'Emotional intelligence' lessons to be taught to teenagers

[AB Asks]

From the autumn secondary schools will teach school pupils skills such as resolving conflicts, managing anger and respecting others. The Department for Education and Skills have seen that these types of lessons have had a positive impact on primary school children. The Seal project aims to show children how to avoid confrontation and aggression. What do you think? Should schools bear this kind of responsibility- teaching children how to be civilised? Or could this new scheme help our troubled and angry teenagers?

[Oneeyedvic]

At the local Chamber of Commerce (Norfolk) they have a program called WorkWise which is aimed at children aged 14-15. It is a two day course and deals with items such as Emotional Intelligence as well as various aspects of positive thinking, team work etc.

It is facilitated by local businesses providing staff (who first go on a training course).

I have facilitated a few of these already and it is surprising how much the children pick up on and how much they say that it helps them.

[jake-the-peg]

Sounds like the best idea I've heard come out of the government in a long time

[Paulst30]

LOL i have to laugh at this, first the government ban parents from smacking their children (never done me any harm) and now since that has backfired, seeing kids are worse than they ever were, we have to pay for them to be taught how to channel their anger??? HAHAHAHA

Nothing a swift kick up the backside won't sort.

i'm only 29 btw so no talk of old generation, i've seen enough teenagers running riot in Glasgow to know that the government was wrong to ban active discipline. As i said a cuff round the ear never done me any harm and parents let their kids walk all over them, why? because kids are taught in school that if a parent lifts their hand they can go to jail.

Well Mr Blair you can cope with that on your conscience when the masses of disrespectful teenagers you created come knockin on your door or wreck your car and smash your windows.

[Gromit]

I wonder if Paulst30s eagerness to kick children's bottoms and hit children about the head is the result of some form of abuse that occurred during her childhood.

'Never done me any harm' she cries not once, but twice - I wonder?

[Gromit]

or ihis, even, above.

[Reverandfunk]

Very nice but shouldn't that come from parents???

[jake-the-peg]

So we have increasing amount of gang related violence, knife and gang culture and the insightful vision is to give them a swift kick up the backside

Paul, your village called, their idiot is missing!

[ruby27]

I would have thought anything that helps young people skills in managing conflict and anger must be viewed as laudable. Its just a shame that such education isn't so freely available to adults especially parents so that they can teach their children how to behave non aggressively particuarly showing the sort of behaviours that Paulst30 seems to be so anxious off. Also Paulst30 how do you know it never did you any harm, you can not know (only guess) what you would have been like if you hadn't been cuffed around the head. Overwhelming research all indicates aggression towards children does have a negative impact

[ruby27]

Jake the peg
your answer cruel but oh so true - must borrow that to use especially with my husband will love it

[Kromovaracun]

Sounds a sterling idea to me, but it's difficult for it not to. I'd be interested to find out further details (as the devil is in the details when it comes to this sort of thing) - thanks to Oneeyedvic for sharing his/her experience.

However, with my current level of knowledge regarding the scheme (which entails what I've just read, and I shall see if there's anything in the paper or the BBC about it), I'm all for it.

[naomi24]

Reverandfunk, you're right - it should come from the parents. Just one snag - the home is where the problem originated. If the parents aren't teaching the children, it seems someone needs to.

[joko]

this is EXACTLY what schools should be teaching!

schools are supposed to prepare kids for the future - they don't - they teach them their times tables, and algebra and the mating cycle of a fly etc.
whilst this stuff could be considered interesting to some people, it is not generally important to the average person, and is certainly not essential to adulthood.

its all very well saying the parents should do this, but the simple fact is that they don't!
and even the ones who at least try often get it woefully wrong ( remember the fighting toddlers? made to fight to ''toughen them up''...)
this unfortunately is the mentality of the sorts of people our society is churning out - the current system does not work and if we want future generations to be decent, intelligent, and worthy members of society then it time we trusted professionals to ensure they get a good grounding.

i think there are number of subjects at school that could stand to be sacrificed (not totally, just the time spent on them reduced) such as languages, RE, cookery, perhaps the sciences could lose an hour or two a week to accomodate these new lessons

[Reverandfunk]

Naomi, never ending circle unfortunately. To be a brain surgeon you need training and qualifications but to be a parent you need none and I think that's a harder job. Just heard that teachers are going to iron their uniforms and do their packed luches as well lol

[Reverandfunk]

Joko agree with you too. I mean what is the point of algebra lol and I remember learning all about glaciers which isn't very practical when you work in an office. I think there should be lessons covering opening a bank account, budgeting and bills, how a mortgage works, how to wire a plug, etc all the things that happen to you in life

[LeMarchand]

Working in a (primary) school where a good deal of emphasis is put on "emotional literacy" I question the value of these lessons. The children may get taught how to "deal with their emotions", but do they put it in to practise?

It seems to me yet another hare-brained scheme that will generate a bunch of highly-paid jobs for people who waft around spouting rubbish and going to meetings, leaving minimum wage joes to cope with the fallout.

As for "negative reinforcement", why does no-one consider that while physical punishment may not be ideal, surely asking little Johnny to step out of the class and take a "time out" etc etc when he has been bullying/hitting etc etc only reinforces the idea that he can get away with anything without fear of any meaningful punishment? No wonder a lot of young folk show no respect for any authority - they have been brought up believing that the worst that can happen is that they will have to chat to someone about their feelings!

[youngmafbog]

So we revert to name calling when someone has a view that does not coincide with us then eh Jake.

I'll join in - where's your village then mate?

Get a grip, without discipline to back this up it will never work.

Can't see the gang/gun culture taking too much notice of it either, afterall are they in school in the first place?

[spanner7853]

well the parents obviously casnt cope or dont want to know they're children so they need to learn somewhere. especially how to respect others. I dont think anyone know's how to do that any more. Prime example My grandad (87) was waiting at a bus stop and there was a very elderly lady sitting down waiting as well and this pregnant girl pushing a pram got to the bus stop and asked her to move so she could sit down. This old woman could barely stand so my grandad butted in and told her to respect the older woman as she could hardly stand and the young girl told him to F*** off. charming eh, obviously a well mannered young lady.

[ClaraLewis]

Yes, I think the schools should take a little responsibility of making the children civilized. It would help the children alot in their daily life. They should know how to respect elders and also how to resolve the smallest conflicts between them. One must control one's anger and be emotionally stable. If you want to know the degree of your emotional stability, you can take eq test and know the same.
For more details, you can visit https://www.eqometer.com/.