarah Button’s fifth-grade class at P.S. 15 in Brooklyn learn how to defuse potentially volatile incidents.
Credit: Edutopia
Self-Awareness and Empathy
Jonathan Cohen, president of the Center for Social and Emotional Education in New York, argues that attributes like self-awareness and empathy play a huge role in every aspect of life. "We all know that how we feel about ourselves and others can profoundly affect our ability to concentrate, to remember, to think, and to express ourselves," he says. Kids without emotional intelligence "don't follow directions, continually go off-task, can't pay attention, and have difficulty working cooperatively.
Social and emotional learning, the increasingly common term for emotional intelligence instruction, can be a lesson on the hurtfulness of put-downs followed by discussions on ways to communicate "put-ups." It can be a regular morning meeting, in which students share such personal feelings as the pain of their pet dying or the joy of a family outing. It can be an analysis of a conflict in great literature and a discussion about different paths the characters might have taken. It can be a common plan to take a moment to think, rather than react automatically, and often aggressively, to distress. It can be a districtwide commitment to community service. It can be a software program that lets students get a clearer idea of their reactions to risky situations.
At Ben Franklin Middle School in Ridgewood, New Jersey, social and emotional instruction is a top priority.
Credit: Edutopia
Miraculous Transformations
Many educators say they are gratified by the results of such instruction in their schools because of its effect on both the school environment and academics. Fifth-grade teacher Grace Wiesner calls the transformation in her Waldport, Oregon, classroom "miraculous." "Disruptions due to acting out, arguing, or talking back have been significantly reduced," she says. Tina Valentine, a fourth-grade teacher at Kensington Avenue School in Springfield, Massachusetts, agrees. "I find I'm not spending as much time with behavioral management issues, so I actually have more time to spend with academics." A number of studies also have found a correlation between social skills and academic achievement.
Instruction in emotional intelligence is not a quick fix or a one-time lesson. The best programs, says Elias, "take no less than three years" to get to a place where teachers are comfortable and students are showing the benefits. Cohen adds that while a growing number of school programs include elements of instruction aimed at a child's emotional needs, too many of those programs are fragmented, short-term, and not well-integrated into the regular curriculum or school structure. "Just as we don't expect kids to learn a language in a year, we don't expect kids to learn social and emotional skills in one year," he says.
Skills More Than Values
Parents need not fear that emotional intelligence translates to a set of values that may be affiliated with religion. "We're not really teaching values. We're actually teaching skills," says Linda Lantieri, co-founder of the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program, one of the longest-running conflict resolution and social and emotional learning programs. "They're almost like tools in a toolbox. I remember one parent saying to me, 'You know, in my place of worship, I teach my kid to be honest. But you give the child the skills to be that way.'" The character education movement, which promotes universal values like respect, honesty, justice, and compassion, is also closely aligned to social and emotional learning.
Social and emotional learning programs work best when parents and teachers are partners, and that means schools need to train both parents and teachers in ways to promote behavior that improves communication, empathy, self-awareness, decision-making, and problem-solving. Parents, educators, policymakers, and business people all have a role to play in supporting the social and emotional learning of schoolchildren.
"We're talking about a whole new vision of education that says that educating the heart is as important as educating the mind," says Lantieri. Rutgers' Elias puts it another way. He says that parents don't just want SAT-smart kids. They want kids who are also responsible, non-violent, and caring: "We want the whole package."
Social emotional development is key in pre-K
Submitted by veronica (not verified) on March 27, 2008 - 15:52.
I am currently a pre-k teacher and I understand my position in the development of social emotional development in my pre-k students. My classroom is the foundation for their development throughout school. I make it apart of our daily routine to incorporate how we treat each other and being aware of one anothers'feelings. I make it a point to acknowlege each individual child daily. I realize it helps to build self esteem in them. If they feel good about themselves they will develop the courage to conquer any obstacle or task that is in their life. Today's children, even pre-k children, seem to be more stressed, depressed and angry than ever. It is a must that we as educators address their emotional state.
Emotional Intelligence- The Missing Piece
Submitted by Rosemary West (not verified) on March 26, 2008 - 18:09.
Reading Specialist: Parkside Elementary/CUSD 20 in Lawrenceville, Illinois 62439
Yes, academics take a "back seat" when youngsers have behavioral-emotional issues which influence self esteem and personal safety. No much learning goes on in such classrooms. Thank you for important suggestions on best practices and what works. Parkside Elementary also does a "Peace Table" for participants in the Extended Day after-school in my district. I allow each child who attends, to invite a friend to the meeting. It seems to set the tone for positive interaction with no one seen as "the problem." I also get to invite a guest--usually our school social worker & the principal always chairs our "Peace Table." No detentions are involved, and each student gets as much time as they need to talk, discuss ideas, and brainstorm solutions for the future. We emphasize that everyone has problems that we must deal with, and then go on to deal with the school day. When they leave, every child is given a small momento that identifies the interaction as one which will make them stonger and supportative of others. We cannot teach youngsters when their worlds are clouded with emotional issues, yet as professionals we do everyday. I just try and make my interaction with all kids purposeful and a fair, good example of teamwork. We deserve to have well educated children.
Emotional Intelligence: The Missing Piece
Submitted by Jodi from Walden University (not verified) on March 24, 2008 - 19:08.
This is a wonderful article. I find that we as teachers not only need to educate learners with information, but in today’s world we are also responsible for helping them develop socially. I implement a couple of the ideas mentioned in this article and have had great results with them. I introduce the students to universal values at the beginning of the year. I also have an area where the students are allowed to write "put-ups" to anyone in the class. These are read once a week out loud to the class. Once read the receiver of the "put-up" must say thank you. The students absolutely love this time and are often asking when we will be reading them aloud next. This helps them focus on building others up and not putting them down. I have had great success so far with building a community within my class by demanding they treat each other properly and use polite manners. Visiting teachers comment on how my class is like a "little community". I believe that if a learner has a positive self image and environment they will excel. Something I had not considered was the involvement of parents being trained. This is something that I would like to investigate further. I can see the positive effect on having such a program in the community.
Greetings from Romania
Submitted by Ovidiu Bocsa (not verified) on February 12, 2008 - 11:46.
Excellent idea to take part in such a forum of extremely interesting topics of grea interest for education.In our country *Romania ,they were made some attempts to experiment REBT,curiculum based on multiple intelligences and emotive reaction as well the use of cognitive psichology.Maybe these opportunities to communicate with specialists in the field is a new chance to make something neglected in education:teaching the virtues of the old tradition through modern means,to learn a practical wisdom ("sophrosine" is the term used by Plato or Aristotle),to learn and practise the good,morality,emphaty in order to construe natural habits and not to do mistakes of the sad chapers of the world history.We have to take care of ourselves as well as of the neighbour in order to go sane (Gosane,the character from The world of non-A)through significant experience.We nourish not only with bread,but also with meaning.The relevance of beautiful as play,art and festival (see G.Gadamer)should be a part of our understanding and teaching.
Best regards and wishes,Ovidiu Bocsa
schoolionpopreteganul@yahoo.com
Scoala "I.P.Reteganul"-Reteag,BN,Romania
http//scoli.didactic.ro/ret_reteag
0vidiubocsa@yahoo.com
Emotional Itelligence sounds great!
Submitted by Rod Achter (not verified) on January 29, 2008 - 20:05.
From what I've read in this article they really have my attention. I'm for anthing that may reduce the conflicts during classes and behavior problems during the day. I agree that both the teachers and the parents have to be equal partners and participants in the education process for their child. I don't even mind if it takes two to three years to implement the process into a school it would be well worth the time!
The conflict between emotional and academic.
Submitted by Nick (not verified) on January 28, 2008 - 17:22.
As the article states, one of the biggest problems that I see in American education is the reliance on one year programs that are expected to make things all better. This is also made more difficult when programs are chosen to help quickly improve test scores.
In my particular experience we had the opportunity to start a program called "P.E. for Life" that has been proven to increase student's social skills. It also helps to increase their personal health through daily activities and education. Test scores and behavior of students tend to improve in the schools that this program is implemented in. At the same time we started the "Reading First" program at our school. It requires students to stay in their rooms for 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading activities. The program has very good ideas for the idea of increasing reading skills but not much else. Also it requires a lot of effort from students and teachers. In the wake of "Reading First" the "P.E. for Life" program has fallen by the wayside.
The problem that I have with this is that most of these kids need to be taught social skills on a regular basis. Most are not taught at home or are taught incorrectly. It's not a new thing but it is a thing that needs to be changed. We as educators are there to teach in general. We are not there just to teach our field but to teach in general. If a student does not know how to do something as basic as talk to someone in a sociable manner then we have to teach them. This is a huge prospect but also the reason that we need to work as an entire teaching nation to make it happen.
The importance of ongoing social emotional learning programs
Submitted by RA (not verified) on March 27, 2008 - 10:42.
I completely agree with your position that one year programs are not effective. We need to address the social emotional skills of students from the first day they enter school. While some educators argue that we should not have to spend classroom time on social issues (since it is a parents responsibility), ignoring the problem is certainly not helping, and actually snowballing out of control!
We definitely need to pull together as a teaching nation and figure out the best course of action to implement from pre-k on. The only way this will happen is if we all voice our concerns within our districts and provide documentation that will back up our position.
The Conflict Between Emotional and Academic
Submitted by Dianne, Colorado Springs (not verified) on March 24, 2008 - 20:37.
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment on the teaching of social skills. I also like how you referred to the "teaching nation." It is tremendously frustrating, as a teacher, to have to teach basic social skills. I would say that parents do not fight me in my attempts to teach and reinforce these skills. There are the few who fight you, defending their child's right to completely, and freely express themselves. These are the hardest children to handle. I consider it my personal goal in life to reach these children. I want to teach them how to navigate in the social relm, so that they will be successful adults. The attitude of "I can do or say anything I want, at any time, without regard for manners, respect, or consequences" is the attitude that deceives and renders the individual unable to interact with the adult community. I believe it starts with making and maintaining a sincere connection with the child. The time they spend with you will be the teacher they need.
The conflict between social-emotional learning and academics
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 20, 2008 - 16:27.
The P.E. for Life program that you describe sounds very similar to the Sparks program that we use at some of our schools.
The kids really need emotional, social, and total self experiences. The outdoor P.E. experience allows students to incorporate: teamwork, listening and following directions, positive actions, and more. This allows students the chance to get exercise and be social with their peers. This can only equate to better self esteem which will result in higher standardized test scores.
Some of the schools in our district have been designated as Reading First. While the Reading First concept has many positive points to it, being able to utilize parts of it would be best. Left on its own, Reading First seems very rigid and inflexible.
There should not be a conflict between emotional and academic...they should go hand in hand.
Emotional Intelligence: The Missing Piece
Submitted by Angela Moss (not verified) on January 26, 2008 - 15:55.
This year I began teaching 2nd grade and I am stunned at the behavior of the students. I asked the counselor earlier this year if she could come in and have a discussion about behavior (treating each other with kindness, using kind words, following directions,etc.). I firmly believe if we do not control the emotions and behaviors of our students, all the testing, hands-on activities, and any other learning we incorporate are going to be useless. Too much instruction time is being spent dealing with behavior issues. This is not fair to the students that are attentive, respectful, and come to school ready to learn each day.
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