Page 18 - PLATINO EDUCA

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Geralt - Pixabay / CC0 1.0

Teaching emotional intelligence goes to the heart of the matter, it is sharing knowledge
that helps young people to better understand the world around them, predict what
may happen, and be more aware and, therefore, freer when making decisions. We are
becoming increasingly more aware of the importance of promoting good emotional
skills in our students.

Current circumstances have plunged us into a technological world (whether we like it or
not), where face-to-face interactions have become less frequent and emotions are hidden
behind a screen. Now more than ever it is important to include emotional education in
the curriculum and school initiatives. We need to understand and take advantage of
it in teaching-learning processes, work, and relationships. This is an important step to
ensure we do not lose our most human quality.

The need to educate emotionally has achieved neuroscientific recognition by authors
such as Antonio Damasio (Lisbon, 1944), who, in the last thirty years, has revolutionized
studies on the neural basis of emotions. In an article for El País, Damasio said: “A large
part of my work has been to turn the study of feelings into something scientific that
allows us to better understand human behavior.”

The world of emotions and learning about them forms part of a scientific pillar that
confirms their importance. Scientific knowledge of how emotions are generated in our
brain and what reactions they provoke helps us better understand and manage our
emotional world and that of our students.

A simple explanation of how the brain works

On the basis of the complexities of our brains and the fact that the brain works via
constant collaboration and interconnection (just as learning should), before beginning
to understand and manage our emotional intelligence, we must understand that