Knowledge and assessments are gradually fading into the background in the global education system. The main task of the school is the development of the emotional intelligence of children, says teacher Davide Antoniazza. He talked about the benefits of social-emotional learning in an interview with Psychologies.
For a modern person, the ability to establish connections is more important than knowing everything, says Davide Antognazza, a professor at the Swiss University of Applied Sciences and a supporter of school reforms. The psychologist and educator is sure that the world needs a new generation of emotionally educated people who will not only understand the essence and influence of emotions on our lives, but will also be able to manage themselves and interact harmoniously with others.
Psychology: What is the basis of the social-emotional learning (SEL) system that you came to Moscow with the story about?
Davide Antoniazza: A simple thing: understanding that our brain works in both a rational (cognitive) and emotional way. Both of these directions are important for the process of cognition. And both should be actively used in education. So far, the emphasis in schools is only on the rational. Many experts, including myself, believe that this «distortion» needs to be corrected. For this, educational programs are being created aimed at developing emotional intelligence (EI) in schoolchildren. They are already operating in Italy and Switzerland, the United States, Great Britain, Israel and many other countries are actively working in this direction. This is an objective necessity: the development of emotional intelligence helps children understand other people, manage their emotions, and make better decisions. Not to mention the fact that in schools where SEL programs operate, the emotional atmosphere improves and children communicate better with each other — all this is confirmed by the results of many studies.
You mentioned an objective necessity. But after all, the objectivity of the assessment is one of the main problems in the study and measurement of emotional intelligence. All major EI tests are based either on participants’ self-assessment or on the opinion of some experts who may be wrong. And the school is built precisely on the desire for an objective assessment of knowledge. Is there a contradiction here?
EE.: I guess not. We may not agree in assessing the experiences of the heroes of classical literature or what emotions a person experiences in a picture (one of the well-known tests for assessing the level of EI). But at the most basic level, even a small child can distinguish the experience of joy from the experience of grief, here discrepancies are excluded. However, not even grades are important, it is important to get acquainted with emotions. They are present in the lives of schoolchildren every day, and our task is to pay attention to them, learn to recognize, and, ideally, manage them. But first of all — to understand that there are no good and bad emotions.
“Many children are afraid to admit that, for example, they are angry or sad”
Kedu ihe ị chere?
EE.: Many children are afraid to admit that, for example, they are angry or sad. Such are the costs of today’s education, which seeks to make everyone good. And it is right. But there is nothing wrong with experiencing negative emotions. Let’s say the children played football during recess. And their team lost. Naturally, they come to class in a bad mood. The task of the teacher is to explain to them that their experiences are absolutely justified. Understanding this will allow you to further understand the nature of emotions, manage them, directing their energy to achieve important and necessary goals. First in school, and then in life in general.
To do this, the teacher himself must understand well the nature of emotions, the importance of their awareness and management. After all, teachers have been focused primarily on performance indicators for decades.
EE.: You are absolutely right. And teachers in SEL programs need to learn as much as students. I am pleased to note that almost all young teachers demonstrate an understanding of the importance of developing children’s emotional intelligence and are ready to learn.
How are the experienced teachers doing?
EE.: I can hardly name the exact percentage of those who support the ideas of the SEL, and those who find it difficult to accept them. There are also teachers who find it difficult to reorient themselves. This is fine. But I am convinced that the future is in social-emotional learning. And those who will not be ready to accept it will probably have to think about changing jobs. It will just be better for everyone.
“Emotionally intelligent teachers cope better with stress and are less prone to professional burnout”
It seems that you are proposing a formative revolution of the education system itself?
EE.: I would rather talk about evolution. The need for change is ripe. We have established and realized the importance of developing emotional intelligence. It’s time to take the next step: include its development in educational processes. By the way, speaking about the importance of SEL for teachers, it should be noted that teachers with developed emotional intelligence cope better with stress and are less prone to professional burnout.
Do social-emotional learning programs take into account the role of parents? After all, if we talk about the emotional development of children, then the first place still belongs not to the school, but to the family.
EE.: Of course. And SEL programs actively involve parents in their orbit. Teachers recommend books and videos to parents that can help, and at parent-teacher meetings and in individual conversations, they pay a lot of attention to the issues of the emotional development of children.
It’s enough?
EE.: It seems to me that any parents want to see their children happy and successful, the opposite is already a pathology. And even without knowing the basic rules for the development of emotional intelligence, guided by love alone, parents are able to do a lot. And the recommendations and materials of teachers will help those who devote little time to children, for example, due to being very busy at work. Draws their attention to the importance of emotions. In addition to the fact that emotions should not be divided into good and bad, they should not be ashamed. Of course, we cannot claim that our programs will become a universal recipe for happiness for all families. Ultimately, the choice always remains with the people, in this case, with the parents. But if they are really interested in the happiness and success of their children, then the choice in favor of the development of EI is already obvious today.