It is only recently that skills such as empathy and emotional intelligence are considered important by schools, paving the way for inculcating them in students.
Emotional intelligence or EI can give students an edge in their academics, setting them up for success in their future careers.
But some questions remain: what is emotional intelligence? Why is emotional intelligence vital for students?
We, at Aditya Birla World Academy (the best IB school near me ), provide some insightful answers below.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
To put it simply, emotional intelligence is your ability to successfully manoeuvre and interact with your own emotions and those of other individuals. It is commonly divided into four crucial abilities:
- Perception and identification of emotions
- Thinking as well as reasoning using emotions
- Comprehending emotions and the way they change
- Regulation and management of emotions
That said, emotional intelligence is not confined to just these abilities. It is often a fluid and complex concept that is sometimes quite hard to pin down.
You may not grasp what it is all about until you witness it in action. A teacher who provides an explanation of a complex theory with patience and useful examples is displaying a high level of emotional intelligence. A clever student who falls apart in a group task because they fail to cooperate with the team is surely struggling with a low level of emotional intelligence.
Aditya Birla World Academy (ABWA), which is the best international school in Mumbai, gives unrivalled importance to the development of this skill in both its students as well as teachers.
Another term that is used in combination with emotional intelligence is empathy, which is the ability to relate to some other person’s emotions by stepping into their shoes.
We shall take a look at empathy skills a little later. But first, we shall see why emotional intelligence is important at the school level.
Importance of Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence can surely influence several aspects of an individual’s life, from academic grades to excel in your chosen vocation.
When you can successfully comprehend as well as manage your emotions, you are more likely to ace tests and obtain higher grades. In fact, regarding academic performance, research has indicated that emotional intelligence is just as important as cognitive intelligence and a conscientious outlook towards life.
This is primarily because emotionally intelligent students are far more equipped to tackle negative emotions that may disrupt the process of learning. Hence, ABWA, which is the most reputed international school in Mumbai, does all it can to ensure that students develop this skill at the school level itself.
For instance, if you have high emotional intelligence, you can:
- Successfully overcome examination stress and proceed with answering the questions.
- Overcome boredom and maintain a high level of concentration even during challenging topics (such as trigonometry).
- Avoid obsessing over a poor grade and rather focus on improving on it during subsequent exams.
- Recognise if you are experiencing any anxiety about assignments and then seek help, rather than falling into the trap of procrastination or a panic spiral.
This is why A Level schools such as ABWA give prime importance to the development of emotional intelligence in their students.
Emotional intelligence is extremely helpful in subjects such as English, History, Creative Arts, and Drama, where a student needs to understand or even manipulate human emotions. This is not the only way emotional intelligence can improve your grades. When developed successfully, it can help in building strong relationships with your teachers as well as classmates. From seeking additional help on a project to the formation of a study group, these connections can surely make a substantial difference to your academic results.
