How is Emotional Intelligence Relevant to Teaching CS?

If you remember our discussion of "Learning Edges" when we were exploring Mindset, how a person is feeling in a particular situation influences the boundaries between their Comfort Zone, their Learning Zone, and their Danger Zone. Many of the skills that fall under the term Emotional Intelligence are extremely useful in helping students find their way to their own Learning Zone.

Adapting to Individual Needs

Things you learn from interacting with one student can certainly be useful when interacting with another student. For instance, you might find that a diagram you drew to illustrate something for one student will also be helpful in explaining the same thing to another student. Or, after talking to a few different students about the same assignment, you might notice similar mistakes that you can look for as you speak with other students working on that assignment.

However, you will generally get better results if you minimize the number of assumptions you make about a student's needs when you first sit down with them. Some students will respond better to a verbal explanation or a visual representation of what you're describing. Some students will have an easier time understanding how to do something if they can watch you do it first, and some students will want to try it themselves first. And, of course, some students will have a clearer understanding of, or easier time articulating, their own needs.

Active Listening

No matter our level of skill in reading social cues, none of us are mind readers. While we can sometimes deduce what will put a person at ease or what will motivate them to try something new, the most reliable way to know what will work for someone is to ask them.

Since different people have different levels of self-awareness about this aspect of how they interact with the world, this might not be as simple as asking "What can I do to make you comfortable in this learning environment?" It rarely hurts to simply ask "How can I help?" but sometimes it can be more fruitful to ask more specific questions like:

• "What kinds of activities have helped you learn new material in the past?"

• "Are you comfortable having me sit with you while you give this a try or do you want to try it on your own and come find me with questions?"

• "Do you work better with minimal distractions or is it easier to concentrate if there's background noise?"

• "Would you prefer to discuss this through email, video chat, or in person?"

Of course, asking a question about what someone needs is only useful if you genuinely listen to their response. This is where Active Listening comes in: listening with the intention of trying to understand, without interrupting or responding until the person is done talking. For many people, simply receiving someone's full attention and having them take what you say seriously can feel like a gift. Not only will you hopefully learn something about their needs from truly listening, the act of listening itself can help put them at ease.

We'll talk more about Active Listening later, including some tips and practice exercises.

The Power of Self-Knowledge

While the aspects of Emotional Intelligence which involve other people are clearly important to creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment, the aspects that relate to understanding and regulating our own emotional states also play a crucial role in being an effective TA.

Feelings are not logical. While we might be able to understand where they came from and possibly predict what feelings will surface in a particular scenario, we can't simply reason them away. And yet, we are also responsible for the way our feelings influence our behavior. No emotion is wrong, but we can do a lot of harm to others and to ourselves if we aren't intentional about how we express or act on our emotions.

For example, if you notice that you often feel frustrated and impatient with students who aren't understanding your explanation, the most important thing is to make sure you don't take that frustration out on the student. By practicing empathy and trying to relate to how the student is feeling, you can learn to be more patient. But with self-awareness you can also understand your current limitations and find ways to manage them in the moment.