Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence for teachers and education staff

Teaching has always been about much more than just going through a textbook. Anyone who has stepped inside a modern classroom knows that how we talk to students, handle stress, and manage daily conflicts matters just as much as the lesson plan itself. When teachers feel confident, emotionally aware, and supported, the whole classroom becomes a safer and happier place to learn.

From July 19 to July 25, 2026, a small group of educators from different parts of Europe met in Bologna for a one-week training course called “Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence for Teachers and Education Staff. Organized by the Erasmus Learning Academy, the course brought together Carine-Jeanne Cabot from Collège Edmond Lucien Valard in France, Katalin Németh from Veszprémi SZC SÉF Hospitality and Tourism Secondary School in Hungary, Silvia Pizzola from Istituto d’Istruzione Superiore “Paciolo-D’Annunzio” in Italy, Tobias Schultz and Oliver Schwentke from LVR-Berufskolleg Düsseldorf in Germany, and Sílvia Samaniego Jou from Escola El Cim in Spain.

The week started with simple activities to break the ice and help everyone feel comfortable. Right away, the group dove into what it really means to teach today, talking about the clear differences between what we know, what we can do, and how we approach our work. The teachers took time to reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses, using simple visual tools to map out personal goals. They also talked openly about self-doubt and the mindsets that can hold us back, ending the day with a fun, structured debate activity that pushed everyone to look at problems from completely different points of view.

On Tuesday, the focus shifted to how emotions work. The group talked about fundamental human feelings and how to help students name and handle what they are going through. Using clear, step-by-step frameworks on social and emotional learning, the teachers discussed simple ways to bring these ideas into everyday school life. The afternoon was all about practical empathy, focusing on active listening exercises that showed how much changes when we truly hear what someone else is saying.

Moving deeper into the training, the next day was all about how we communicate. To make things relatable and practical, the group watched short scenes from popular movies and TV shows to spot different communication habits, like being too passive or overly aggressive. Afterward, the teachers stepped into role-playing activities to practice being assertive: learning how to speak up, set clear boundaries, and say what they mean in a firm yet respectful way.

Thursday was designed to bring a bit more energy and creativity back into the classroom. The group combined creative ideas with simple public speaking habits, working on ways to grab students’ attention right from the start of a lesson. Through quick practice rounds, teachers worked on their tone of voice, body language, and lesson flow to help make their daily teaching feel more natural and engaging.

On the final day, the group tackled a common myth: multitasking. They shared practical tricks for staying focused and managing daily time better. Later, the conversation turned to classroom conflict. The teachers broke down the differences between stepping in as a mediator, a helper, or a decision-maker, and looked at restorative approaches that heal relationships instead of just handing out punishments. To end the week, everyone took part in a visual card-matching activity, connecting all the ideas they had learned into one practical picture to take home.

By the end of the program, the participants had gained a practical toolkit of methods to bring back to their schools. The techniques covered in Bologna will help these teachers foster clearer communication, handle classroom conflicts with confidence, and build supportive learning environments in their home institutions.

Discover more about this course here.