Socioemotional competencies in sports performance

In the aspiration for sports performance, the importance of socioemotional competencies for both personal development and sports performance is increasingly recognized. Coaches are aware that physical and technical training is not everything, because they train not muscles, but people.

Competencies and performance

A resilient athlete, a communicative team, an empathetic coach… skills such as emotional intelligence, empathy, resilience and effective communication play a significant role in the sporting well-being of athletes both on and off the field. Sport contributes to both intra- and interpersonal development.

“Only 2% of test performance results were explained by people’s IQ, with non-cognitive skills being a relevant predictor.”

James Heckman, Nobel laureate in economics in 2000, he directs the Center for the Economics of Human Development at the University of Chicago.

Prominent sportsmen, coaches and psychologists consider that psychological and human variables intervene in the type of sports practice and the level of sports performance that the subject may present (Riera, 1985). Studies show that athletes with better performance present certain psychological characteristics that favor the achievement of the desired results, pointing out, among others, the ability to overcome anxiety and obstacles that arise, self-confidence, competitiveness, intrinsic motivation, the ability to avoid distractions or the ability to set goals and achieve them.

Those who have high levels of self-confidence are more likely to succeed than those athletes who have low levels of confidence (De Francesco & Burke, 1997; Gould et al., 2002; Pickens et al., 1996). Ryan and Deci (2000) suggest as key aspects for the development of a high motivation of the person, involving them in activities that involve the opportunity to make decisions themselves, developing their sense of competence and connecting with other athletes.

From research results, it is confirmed that Psychological Skill Training (PST) is converging towards better performance, with different approaches, such as stress management, anxiety control and coping. In addition, mindfulness and positive psychology studies emphasize the quality of life of athletes, so it is key that coaches and experts in sports psychology pay attention to improve the quality and human development of athletes to improve their performance.

A partir de los resultados de investigaciones, se confirma que la Psychological Skill Training (PST) está convergiendo hacia el mejor desempeño, con diversos enfoques, como el manejo del estrés, el control de la ansiedad y el afrontamiento. Además, los estudios de atención plena y psicología positiva enfatizan la calidad de vida de los atletas, por lo que es clave que los entrenadores y expertos en psicología deportiva presten atención en mejorar la calidad y el desarrollo humano de los atletas para la mejora de su rendimiento. 

Some competences

  • In the sports context, emotional regulation translates into the ability to manage stress, maintain concentration and regulate emotions during high-pressure situations. Athletes who possess a high level of emotional self-regulation are more likely to remain calm, make sound decisions and adapt quickly to change, which in turn improves their competitive performance.
  • Athletes who exhibit empathy are more effective at building positive and strong relationships with their sporting environment. This fosters collaboration, effective communication and mutual support, creating an environment conducive to personal and collective growth, as well as constructive conflict resolution.
  • Sport is full of challenges and adversity that affect athletes’ performance and confidence. It is in these difficult times that the competency of resilience comes into play. Resilient athletes are able to maintain a positive mindset, recover quickly from setbacks and use negative experiences as opportunities for growth. This not only strengthens their athletic performance, but also their ability to cope with challenges in other aspects of life.
  • In team sports, effective communication is essential for collective success. Athletes who master this skill are able to convey their ideas, actively listen to their teammates and adapt their communication and strategy. Fluid and open communication promotes team cohesion, enhances joint decision making and favors actions on the field. It also helps prevent and resolve internal conflicts, creating a friendly and motivating environment for team members.

Recognizing the importance of these competencies and working on their development builds a more human, balanced and enriching sports environment in order to achieve sports performance and well-being.

If you are a sports professional or work in sports performance management, ask for our free demo of Human AI, an innovative tool at the service of knowledge, evaluation and personal development.

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Personality and professional development

Our personality can be a determining factor in our development and career. But can work change your personality? or is your personality capable of changing your work environment? How can knowing personality traits for work and professional development help us?

Languages, experience, academic training, knowledge or technical skills are fundamental elements when playing and enhancing one’s professional career; but there is an element that, although perhaps going unnoticed, also exerts a huge influence on both the workplace and the business culture: personality.

The unfinished personality

People come with a given backpack: our genetics, our temperament. Inside it we put and develop different resources: knowledge, talents, abilities… both cognitive and socioemotional. We acquire a weight and a legacy that makes us who we are: they shape our character, they mold our personality.

“We are unfinished beings,” says Paulo Freire, “and it is precisely there, in this radical nature of human experience, that the possibility of education resides. Throughout personal development and growth, both educational and professional, there are certain personality factors that are and will continue to be malleable. We can always achieve more, be more, be better.

An inseparable binomial: Work and personality

In the workplace, personality can manifest itself in a variety of ways, such as in the way we communicate, solve problems, lead or work in a team. The promoter, the multitasker, the researcher, the strategist, the communicator… The way a person interacts with others, faces challenges and adapts to different situations has a significant impact on both his or her work and business career. It is good, according to human resources experts, that every company has diverse personalities who can bring value to the organization, who enrich the work teams, the departments.

The work-personality binomial is bidirectional: “acting follows being (personality)” – we would say with Thomas Aquinas – our actions, both personal and work-related, respond to how we are; but we can also say that “being (personality) follows acting”; that is, as we act and decide in our circumstances, we are molded in one way or another, enhancing some traits or others, being able to change the environment and the surroundings.

Personality assessment

While there is no “perfect, ideal personality” for job success, certain characteristics may be favorable in certain roles or industries. For example, extroversion may be beneficial in jobs that require interacting with many people, while introversion may be valuable in roles that require a more analytical and focused approach. Adaptability, resilience, proactivity and the ability to work in a team are also valued traits in the workplace.

Personality can be measured by different tests or assessment tests. Job performance is difficult to predict, however, based on the OCEAN assessment model there are different analyses and scientific studies that show the relevance and impact of personality factors and facets:

  • Responsibility and Agreeableness are relevant to success in many jobs, from low to high levels of job complexity.
  • The “Competence” (or self-efficacy) facet, within the Responsibility factor, and job performance correlate significantly.

Personal and professional development

Knowing ourselves – and knowing our coworkers – allows us to discover in which areas we are particularly good, where to improve, where to mold ourselves better and thus be able to orient ourselves towards certain areas, projects or sectors; thus enabling both personal and professional growth.

Our personality, therefore, has an impact on our development, both positively and negatively. Personal and professional development is a continuous process that requires effort and dedication, so it is essential to work on strengthening social and emotional skills, such as leadership skills, emotional intelligence, resilience, among other competencies; achieving professional goals and enhancing one’s own human development.

If you work for the evaluation, assessment and development of people, request our free demo:
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AI «made in Navarra»

HumanAI Tech is part of the new Catalogue of Artificial Intelligence of Navarre, a tool that seeks to gather solutions based on AI, disseminate them and strengthen them in the business fabric of the regional community.

Human AI

An artificial intelligence assistant who performs immediate analyses of socio-emotional competencies from a person’s natural language. In this way, Human AI puts technology and artificial intelligence at the service of human development, providing a self-knowledge as the basis of each person’s growth.

Companies and professionals need to personalise individual and collective development and prevention programmes and define socio-emotional competence with specific data and standards.

If you work for the evaluation, appraisal and development of people request our free demo on tu-demo.humanaitech.com

EstrategIA

The day “EstrategIA – Presentation of AI solutions in Navarre” took place on June 29 at the headquarters of the Navarre Business Confederation (CEN), organized by ATANA Technology and Consulting Cluster with the support of Sodena | Development of Navarre – Nafarroako garapena and Nair Center and funded by the European Digital Innovation Hubs Network.

At this event, the Catalogue was presented, highlighting the challenges faced by companies and the strategic alignment with the European Union, transferring to the rest of companies in the ICT sector the invitation to be part of the solutions that apply AI. The importance of mutual support to create synergies and the interest of the sector in working in the line of innovation and artificial intelligence was highlighted.

The 11 companies presented the solutions structured around five thematic blocks: quality control, production control and planning, security, information analysis and AI for recommendations.

Both the day and the catalogue; are part of the actions outlined in the Strategic Plan of Artificial Intelligence launched in June 2022 by the Government of Navarre through Sodena to promote the development of the strategic sectors of the S4 and strengthen competitiveness in ICTs, addressing the current challenges they present.

Software company specialized in HR

AEDIPE , Spanish Association of People Management and Development has published in its Special HR Software Trends the main news for professionals in the management of people.

The “Software Trends Special” has been consolidated as the annual monograph in which Human Resources professionals consult the latest developments in People Management software offered by the main companies in our country.

Human AI is part of the group of companies visible in this dossier. It reveals the functionalities and benefits of our artificial intelligence assistant in the process of knowledge of softskills, which enhances the work of professionals in the selection, evaluation and development of people.

If you are a talent professional take advantage and request our free demo 👉🏼 tu-demo.humanaitech.com

Cognitive biases

The human brain – experts say – is capable of processing 11 million bits of information per second, but our conscious mind is only able to handle 40 to 50 bits of information per second. For this reason, our human brain often makes use of cognitive shortcuts, shortcuts that can lead to implicit and unconscious biases.

What is cognitive bias?

The concept of cognitive bias was introduced by Israeli psychologists Kahneman and Tversky in 1972. Daniel Kahneman – Nobel Prize winner in economics for his pioneering work in psychology on the rational model of decision-making – presented for the first time his study of the brain explaining two systems that model how we think. 

In Think Fast, Think Slow, Kahneman explains that system 1 is fast, intuitive and emotional, while system 2 is slower, deliberative and logical. The impact of loss aversion and overconfidence on business strategies, the difficulty of predicting what will make us happy in the future or the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything we do, They can only be understood if we understand how the two systems work together in making our judgments and decisions.

Cognitive biases are mental mechanisms that facilitate the processing of information when making judgments and making decisions. Our brain uses shortcuts and simplifications to deal with the vast amount of information we face on a daily basis.  The probability that some cognitive bias influences our behavior is high and usually occurs naturally.

Advantage or disadvantage?

Our brain is not as rational and objective as we like to believe, we do not keep all the information of what we see or think, and every time we remember we activate mental and narrative processes that can change our memories.

We use biases and heuristics to make decisions influenced by our habits, experiences, intuitions and emotions. Our memory is selective.  We often attribute more weight to facts and data connected with emotions: “People will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou.

Our brain is not a processing machine that rewards accuracy, but rather adaptation. It prefers to make cheap mistakes, rather than to do or stop doing something that involves a high cost. In addition, cognitive resources are limited, so our brain uses easy and automatic shortcuts and processing methods to make quick decisions. At first glance it may be negative, but the bias function is basically adaptive. We’re not 100% targets, we’re not machines.  The biases are a reflection that we are humans.

Biases in the context of people management

How can biases affect people’s selection, evaluation and development?

The selection and evaluation processes are full of decision-making. We analyze different profiles, curricula, extract the necessary information, conduct interviews, conduct tests and evaluation tests. These allow people to know better when selecting, evaluating or planning talent development programs. Precisely some of these contexts are particularly vulnerable to cognitive bias due to these factors:

  • The information provided on which they have to make the decision is limited, lack knowledge of their personal context. 
  • There is a time pressure in which those evaluated must respond and those responsible must act.

Therefore, when information is limited or ambiguous, and there is pressure or urgency over time, biases act with greater influence. To this is added the stereotypes unconsciously, influence the perceptions of the evaluator; and at the same time the evaluated responds with response biases.

Often, the response bias may not be intentional, there may be other simple reasons: such as the formulation of questions, the personal situation of the respondent… In any case, the result can be a set of ambiguous and subjective data. It is important to know when a bias is affecting us so that it does not alter our quality as professionals, making us make decisions not very wise. Therefore, the lower the cognitive biases, the more honest and reliable the information obtained.

Is it possible to eliminate or reduce biases?

In order to guarantee the reliability of the results, it is essential first of all to be aware of the existence of biases in the application of evaluations and tests, both by the evaluator and the evaluated. But is there any way to reduce or even eliminate the risk of bias? One way is to design the tests as objectively as possible, making more accurate and reliable information possible.

But can we avoid biases? Not humanly. Cognitive biases are unconscious and are an inherent part of our thinking.  At this point, technology, specifically artificial intelligence, can be, and is, a useful and valuable tool to help us deal with human biases in the field of personal knowledge, reaching more objective and reliable conclusions regarding our abilities, competences and abilities.

The advantage of AI is that we can program it in such a way that it fits specific requirements, being able to be audited and eliminating the human bias of response, in particular the bias of self-perception and social desirability.

Human AI and the biases

In Human AI, we have proven this: if you ask a sample of 291 people who evaluate how orderly and modest they are, most will answer in a positively biased way, with a high score.

In our perception of ourselves and our behavior we tend, systematically, to make interpretations that allow us to maintain a positive vision of our self, which leads us, often, to interpret our reality biased and self-deceive in our own perception.

This self-perception bias is reflected in personality tests before a job interview, selection or any situation of self-evaluation where social desirability is a conditioning factor.

With Human AI, forget the bias.

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Key competencies for an entrepreneurial profile

Socioemotional skills are considered fundamental tools for entrepreneurship, as they allow students to manage their personal resources with the support of the context, for the development of strategies and behaviors that have an impact on the environment.

Social-emotional skills in university students aspiring to entrepreneurship – FORO EDUCACIONAL Nº 32, 2019

At the beginning of a university career, students are often faced with the prospect of undertaking a project or business idea, not only to generate future income, but also to cover a social need and generate an impact on the environment.

The process of entrepreneurship is a challenge for university students, as it confronts them with a dynamic social context, which requires strategies to promote a profitable business idea and professional profiles that allow them to face personal and environmental challenges during the development of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is a journey full of challenges and opportunities, and to succeed in the competitive world of the market, it is not only important to develop technical skills, but also a set of socioemotional competencies (SEC) that can drive growth at a personal and professional level.

What are the most relevant SECs for the employability of an entrepreneurial profile?

1. Self-knowledge

Self-knowledge is the foundation of any successful entrepreneur. It involves understanding your own strengths, weaknesses, values and emotions. By being aware of your own capabilities and limitations, you can effectively leverage your strengths and work to develop areas for improvement. Self-awareness also allows you to make informed decisions and take mature responsibility for your actions.

2. Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a fundamental skill for entrepreneurs; it enables them to manage their own emotions and understand those of others. When you are aware of them and how they affect decision-making and relationships, you deal effectively with difficult situations. In addition, understanding the emotions of others can help you build strong relationships, negotiate effectively, and inspire and motivate your team.

3. Resilience

Entrepreneurship is not a bed of roses. It is full of setbacks, failures and obstacles. Resilience is the ability to face these challenges and move forward. It involves maintaining a positive mindset, staying positive and adapting to changing circumstances. Resilient entrepreneurs are able to see failure as an opportunity for growth and therefore learn from their failures. They are persistent and determined, even in the face of adversity.

4. Creativity and innovation

Innovation is at the heart of entrepreneurship. To stand out in a saturated market, entrepreneurs must think creatively and come up with innovative solutions. Creativity is about generating new ideas and thinking outside the box, while innovation is about implementing those ideas in a practical and impactful way. Embracing creativity and innovation not only helps to differentiate from competitors, but also to identify new opportunities and adapt to changing market trends.

5. Communication and interpersonal skills

Effective communication is essential for an entrepreneurial profile. Being able to articulate ideas clearly and persuasively is essential when presenting to investors, negotiating with partners or managing a team. In addition, strong interpersonal skills enable you to establish and maintain relationships with stakeholders, customers and employees. Active listening, empathy and conflict resolution are important aspects of effective communication and interpersonal skills.

6. Adaptability

The business landscape is constantly evolving, and successful entrepreneurs must be adaptable. Adaptability means being open to change, embracing new tools and trends, and adjusting strategies accordingly. The ability to pivot quickly and make necessary adjustments in response to market dynamics can be the difference between success and failure. Being adaptable also allows you to identify emerging opportunities and stay ahead of the competition.

7. Problem solving and decision making

Entrepreneurs face complex problems and make crucial decisions on a regular basis. The ability to analyze situations, identify possible solutions and make informed decisions is essential. Effective problem solving and decision making requires critical thinking, analytical skills and the ability to weigh the pros and cons. Being able to anticipate risks and make calculated decisions contributes to the long-term success of a business initiative.

To conclude…

In the world of entrepreneurship, technical skills are important; but it is the social-emotional competencies (SEC) that play a vital role in achieving success. Self-awareness, emotional intelligence, resilience, creativity, communication skills, adaptability and problem-solving skills are some of the most relevant SECs for a student with an entrepreneurial profile.

Developing these competencies from the educational ecosystem can improve the business trajectory of the future entrepreneur and increase the chances of achieving the proposed objectives, turning the student into a future entrepreneur with integrity.

If you work for the evaluation, assessment and development of competencies, ask for our free demo:
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A reflection on self-knowledge

How can we teach to know the world as an object without first learning to know ourselves as subjects?

“Autoconocimiento y formación: más allá de la educación en valores”

Self-knowledge helps us not only to understand ourselves better, but also enables us to identify our personal and professional goals in a more accurate, realistic and meaningful way. This valuable aspect of our development, however, is often overlooked in education. We focus on acquiring knowledge and technical skills, but rarely stop to explore our own identity.

Gnoseological imperative

Importance of self-knowledge

The claim of self-knowledge is as old as humanity: “know yourself”. The well-known Greek aphorism is part of that “learning to be”, that basic and ontological competence of our life and our personal development. The first step, therefore, following the Greek line, would be to recognize that we are ignorant of ourselves: “I only know that I know nothing” or that I know nothing, as we would say with Socrates.

Likewise, Kant affirmed that self-knowledge, for reason, was “the most difficult of all its tasks”. Precisely because the philosopher communicates the idea of a complete, finished and perfect self-knowledge, and not as the possibility of a gradual process of knowledge, diversified in progressive moments. The need therefore arises for a process of personal growth that includes this gnoseological aspect: to be able to develop a foundation oriented to find out gradually and in depth who and how we are in order to understand why and for what purpose we act.

Pedagogical imperative

Pedagogical and didactic importance

“Self-awareness is perhaps the greatest and most misdiagnosed learning difficulty, and the most unnoticed educational failure of human beings.”

Agustín de la Herrán Gascón – professor

Beyond, therefore, being an individual imperative, self-knowledge is also a pedagogical requirement: “self-knowledge is an educational right that, although it may not be interesting for the profitability of social systems, it is interesting for personal maturity or evolution. Therefore, from the point of view of training, its teaching, is a professional imperative of the teacher”, says Agustín de la Herrán Gascón, pedagogue, doctor in Education and professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

Didactic premises

  • Self-knowledge is the axis of personal maturity, which in turn is the axis of formation, which in turn is the fundamental purpose of didactic
  • It is also a radical (spiral of transversals) or perennial theme. Teachers can contemplate it as an object and objective of reflection and teaching.
  • It can be communicated directly (by dealing with it) or indirectly (from other contents), as long as one acts not only with science, but also with awareness.
  • Before it can be taught, sufficient experience of awareness and experiential self-knowledge is required.
  • The didactic principles for this are coherence-exemplarity, internalization-evolution and the transmission of more concern for knowledge-consciousness, as a function of human evolution (our own, others’, collective and human in general).

Get to know yourself better, to be better.

Beyond data, there is information, beyond information there is knowledge, beyond knowledge, there is decision making, and subsequently the transformation of the person. The process of self-knowledge starts, therefore, from the knowledge of the data to end in the configuration and transformation of the personal being.

“Self-knowledge is a process linked to a result: the human being “is not born as a self […] he learns to be a self.”

K. Popper

An education, therefore, that favors the realization of meaningful and creative learning is undoubtedly a fertile education; and a Didactics that adopts self-knowledge as a formative reference can always be even more useful to know oneself better and be able to be better. Thus, self-knowledge leads the student to be able to integrate knowledge and at the same time to internalize himself as a person, a horizon to which education should aspire.

If you work for the evaluation, assessment and development of people, ask for our free demo:

Socioemotional education and learning

In recent years, a movement has been generated in favor of promoting, disseminating and developing emotional education as a psycho-pedagogical innovation.

The Rethinking Education report (Unesco, 2015) certifies the need to overcome traditional academic learning and to foster a holistic approach to education and learning, in order to overcome traditional dichotomies between cognitive, emotional and ethical aspects.

Emotional intelligence

The construct of intelligence has undergone a very important conceptual expansion, especially since Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences (1993), which has had a great impact on the attention to diversity in the educational context.

“Ability to perceive, appraise and express emotions accurately, access and generate feelings that facilitate thinking, understand emotions and regulate them to enable emotional and intellectual growth.”

Mayer & Salovey, 1997, What is emotional intelligence?

The academic deliberation about this concept is long and interesting: the development of the concept of emotional intelligence, Salovey and Mayer (1990), Goleman, D. (1995), interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence, Gardner 1993; personal intelligence, Sternberg (2000), the so-called social competence by Rose-Krasnor (1997), Cherniss (2000), Topping, Bremmer and Holmes (2000) and Zirkel, (2000); etc.

Under the term emotional intelligence there are several conceptions that allow understanding this reality in at least three ways: as a cultural movement, as a personality trait and as a mental capacity.

From intelligence to emotional education 

From the educational point of view, it is preferred to speak, instead of intelligence, of emotional education, emphasizing the interaction between the person and the environment and, as a consequence, great importance is given to the learning and progress of the person in these competencies.

“Emotional education is understood as a continuous and permanent educational process, which aims to enhance the development of emotional competencies as an essential element of the integral development of the person, in order to train him/her for life”.

Bisquerra, R. (2009b). Orientació psicopedagògica, educació emocional i ciutadania.

The concept of emotional education is broader than that of emotional intelligence, although it is based on it; it has an integrating and open character. It includes contributions from neuroscience, research on positive psychology and subjective well-being, and the concept of flow, among others.

In the midst of the conceptual debate, a common point stands out: the existence of a set of emotional competencies, with a great value for life, competencies that can be learned and acquired. Emotional education therefore aims to contribute to this integral development.

The educational implication of this statement is very clear: it is necessary to focus efforts on the development of emotional competencies and to delegate to psychology the elucidation of the construct of emotional intelligence.

Emotional education at the service of skills development

From this educational approach, it is not enough to perform “some activities” from time to time. It requires intentional, systematic and effective work that requires an organized, coherent and integrated set of activities articulated with a common purpose.

  • Learning to motivate oneself.
  • Dealing with frustration.
  • Control anger and impulsive behavior.
  • Develop and spread a sense of humor.
  • Generate and self-generate positive emotions.
  • Foster empathy.
  • Delaying gratification.

This is a short list of emotional competencies whose development allows us to be better prepared for life, favoring aspects such as learning processes, interpersonal relationships, problem solving and the achievement and maintenance of a potential job, promoting a predisposition to learning, reducing conflict, reducing risk behaviors, improving the classroom climate, among other benefits.

“Emotional competencies are the set of knowledge, abilities, skills and attitudes necessary to understand, express and regulate emotional phenomena appropriately”.

Pérez, N, & Filella, G. (2019). Emotional education for the development of emotional competencies in children and adolescents. Praxis & Knowledge

Educating people, more than intelligences

In the educational ecosystem there is a clear conviction: teachers come to their classes with the desire to transform people, not intelligences.

Students are subjects susceptible of assuming not only technical or cognitive skills and competencies, but competencies in which they learn to manage in any situation, challenge and opportunity, whether personal, family or professional; so that they put into play and put into practice everything they have learned and acquired in the teaching and learning process.

Taking into account this implication entails, within the educational framework, designing personalized interventions adapted to the target audience with an active and motivating methodology. In this sense, it is worth remembering that a key element prior to the implementation of emotional education programs is the training of the educators in charge of their application.

Cfr. “Emotional education for the development of emotional competencies in children and adolescents“.

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INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

More technological, more human

FIIA 2023, International Forum on Artificial Intelligence, is proposed as a space for international dialogue to discuss the present and future of artificial intelligence. On the first day organized by the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional and Ticmas; Melania Ottaviano, HumanAI advisor, and Susel Jacquet, from the Ticmas team; talked with Patricio Zunini about how technology can become a useful tool to develop social-emotional learning.

More and more voices in the intellectual sphere are calling not only to take into account the growing insensitivity that can accompany the rise of technology, but also to continue to proactively develop our human condition.

(DE)HUMANIZATION?

If, instead of apocalyptic dehumanization, technology were a tool for developing socioemotional skills? This question was the key to the dialogue between Melania Ottaviano and Susel Jacquet at FIIA2023, on August 30 in the auditorium of the Regional Faculty of Córdoba of the National Technological University.

Our advisor in Argentina, Melania Ottaviano, director of the Diploma in Educational Innovation at Universidad Siglo 21 and part of the academic team of the Specialization in Virtual Learning Environments at Universidad Católica Argentina, stated that “it is extremely important to accompany all the development of Artificial Intelligence with human development”.

In the educational ecosystem, Melania continued, “it is increasingly important to begin to organically include emotional intelligence or everything that has to do with human skills in the teaching curriculum. These skills, Artificial Intelligence obviously cannot execute them, it cannot replace us (…) so it is key to include these types of skills, especially for the challenges of today’s world, for our students and also for teachers.” In a world full of technology, algorithms and big data, it is urgent to develop our more human side, since “we obviously run the risk that if we do not do it, we will not accompany this evolution”.

MORE SELF-KNOWLEDGE

“What recommendations would you give for working on the socioemotional dimension in an institution in an organization, not just in a school?”.

Regarding the development of the socioemotional part, Melania advocates for a boost in self-knowledge: “We know very little about our students, although we know if our students are good in Mathematics, Logic, Language… we know little about their level of leadership, empathy, frustration tolerance… and that is one of the challenges we also have today as teachers; to begin to know them to generate plans that can strengthen these skills”.

Self-knowledge is a fundamental part in order to develop this socioemotional dimension, and not only for students, but also for teachers and managers, since “there are few spaces in the institutions for self-knowledge, and it is essential to know what training they have and what challenges of these human skills are also necessary to develop in them”.

To this end, she stated: “I believe that the commitment of the management team is key, and to know that these are projects that are designed and must be sustained in the long term. We are very used to wanting to get results quickly and when we work with human skills, although they are malleable, they obviously require time, which is why I say that measurement is also key”.

MORE HUMANE

From this need arises the innovative proposal of Human AI: “We combine Artificial Intelligence and human development.Precisely through this application – which was developed with artificial intelligence – we can obtain a report, an analysis of our students, of more than 30 socioemotional skills; and from there we can make a project, a planning; knowing what are the opportunities for improvement and in which ones to continue growing and strengthening”.

Melania, commenting on the relationship between technology and the socioemotional part, affirmed that it is necessary to “find a balance between the use of this technology and seek a connection more and more to our essence as humans. There are always ethical limits, and in Human AI’s work there is strict data control to preserve the identity and sensitive information of each individual user. The preservation of identity is part of the ethical dimension of the company, because it is precisely sensitive information that you are having about a person, and it is very relevant”.

But she urged that this ethical debate “must be taken to the inside of each institution”. Although debates are taking place at the international and national level, I believe that we must open spaces for discussion in each institution. This is moving very fast, if we wait for the regulations to come from somewhere else, we will never be up to the task. There is a lot to discuss, some people are afraid of it, but I think we have to see it as an opportunity”.

Si te interesa trabajar la dimensión socioemocional, solicita la demo y prueba HumanAI Tech  👉🏼 tu-demo.humanaitech.com

Measurement of skills, personality and human development

James Heckman, Nobel laureate in economics, directs the Center for the Economics of Human Development at the University of Chicago (CEHD). In his quest to provide opportunities for human development, he has researched the impact of personality on personal development, concluding that only 2% of test performance results are explained by people’s IQ, with non-cognitive skills being a relevant predictor of academic achievement.

Today, education focuses primarily on cognitive or “intelligence” test scores. But, being smart does not imply that you will do better in life. Performance, well-being, achievement in life; it depends on more than cognitive skills alone. Non-cognitive characteristics, including physical and mental health, as well as perseverance, attentiveness, motivation, self-confidence and other socioemotional qualities are, in fact, essential.

The center directed by J. Heckam, which they define as “a catalyst for collaboration between economists, biologists, psychologists, neuroscientists and sociologists interested in methodological innovation”, has an advanced line of research on Assessing the role and impact of non-cognitive skills.

Non-cognitive abilities have a major impact on many human dimensions: on future earnings, employment, work experience, participation in risky activities, compliance with health protocols, and even the potential commission of crimes.

In a unique, multidisciplinary, multinational research effort, CEHD, is investigating how personality traits, executive function, and economic preferences predict academic performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers.

In 2018 it brought together numerous researchers to showcase advances on “Measuring and Assessing Skills: real-time measurement of cognition, personality and behavior” starting from the following premises:

  • Any effective personalized education system will need to inventory the broad range of skills that can predict achievement in school and in life.
  • Traditional paper-and-pencil tests are quite cumbersome and are not designed to capture specific skills.
  • Self-reports of personality and behavior are unreliable.
  • Teacher assessments are subjective (though predictively more reliable), time-consuming, and often not comparable to reports.
  • Administrative data have predictive power, but still need to be aligned with traditional measures.

Promoting non-cognitive, social-emotional skills is part of a successful intervention for human development. Still, according to CEHD, more research is needed in order to study which method is able to measure them accurately.

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