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INPRIMATU
Developing emotional education in centers
Aritza Urrengoetxea Cordovilla @aritzaurrengo 2021eko azaroaren 04a

Human beings experience stressful experiences every day and we put anxiety into the routine, but this attitude gradually increases the discomfort we have inside and when exploding, there is a risk of taking inadequate measures. An example of this is the student who shot a shotgun at the University of the Basque Country in Leioa on 13 October. This action has highlighted the difficulties that many people have in managing their emotions. Therefore, it is necessary a deep development of emotional intelligence to avoid the actions that occurred in Leioa in all educational stages.

First, from the theories of psychologists Howard Gardner and Daniel Goleman, it should be clarified that the different types of intelligence are distinguished and that two great conceptions of the mind appear:

On the one hand, rational intelligence manages the logical aspect and evaluates what suits us or not. It's the ability to use, understand, assimilate and work information to solve problems. It is related to other capacities such as perception, the ability to inform and retain through attention and memory.

"The development of emotional education in the educational curriculum of the Basque Country is fundamental for students to have an effective emotional intelligence"

On the other hand, emotional intelligence is the ability to know, use, understand and regulate one's own and others' emotions. There are people who better identify their emotions and their environment than others and therefore have more skills to solve emotional problems. The person who created and converted the concept has been Daniel Goleman, who said that “it is a set of skills and attitudes that enable us to know our feelings and those of others, to motivate us and to properly manage our relationships.” However, through neural sequestration we have irrational behaviors and emotions are expressed through impulses, which is why we need emotional intelligence for good management of emotions.

Consequently, the development of emotional education in the educational curriculum of the Basque Country is fundamental for the students to have an effective emotional intelligence, since neither in the educational curriculum nor in the CAV nor in Navarra any mention is made of emotional education. Only small allusions are collected to the emotional regulations that students must achieve, but the path to achieve these goals is not specified.

In this regard, UNESCO says in its 2020 report that the COVID-19 epidemic has had a significant psychological impact on the educational community and society at large. Closure of centres, physical distancing, loss of close people, work and lack of common learning methods have led to stress, pressure and anxiety. Unesco states that the development of emotional education skills would help to respond to stressful situations calmly and balanced emotional responses. In addition, these capabilities would enhance critical thinking and make the right decisions in the face of everyday problems.

Emotional education is a process of permanent and permanent learning of emotions, which aims to promote the development of emotional capacities with the aim of increasing personal and social well-being. It is worth noting that teacher training is a fundamental factor for the effective development of emotional education. However, studies conducted by UNESCO reveal that more than 90% of teachers have never received training in emotional education. Therefore, there is a task to train teachers in the effective management of emotions and in the classroom in the enhancement of emotional and social competencies. In the Basque Country, the Diputación de Gipuzkoa published the Emotions in Gipuzkoa program: knowing, learning, working, living, so that teachers work with students in different resources that allow them to have emotional abilities at the end of the academic training process, increase the level of personal well-being and turn them into responsible people. But if the teachers do not receive training in emotional education, the resources mentioned do not have efficacy.

In short, although not given sufficient importance, emotional education should have a place in the educational curriculum of the Basque Country. In fact, several studies show that emotional aspects are an important factor in the development processes of students and in the well-being of students. Emotional education aims at the development of emotional abilities, personal and social well-being that help to better face the challenges of life. To do so, along with the implementation of emotional education in the educational curriculum, teachers should be trained in emotional education so that students manage emotions well and ensure emotional intelligence.