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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

 

Situation

Who wouldn’t agree that emotional intelligence is important? But do established strategies really change pupils’ patterns of thinking? As it is, don’t you find that your pupils still:

  • - React impulsively and selfishly
  • - Explain their behaviours only by blaming others
  • - Show little empathy for others’ points of view
  • - Assume others think the same as them
  • - Have little awareness of their own patterns of thinking
  • - Avoid challenges to their personal beliefs and assumptions?

 

Solution 

Using visual tools allows you to address these problems directly. By working further upstream than conventional approaches, you start to work on the source of emotions — habitual patterns of thinking. Visual tools reflect pupils’ thinking straight back them and prompt self–awareness. With this external framework, your pupils can face up to their thinking habits while avoiding the pressure of an intrusive, ‘in–your–face’, approach.

 

Benefits 

When visual tools are consistently used to support work on emotional intelligence, you can expect to see your pupils:

  • - Willing to talk about their thinking
  • - Learning how thoughts lead to emotions and behaviours
  • - Able to analyse their assumptions and beliefs
  • - Discovering the value of others’ comments
  • - Resolving conflicts maturely and methodically
  • - Adopting a more objective, considered approach

 

In practice 

In 2006-2007 Model Learning led a 2-day programme to learning mentors in Sandwell. Arranged by the Local Authority, it included school–based learning. The 30 mentors who attended reported that it was the most useful training they had attended in 3 years.

 

Links 

As you can see, these benefits have an impact on other areas of learning. Click on the following to read about Collaborative Learning, Thinking Skills, Learn to Learn, Behaviour Management.