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QUESTION

Children have many opportunities in early childhood education that support their emotions.
These opportunities need to be transformed into learning situations appropriate to their
development and developed. Describe at least six learning situations in an ECE classroom that
can support the development of emotional intelligence in children.
It is not a secret that the face of education has changed dramatically over the past ten years or so.
Teachers across the country are working hard to equip children with the skills needed for success
in the 21st century world. In addition to instilling in students the flexibility to readily adapt to
changing technologies, teachers must foster learning environments that encourage critical
thinking, creativity, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, global awareness, and
social responsibility. This has and will create opportunities for many children especially in early
childhood education that support their emotions. Teachers need to transform such opportunities
into learning situations appropriate to their development and development. With this in mind,
this essay will describe at least six learning situations in an Early Child Education classroom that
can support the development of emotional intelligence in children. Having discussed on the
subject matter, a summary will be drawn.

The development of emotional competence is a process that begins in infancy and continues into
adolescence, with children gradually gaining capacities for identifying and regulating their own
emotions, as well as for responding to the emotions of others. In early childhood, the areas of the
brain responsible for self-regulation and self-management are at an early stage of development,
making adult support necessary. Regular practice and use encourage the development of these
neural areas, while a lack of opportunity to practice self-regulatory behaviours may mean that
these areas do not develop well. Children’s emotional competencies can vary from day to day
before they are able to consistently regulate their own feelings and behaviour, and may worsen as
a result of fatigue, stress or distress (Joseph, Strain and Ostrosky, 2020).

Daily events and routines can offer multiple opportunities for emotional learning. Teachers need
to both make the most of natural and spontaneous opportunities for teaching emotional skills, as
well as offering relevant and meaningful occasions for practicing these skills. Two important
areas of learning are emotion knowledge (or emotional literacy) and emotional regulation skills
(Mclaughlin, Aspden and Clarke, 2017).

One of the strategies in early child situations in an Early Child Education classroom that can
support the development of emotional intelligence in children is integrated technology. Today’s
youngsters were born in the age of the Internet. Many are more technologically savvy than the
adults assigned the task of teaching them. To connect with these children, teachers must learn to
speak their language and become conversant with the technology that comes so naturally to the
young. Integrating technology means tapping into students’ interests and strengthening their

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technical skills, all while providing enriching learning opportunities. As with any new
development, many teachers, eager to keep up with the latest fashion, simply go through the
motions of integrating technology (Rosenthal and Gatt, 2010). However, if they are to succeed
with it, they need more than the motions, they need a deep understanding of the tools available,
as well as meaningful reflection about how to use them to enhance learning. In addition, the
increased connectivity that accompanies this technology makes it vital that teachers stress the
importance of Internet safety. Also, be sure to check out ECE Technology and this can best be
done through coaching (Bevin, 2022).

Coaching children in emotion knowledge of internet. Emotion knowledge involves the ability to
perceive and label emotions, which is a crucial foundation for more complex skills such as
empathy. Young children often experience intense emotions, such as sadness, joy, anxiety, and
anger, and they first reflect on and come to understand their own emotions, according to the
meaning attributed to them within their social and cultural contexts, before generalizing these
understandings to the emotions of others (Joseph, Strain and Ostrosky, 2020).

Improved levels of emotion knowledge support children to better understand their emotional
experiences, and communicate, discuss and reflect on feelings, as well as to better understand the
causes and consequences of particular feelings. Emotion knowledge helps children to develop
skills in self-regulation with increased awareness of their own emotions, and engage in more
successful interactions with peers, inhibit aggression and increase prosocial behaviours and
empathy. A child’s developmental level, temperament and verbal ability can affect their ability
to label and understand their emotions, but parents and teachers also have influence in terms of
how they talk about and teach children about emotions (Mclaughlin, Aspden and Clarke, 2017).

Emotion knowledge coaching involves: Acknowledging, affirming and empathizing with all
emotions as natural. Be available to help children to notice and understand their emotions as they
occur, and use emotions as learning opportunities to discuss feelings, intentions, and the impact
that behaviours have on peers, which is associated with children’s understanding of emotion and
ability to imagine how other people are thinking and feeling (Joseph, Strain and Ostrosky, 2020).

Deliberately using and encouraging emotion-related language to label and explain feelings. Offer
prompts such as “It looked like you were feeling disappointed”, and talk about your own feelings
and responses. Learn words for emotions in children’s home languages. Teachers and caregivers’

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use of emotion language is found to predict children’s emotional regulatory competence.
Intentional, well-informed teaching about emotion. Create a list of the emotion words you want
children to learn. Teach children how their brains and bodies react to particular emotions, such as
increased heart rate or a fluttery feeling in the stomach. Use resources such as visuals and picture
cards that show emotions. Sing songs (try using a range of emotion words in ‘If you are happy
and you know it…’) or play musical emotions (demonstrating a specific emotion when the music
stops) and emotion charades (Florex, 2011).

Encouraging children to try to read the emotions of their peers, and think about what they could
do to support their peer when they are sad or lonely, for example. Using stories, particularly fairy
stories (which have particularly exaggerated emotions) to discuss how characters may be feeling
and what they may be thinking. Puppets or small figures can be useful to explore the stories and
reflect on the feelings of the characters without actually taking on the emotions (Rosenthal and
Gatt, 2010).

The second is cooperative learning structures; Teacher-centered instruction has had its day.
Effective teachers are increasingly using a student-centered approach. Cooperative learning
sparks engagement in classrooms by encouraging interaction among the students themselves.
The teacher, rather than calling on one student at a time, allows children to discuss class
materials with buddies or in groups, thus maximizing the level of participation. The students
work just as hard as the teachers. No longer has a one-man show, the teacher’s role become that
of a facilitator instead. This, in turn, leads to higher achievement, while promoting both team and
class building. Kagan Cooperative Learning has developed over 200 practical, easy-to-
implement instructional strategies, or “structures,” that turn classrooms into lively scenes of both
movement and stimulating discussion. Laura Candler’s Cooperative Learning Resources features
a variety of activity sheets and blackline masters for teachers, useful for accountability during
cooperative learning (Ministry of Education, 2019).

Cooperative learning structure can be improved through intentionally teaching strategies that can
support children to manage their emotions more appropriately, such as asking for help, moving
into a calmer physical space, deep breathing, or replacing negative thoughts (“I’m no good at
this”) with growth mindset thoughts (“This is difficult but I just need more practice”). Use visual
tools such as a ‘feelings thermometer’ to show feelings and develop awareness of how emotions
escalate, as well as visual reminders of strategies to try when this occurs (Bevin, 2022).

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Developing spaces, activities and resources for calming down, such as quiet retreat spaces with
soothing music, pillows, cushions and favourite storybooks. Alternatively, children might prefer
more active approaches such as dancing, singing, sand or water play to soothe themselves. Offer
channels for emotional expression such as music, dance, arts and other creative activities.
Extending sociodramatic play to give children opportunities to set and follow rules for play and
to practice self-regulation in processing and regulating (often intense levels of) emotions to suit
the play. Children who have the ability to regulate emotion in pretend play also are found to have
better regulatory capacities in everyday life. Preparing children for upcoming events that are
likely to create stress for the child or trigger strong emotional responses (Rosenthal and Gatt,
2010).

Thirdly, teachers need to use differentiated instructions when teaching. Teachers can tailor
learning experiences to differentiate among the individual needs of students in the classroom.
There are three main learning styles: visual, auditory and kinesthetic (Rosenthal and Gatt, 2010).
Cognitive Learning Styles of Children describes the characteristics of these learners as well as
the types of activities in which they best thrive, with the caveat that it is only learning styles
being described, to be distinguished from cognitive styles holistic, analytic, field-dependent, and
so on. Teachers can also differentiate by matching assignments to readiness levels, offering
appropriate intervention or extension activities as required. Allowing children to select activities
based on areas of interest is another great way to differentiate. Offering choices is an excellent
motivator for children. Small-group work is one of the most effective ways to meet the needs of
diverse learners in large class settings. Differentiation Central offers insightful information, as
well as a short video of educator, author and speaker Carol Ann Tomlinson sharing her
experiences and views about classroom differentiation (Ministry of Education, 2019).

Using different instructions can be improved through communication. Communicate acceptance

of emotions alongside a confidence that the child can manage them and not get overwhelmed,
while empathizing with how difficult and tiring the experience of strong emotions can be. It is
important to be comfortable with children’s intense emotional expressions, as any aversion you
have to emotional expression can be unconsciously communicated to children. Never ignore a
crying child, or any display of negative emotion, which is likely to create a lack of trust (for
children who are observing as well as the child who is upset) and is associated with negative

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social and emotional outcomes, including extended emotional outbursts and negative social
behaviours (Bevin, 2022).

Co-regulating infants’ and toddlers’ distress or helping them to regulate emotion, which helps to
establish patterns of emotional regulation in children’s neural circuits. Research suggests infants
can be supported to regulate distress when parents or caregivers use expression and tone of voice
to mirror the infant’s distressed state then calmly slow down and quieten their voice to lead the
infant back to a calmer state. Encourage children to communicate their need for help when
feelings become overwhelming, and helping children to express and emotions rather than acting
them out physically. The expression of emotions is a first step in verbalise regulation (Rosenthal
and Gatt, 2010).

It is important to take note of the different types of coping patterns children use. Passive coping
strategies (avoiding or denying problems), as opposed to constructive coping (problem-solving)
or emotional venting (releasing emotions), can lead to problem behaviours such as explosive and
aggressive outbursts. It is important that children are encouraged to confront problems, even if
not always in a constructive or calm way, as this enables them to express feelings and gives them
opportunities to learn better strategies for managing emotions (Ministry of Education, 2019).

The fourth learning situations in an ECE classroom that can support the development of
emotional intelligence in children is goal setting. Involving children in the goal-setting process is
an excellent way to encourage them to take ownership of their learning. In the early stages, goal
setting needs to be done in a very clear and simplistic way – for example, frequent two-way
conversations with children about their progress in specific areas. Teachers can further facilitate
goal setting through the use of organizers, anchor charts and similar aids. Free Printable
Behavior Charts provides models of personal charts for early learners. Teaching and Tapas
shares a class’s goal charts geared specifically towards reading and writing. K-5 Math Teaching
Resources shows a selection of goal charts for math instruction. In general, helping children
reach their goals calls for teachers to provide specific, frequent feedback as well as ample time
for self-reflection (Bevin, 2022).

The fifth learning situations in an ECE classroom that can support the development of emotional
intelligence in children is cross-curriculum teaching. In contrast to the traditional teaching of
subjects in isolation, teaching multiple subjects simultaneously can help students go much deeper

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in learning concepts and skills. Naturally, this approach asks more from the teacher. It can be
easy to blend math, science, or social studies content with reading or writing. However, it is
more challenging to combine all the subjects at once. Here are some of the major approaches to
simultaneous learning. Project-based learning involves children carrying out a project that ends
up with a concrete result of some kind. Problem-based learning asks the teacher to guide children
in developing solutions to real-world problems. In inquiry-based learning, children generate their
own questions according to their curiosities or interests, which they then investigate. These
methods work so well because teachers don not simply tell students what they should know, but
instead they engage children in exploring and uncovering the information in a more meaningful
way in which all the subjects come into play together. Check out this video of a group of five-
year-olds participating in project-based learning at Auburn Early Education Center. These
methods are not only fun, they are highly motivating for children and encourage collaboration, as
well (Rosenthal and Gatt, 2010).

The sixth learning situations in an ECE classroom that can support the development of emotional
intelligence in children is assessment for learning. Assessment for Learning, or Formative
Assessment, is a data-gathering process used by teachers to help them customize instruction to
match students’ needs. Summative assessments don’t always give a clear picture of what a
student knows. Also, by the time the data is gathered, it is already too late! The teacher is already
moving to the next objective, leaving many students behind who haven’t fully grasped the
previous content yet. To prevent this problem, teachers can monitor how the children are
learning as they teach, using observations, questioning strategies, class discussions, exit tickets,
learning logs, peer assessments, self-assessments, and slate work, among other methods.
Teachers can gauge the progress of individuals, groups, or the whole class, and they can adjust
the process by supporting or challenging students as needed (Ministry of Education, 2019).

In conclusion, teaching is considered the organized series of activities in which the teacher seeks
to interpret his or her specific tasks to impart knowledge to the learners. Therefore, teachers are
essential elements in education and effective teaching is the aspect of every good teacher in any
subject. Hitherto, it is simultaneously difficult to identify the characteristics of an effective
teacher, and to be an effective history teacher is more complex and difficult than many people
think. The fact that anyone can be a teacher, does not mean everyone can be an effective teacher
and the concept does not only involve having deep content knowledge but organizational,

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management, and fair evaluations. Children have many opportunities in early childhood
education that support their emotions. These opportunities need to be transformed into learning
situations appropriate to their development and developed. The essay has discussed at least six
learning situations in an ECE classroom that can support the development of emotional
intelligence in children.

REFERENCES

Bevin R. (2022). “Six Strategies For 21st Century Early Childhood Teachers.”
Https://Www.Earlychildhoodteacher.Org/Blog/Six-Strategies-For-21st-Century-Early-
Childhood-Teachers/. Accessed On 17th September, 2022.

Florex, I. R. (2011). “Developing Young Children’s Self-Regulation through Everyday

Experiences.” Young Children, 66(4), 46-51.

Joseph, G., Strain, P., & Ostrosky, M. M. (2020). “Fostering Emotional Literacy in Young
Children: Labelling Emotions. What Works Briefs, 21. Center on the Social and
Emotional Foundations for Early Learning.” Retrieved from:
http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/briefs/wwb21.html. Accessed on 17th September, 2022.

Mclaughlin, T., Aspden, K. & Clarke, L. (2017). “How Do Teachers Support Children’s Social-
Emotional Competence? Strategies for Teachers.” Early Childhood Folio, 21(2), 21-27.

Ministry of Education. (2019). Supporting Social and Emotional Competence in Early

Learning. Wellington, NZ: Ministry Of Education.

Rosenthal, M. K. & Gatt, L. (2010). “Learning to Live Together: Training Early Childhood
Educators to Promote Socio-Emotional Competence of Toddlers and Pre-School
Children.” European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 18(3), 373-390.