Putting EQ to the Test

Putting EQ to the Test by Barbara Fatum, M.Ed., Ed.D.

This EQ curriculum, based of the 6 Seconds Model of Emotional Intelligence, teaches EQ competencies in order to increase student self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.  The prevailing culture of many American schools requires its children to do what they are told, to act in socially appropriate ways, and to manage their emotions so they don’t disrupt the expectations of each school day.  Ironically, these schools fail to teach students how to manage their emotions or to express them in healthy ways.  This leaves students without the tools to process their emotions and often results in increased anxiety.  Standardized exams often raise that anxiety level and result in emotional hijacking, which blocks student performance.  It is this author’s hope that teachers and administrators will implement this curriculum as part of the process of helping students prepare for standardized exams.  Using this curriculum to develop students’ emotional intelligence (EI) through the direct-teaching of EQ competencies will increase students’ self-awareness, give them tools to manage their emotions, and allow them to utilize emotional data to connect with thinking, resulting in better academic performance.