Emotions and Asking Questions for Middle Schoolers

Dr. Darlene Jackson

This essay provides middle school students with insights into two essential topics: emotions and the power of asking questions. Feelings, or positive and negative affectivity, are well-established constructs of the planned behavior theory. When students learn to manage their emotions, they develop self-control and balance, which in turn promotes healthy ways of interacting with others. The essay also explains how one should ask questions as a method of acquiring knowledge and developing. A curious student will build their knowledge and social skills to find answers to questions and produce solutions. Being emotional and critical in their thinking, these skills prepare the students for school and life.

Emotions

Emotions are intricate internal responses that sway how we reason, feel, and behave. Middle school children must be aware of these feelings, as emotions may intensify or become more complex (Cliffe & Solvason, 2020). One may feel happy, angry, sad, afraid, or at other times, the feelings are like tidal waves. However, learning how to manage your emotions is essential for avoiding being overwhelmed by the daily events in your life. First and foremost, pay attention to how you are feeling. Do you feel angry, stressed, or depressed? Recognizing which of those emotions you are experiencing makes it easier to reduce their intensity by talking to someone about it or practicing deep breathing. It is also essential to understand that emotions are contagious, and being angry or upset can affect those around you. Self-awareness, which is the ability to recognize your own emotions and understand how others perceive them, is a crucial competence that enables individuals to resolve conflicts and make informed decisions.

Asking Questions

It is essential to ask questions as children and learners, especially at the middle level, where you can discover more subjects and knowledge (Abdelghani et al., 2023). The desire to know is the reason for questioning; it allows a person to get additional information about something. Questions are powerful in class, while doing homework, or even in day-to-day conversations with friends, as much as they welcome knowledge discovery. If an issue presented in school is not well understood, asking for more light to be shed on the particular issue serves the asker and others who present similar concerns. Besides academic issues, questions are also important in interpersonal communication, as they help others understand that one is genuinely interested in their ideas. Each question is important and creates the path to knowledge – there are no dumb questions. It is about asking the right questions that make people think more than just asking them prompt questions, such as "Why?" or "How?" Embracing your curiosity may also make you a better critical thinker and problem solver.

References

Cliffe, J., & Solvason, C. (2020). The role of emotions in building new knowledge and developing young children's understanding. Power and Education, 12(2), 189–203. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757743820930724

Abdelghani, R., Wang, Y.-H., Yuan, X., Wang, T., Lucas, P., Hélène Sauzéon, & Pierre-Yves Oudeyer. (2023). GPT-3-Driven Pedagogical Agents to Train Children's Curious Question-Asking Skills. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-023-00340-7