INSIDE OUT: UNVEILING STUDENT EMOTIONS IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

Resumen

Students’ mental health has become an increasing concern due to the rise in cases of anxiety and depression in Brazilian schools. Edgar Morin highlights that education must go beyond the transmission of knowledge, promoting learning that considers the individual as a whole, including their emotional and mental health. Inspired by the film Inside Out, this study proposes a playful activity based on emotions (joy, sadness, fear, anxiety, and anger) to help elementary school students recognize and manage their emotions, fostering socio-emotional skills and well-being. The methodology, applied to 115 students, involved rating emotions on a scale from 0 to 10, followed by discussions facilitated by a psychopedagogue. The results indicated high levels of anxiety (78%) and fear (55%), with variations in joy, sadness, and anger. The analysis confirms that understanding emotions facilitates learning and reinforces the theories of Morin, Goleman, and Wallon, highlighting the importance of integrating emotional health into the educational environment. Daniel Goleman supports Morin by emphasizing that education is not limited to reading and arithmetic but requires emotional intelligence. This holistic view of education is also explored by Henri Wallon in his works, which integrate affective, cognitive, and motor aspects for true development and learning. We conclude that strategies based on socio-emotional education significantly contribute to the integral development and academic success of students.