Field Response Journal #7

*7. Describe what the teacher is doing to promote social skills and emotional intelligence. Be specific in your response. Make connections to Daniel Goleman's work and/or the class text.

I have the class rules that 1) I will respect the students by listening to any questions and concerns and be fair in my interactions with them. 2) They will respect me by listening when I am speaking and not using phones, or computers in unauthorized ways during a lesson and 3) They will respect each other by absolutely no put downs and cleaning up after themselves. All three of these rules are meant to develop at least three of Goleman’s emotional intelligences: self-awareness, self-management, and social awareness. The students may stop at self-management and just work at controlling their emotions and impulses, but hopefully they will see the social impact of breaking or complying with these rules. It is important that I remind them why these rules are important, not just refer to them without any context. If I give enough opportunities for the students to work together as a group and have real-world experiences, such as traveling together, the kids may be able go all the way to relationship management, where they can demonstrate leadership and wisdom as they solve problems and resolve conflict.