Abstract:

Popularization of emotional intelligence in the late 90’s of the previous century and exponential development of this discipline has resulted in numerous scientific discoveries, development of new fields, appearance of an insight into spiritual intelligence, renewed popularity of social intelligence etc. Studies of application of emotional intelligence in different fields, such as leadership, partner relations, parenthood, job or emotional intelligence of entire teams and organizations, has led up to the knowledge of the importance of this discipline in education, both for the success of education and development of emotionally intelligent society. This direction of development of the applied discipline: emotional intelligence in education, although extremely young, becomes rather propulsive. Thus, today there are 74,200 results on Google browser for internet precise search of the term "emotionally intelligent teacher", and 70,100 for "emotionally intelligent school" (measured on November the 28th, 2011).
This paper, on one hand, provides an overview of different scientific studies on positive impact of emotional intelligence on many aspects of teachers’ life and work: prevention of professional combustion, stress prevention, creation of better climate and culture of learning, better professional results, as well as better satisfaction with job and mental and physical health. Furthermore, the paper arguments from which professional reasons teachers need high coefficient of emotional intelligence, as well as which circumstances affect the increase of the need for developing their emotional intelligence, which are imposed by new, global, digital and knowledge-based society. The paper pays special attention to emotional numbness of new generations as one of the special needs for development of emotional intelligence of teaching staff in education: absence of the family in emotional upbringing of children, as well as the possible negative impact of new media on their proper socialization – the phenomenon of “psychological distance” with so-called “digital natives”. Growing need for leadership competences of employees in education only increases this need, which is also discussed in this paper.
On the other hand, the paper concretizes how teachers’ emotional intelligence is manifested and, in addition, shows a short review of some interesting examples from the practice of developing emotional literacy in education. Entire paper, actually, by consulting different circumstances and presenting from informational, sociological, managerial, pedagogical and psychological aspects – and primarily starting from the knowledge that emotional intelligence can be developed and its techniques learned throughout life – points to the necessity of systemic planning and managing emotional intelligence of present and future teachers’ generations, in order to create a developed, stable, healthy and contemporary society.

Keywords:

Emotional intelligence, teachers, development management, education, digitalization, globalization.