Teaching with Emotional Intelligence: Working in the Best Interest of your Class

 What do the terms Emotional Intelligence and teaching your kids have in common? More than you might think. It seems that a lot of teachers are unaware of how they are truly impacting their students through their own emotions, just like parents or guardians. In this blog post we discuss the various ways in which Mind Boosters help teachers, caregivers or guardians address the effect that emotions can have on students as well as themselves. The aim of our teaching programs UAE is to empower you to connect with your students in a more effective way.

Applying Emotional Intelligence in the Classroom

1.      Map out an emotional environment.

Teachers have a lot of control over the environment in their classroom. They can use colors and decorations to create a mood that matches their learning objectives. Or they can use music or silence to help students become more focused.

One way to plan for the emotional environment is by making sure that you are aware of your own moods and how they might affect your students. If you are feeling frustrated, angry or upset, it's best not to teach until you've had time to calm down.

You can create an emotional environment that supports learning by:

●        Positively reinforcing good behaviour — praise, smiles, thumbs up, high fives.

●        Giving feedback on any mistakes compassionately and concerningly.

●        Giving attention to those who need it most — helping them with their work or asking them questions.

●        Use positive and specific language when explaining classroom expectations, such as "Please raise your hand" rather than "No yelling."

2.      Improve non-verbal communication in the classroom.

Non-verbal communication is an important part of teaching with emotional intelligence because it helps build rapport with students. In fact, research shows that students who feel connected to teachers tend to perform better academically than those who don't have this connection (Schnake & Brophy). This connection can be built by using body language such as eye contact and gestures when talking with students or listening carefully when they speak; using facial expressions like smiling or frowning.

3.      Develop self-awareness.

As a teacher or parent this means that you have to know your strengths and weaknesses, and be able to see them clearly. If you are unaware of your own strengths and weaknesses, then you cannot know how they affect your teaching style or how they may be affecting your students.

Once you develop self-awareness, it's important for teachers to understand how emotions can impact their students' learning. Emotions can cause extreme reactions in children that can make it difficult for them to learn from their teacher or from the lesson at hand. In order to teach effectively, teachers need to understand how their emotions can affect their students' ability to learn so that they can manage them accordingly.

4.      Recognize and respond to the needs, concerns, wishes or fears of individuals or groups.

How do you feel when a student says “I don’t think I can do this?” Or “I thought we were supposed to be learning X?” Apprehend how your students are feeling and thinking, pick up on the emotions they are trying to communicate and respond accordingly.

In the classroom, a teacher needs to be able to read and respond to the feelings of individuals and groups. If a student is feeling frustrated, they may want reassurance or they may want you to let them figure it out on their own. If another student is feeling scared or anxious, they may need support or comfort.

You must be able to pick up on their body language, tone of voice, facial expressions, and other nonverbal cues. These cues will tell you whether they are confused or frustrated by what they are learning. If they are confused or frustrated, then they may not absorb the information as well as they could have. Master ways of capturing signals from our professional development workshop for teachers UAE.

5.      Learn how to connect with learners and respond appropriately and effectively.

As a teacher, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of teaching. This is especially true when you're working with a group of students who share your passion for the subject matter. But as much as we may want to see our students succeed, we need to remember that they each have different learning styles and abilities.

Some students are visual learners, while others learn better through hearing or doing. As a teacher, it's important to learn how to relate and listen to learners effectively so that they can reach their full potential in the classroom.

One way to do this is by using Bloom's Taxonomy, which is a hierarchy of learning objectives that was developed by Benjamin Bloom in 1956. This taxonomy organises all ideas and concepts into six levels and gives educators a way to evaluate the depth and complexity of their students' knowledge.

6.      Manage and disclose their feelings appropriately and professionally

Teachers need to be able to handle their own emotions in the classroom, especially when you are angry or frustrated. They also need to be aware that their students are experiencing many emotions throughout the day, and sometimes these emotions can affect student behaviour. Teachers who understand this can help students deal with their feelings in constructive ways.

If you are feeling frustrated or angry about something, it's important to take time away from the classroom to calm down before returning to teach again. This will help ensure that teachers don't take out their frustrations on their students or treat them differently because they're upset.

7.      Plan a lesson for the physical experience of learners.

You can do this by creating a classroom space that is comfortable and inviting. This means making sure that it is well lit, clean, and organised so that students will be able to concentrate on what you are teaching them without distractions from their environment. If possible, you should also have access to different types of furniture and equipment in order to accommodate different types of learners who may need more or less space for comfort or movement during class time.

8.      Recognize students' prejudices and preferences.

Emotions are powerful influencers of how we think and act, so it's important to understand how our students feel about different topics, subject matter and activities. If you know that one student is bored by a certain topic, for example, you can try changing the way you present it or make it more relevant to them. Or if some students prefer a particular type of activity over another, you can tailor your lessons accordingly. Sign up for UK certified teacher training in UAE to learn how best you can curate lessons that address students’ emotions based on these.

9.      Address learners’ expectations, comments and questions.

It is important that you set clear expectations at the beginning of each class so that students know what is expected of them as well as what they can expect from you as their teacher (if it was not already made clear). This helps avoid any confusion or misunderstandings later on in the class period if there are any questions about what was expected beforehand. If there are questions or concerns after setting these expectations then it is important to address them directly.

The trick to teaching with emotional intelligence is to open up your heart and let yourself be the best teacher you can be. If you are truly developing emotional intelligence, it will show in your actions and behaviours during the time you spend with students, colleagues, and administrators. You will demonstrate these things through your actions of compassion, caring and concern for staff as well as students.

Be An Exceptional Teacher Through The Strategy of Emotional Intelligence

One thing you have to remember is that emotional intelligence involves self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. These are all things that are important for teachers to have so they can teach effectively. And the trick to mastering this is opening up your heart and letting yourself be the best teacher you can be.

If you are truly developing emotional intelligence, it will show in your actions and behaviors during the time you spend with students, colleagues and parents. Learn how to demonstrate these things through your actions of compassion, caring and concern for staff as well as students. Mind Boosters Academy is here to assist you to learn how to acknowledge each student's unique set of needs and help provide them with individualised approaches to learning. Enrol to our EYFS teacher training programs Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and get to learn this strategy for a better teaching and learning experience.