Tips for teachers

What do teachers need to take into account when considering doing activities about emotional education? Here's some advice:

1.  Practise active listening . As teachers, we must practise active listening and encourage it in our students. You are listening actively when you are totally focused on the person who's talking to you, not only paying attention to the words and their body language, but also letting them know that you are listening by smiling, keeping eye contact, nodding or saying encouraging words. It is also about being patient and giving people time to be silent exploring their thoughts and finding the right words without our jumping in with questions or comments.

2.  Remain neutral . We don't take sides or form opinions. Our motto should be: "Listen and do not judge".

3.  Follow a sequence . 

1.Start with emotions awareness activities, such as mindfulness time, playing meditation music, body scanning, how-are-you-feeling-today round-up, etc. It's fundamental to set the proper mood after a demanding maths lesson, a stressful exam or coming back over-excited after the break.

2.Do a central activity according to your -or the group's- needs. You may wish to work on building empathy, self-confidence, being assertive, goal achievement or dealing with conflict.

3.Take time to properly close the activity with a round up, exchanging grateful words, saying a word about their feelings and the things they have learnt, or writing on their emotional diary.

(Source: Course on Emotional Education for teachers, CEP de Almería;  https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2017/nov/03/emotional-intelligence-why-it-matters-and-how-to-teach-it;  https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/active-listening.html)