The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Education
Emotional Intelligence is now seen as a important part of human development which influence personal and profession success, the idea of emotional intelligence include the ability of identifing, understand, manage and use emotions effectively in different situations.
Now, talking of education, emotional intelligence plays a big role in shaping students academic success, social relationships and well being.
Self awareness: this has to do with ability of understanding someone's emotions, strengths, weaknesses and how they influence our behaviors. Self awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence because it allows people to be in line with their emotional responses which is important in managing reactions in different situations.
Self regulation: this has to do with the ability to control or redirect emotions that could likely distract, Self regulation helps people think before acting and promote resilience when facing challenges.
Motivation: motivation has to do with being driven to achieve goals for good reasons rather than external rewards, it do happens that students who are highly motivated are likely to be more focused, persistent and goal oriented in their perspective. With motivation there will be able to overcome obstacles and trials then remain committed.
Empathy: empathy has to do with the ability to understand the emotions of others and respond with compassion and care, It help people to build strong interpersonal relationships by understanding others feelings and needs at the right. In school, students with empathy are always good at collaborating with peers and resolving conflicts constructively.
Social skills: Social skills is the ability to manage relationships and navigate social differences, These skills is important in promotingg positive interactions with others whether in group work or classroom discussions.
Students who re good in social skills are more cooperative and effective communicators.
Emotional Intelligence and success are very close and considered having something in common as it enables students to manage stress and stay focused and engage in learning, Students who have strong emotional intelligence are easily able to handle the pressures of school life and maintain positive relationships with school mate, friends and teachers.
Let's take for example, self awareness and self regulation as I earlier stated allow students to recognize when they are feeling stressed and distracted, they can then use strategies such as deep breathing or time management method to regain their focus.
This emotional resilience is always very important during exams and project deadlines.
Since we are given the importance of Emotional Intelligence in the educational process it is good to integrate EI, that is emotional intelligence training into schools to educate especially the young ones.
As it is seen usual, education has focused basically on academic knowledge and intellectual skills, with growing recognition of the role of emotional intelligence in overall development many schools are incorporating social and emotional learning programs into their curriculums.
Social and emotional programs teach students how to manage emotions set and achieve goals, create good and positive relationships, and make good decisions. These programs may include activities like role playing, group or team discussions and emotional reflection. By engaging in these activities students learn practical skills for managing their emotions and interacting with others.
In conclusion, Emotional Intelligence is a vital component of student development which influence academic success, social relationship and emotional balance. That ability to recognise, understand and manage emotions is good for students to thrive in both academic and personal areas.
