3 March 2023

I thought I'd touch on the whole thinking about intelligences again this week. Now that goal setting is mainly completed with children, whānau and teachers, I'm thinking what emotional competencies might we need to focus on in how we support and guide our children's growth..... towards their goals.

A great definition comes from some masters of the theoretical framework, Peter Salovey and John D Mayer:

"The ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions."  

The good news is that emotional competencies are not innate talents - rather learned abilities.

It takes practice, practice, practice. 

This reminds me of the research on how many hours it takes to acquire a new skill..... although some debate has occured from the thinking of 10,000 hours and the number 20 hours has been bandied about more recently - (quite a difference!!) Let's just say it takes TIME!! Throw in some perseverance and consistency from the adults.

Daniel Goleman (as mentioned last week) provides a useful framework for us to use when thinking about what children may need (well, actually, all of us!)

'Intelligences' is an area that has intrigued many people over time. Howard Gardner introduced the idea of 'multiple intelligences'.

“We are all able to know the earth through language, logical-mathematical analysis, spatial representation, musical thinking, the use of the body to unravel problems or to make things, an understanding of other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves. Where individuals differ is within the strength of these intelligences – the so-called profile of intelligences - and within the ways during which such intelligences are invoked and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains.”  - Howard Gardner

Goleman's Emotional Intelligence fits well intra-personal and inter-personal domains.

Of course, there are always counter arguments as to what is right and how many areas there are...... and I'm sure there is a whole lot more thinking out there. The key is for us to regard the full array when supporting children as well when we are  totally focused on them learning their 'Rocket Words'!! and achieving their goals. 

Here's to practicing this weekend!