LIFE SKILLS

“There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats

its children.”

(Nelson Mandela, 1995) 

National Curriculum Framework 2005, NCERT states that the School Based Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation system should be established to:

1.Reduce stress on children and to make learning without burden
2.Make evaluation comprehensive and regular
3. Provide space for the teacher for creative teaching
4. Provide a tool of diagnosis and remedial action
5.Produce learners with greater skills.


In 1994, Danish and colleagues defined life skills as “skills that enable individuals to succeed in the different environments in which they live, such as school, home and in their neighborhoods”.

Life skills-Commandments to Remember 

I read-I forget, I discuss- I remember, I do-I inculcate and I teach to others and I own it.

1. Life skills are essentially those abilities that help promote overall wellbeing and competence

in young people as they face the realities of life.

2. Life skills are the beginning of wisdom which focuses on behaviour change or developmental approach designed to address a balance of three areas- knowledge, attitude and skills.

3. Life skills enable individuals to translate knowledge, attitude and values into actual abilities i.e. what to do and how to do it, given the scope and opportunity to do so. 

4. Life skills however are not a panacea of “how to do abilities” as they are not the only

factors that affect behavour. There are many factors such as social support, culture and environment that affect motivation and ability to behave in positive ways.

5. Effective acquisition and application of Life Skills can influence the way one feels about others, ourselves and will equally influence the way we are perceived by others. It contributes to perception of self confidence and self esteem.

6. Life skills for psychosocial competence needs to be distinguished from other important skills that young people will acquire as they grow up such as reading, numbers, technical and livelihood skills.

7. Life skills education involves a dynamic teaching process. The methods used to facilitate this active involvement includes working in small groups and pairs, brainstorming, role plays, games and debates. 

8. We all use Life Skills in different situations such as: 
a) To negotiate effectively at home, school or work place, we need to have thinking skills as well as social skills

b) When faced with difficult situations we tend to think critically , to analyze all the pros and cons of the situation to think out of box to find a solution to seemingly difficult problems.

9. Many life skills are required to manage a particular situation effectively. In a way, various Life Skills work best in conjunction. In fact, the appropriate combination of Life Skills in a given moment is an art.

10. Children learn their Life Skills from parents, teachers and significant others who act as their
role model. They gradually learn to use a particular skill effectively in diverse situation to cope with challenges of life.

World Health Organization (WHO) has defined life skills as

“The abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday. They are essentially those abilities that help promote mental well being and competence in young students as they face the complexities of life”

10-Core set of life skills identified by World Health Organization (WHO)

1.Problem solving
2.Decision making
3.Critical thinking
4.Creative thinking
5.Communication
6.Inter-personal relationship
7.Self awareness
8.Empathy
9.Coping with stress
10.Coping with emotions.

Guiding principles of life:

1.Attraction- Discernment, Self awareness, Courage
2.Devotion-Concentration, Calmness and Focus
3.Faith- Trust , Hope and Patience
4.Forgiveness- Compassion, Mercy and Understanding
5.Gratitude- Generosity, Magnanimity and Appreciation
6.Harmony-Optimism, Co-operation and Enthusiasm
7.Humility-Modesty, Unpretentious, Gentleness
8.Integrity-Truthfulness, Courage, Sincerity, Honesty
9.Love- Self Esteem, Self Respect, Caring, Thoughtfulness, Kindness, Compassion, Nurturing
10.Moderation- Balance, Inner Peace
11.Perseverance- Striving, Effort, Confidence, Endurance
12.Purity- Perfection, Simplicity, Innocence
13.Respect For Life- Tolerance, Courtesy , Co-operation
14.Self Discipline- Determination, Obedience, Restraint
15.Service-Purpose, Responsibility, Creativity
16.Syncronicity- Alertness, Courage, Receptivity

What life skills basically deals with: 

Life skills basically aims to equip the students with the spirit of enquiring, communication skills, interpersonal relationship skills and self evaluative skills. In addition it also focusses on sensitising them about important social issues like gender discrimination, domestic violence, corruption, prevent substance abuse, hiv/aids, suicide, and promote a healthy life style

Main focus areas of life skills: 1.Value education 2.Tackling adolescence 3.Behavioural values 4.Mental health 5.Preventing corruption 6.Personality development 7.Gender discrimination

Value education: Important values- personal, social and spiritual. Building positive traits or attributes like ambition, contenment, courage, determination, diligence, honesty, dignity of labour, excellence, punctuality, maturity, simplicity etc.

Tackling adolescence :1.Physical and psychological development 2.Identity crisis 3.Generation gap 4.Emotional balance 5.Discerning infatuation vs true love 6.Conflict management

Behavioural values: Good manners, Ethics, Etiquette, Social behavior , Good conduct, Table manners etc

Mental health: Anxiety disorder, Stress, Stress management, Counseling, Problem solving process, Developing communion with god through prayer etc

Preventing Corruption: Corruption in society, Consequences of corruption, Role of students in checking corruption, Positive and negative influences of media etc.

Personality development: Knowing oneself, Building up a positive self esteem, Elements of personality, Psychological stages of personality development, Goal setting etc.

Gender discrimination: Feticide and infanticide, Role of education, Offences against women’s dignity and global outcry against dehumanizing women, Rape, incest and abortion, Dowry menace, Divorce and broken family problems, Sacredness of marriage etc.

Child’s first education: Inchoates with mother’s affection, Reinforces with a father’s approbation, Strengthens with a sister’s affection, Concretises with a brother’s reproof.

How should learning take place: Known to unknown, Local to global, Concrete to abstract etc. 

“The mistake of a doctor is buried in the grave, the mistake of an engineer is cemented with bricks, the mistake of the lawyer lies in the file, whereas the mistake of a teacher is reflected in the nation.”

What a teacher has to adopt: Visualize, Practice, Actualize, Swat( strengths, weaknesses, analysis and testing)

Inspiration from Lord Ganeshjee: 

Lord Ganeshjee’s big head inspires us to think big and profitably.

Big ears prompts us to listen patiently to new ideas and suggestions.

Narrow eyes point to deep concentration needed to accomplish a task well and quickly.

 Long nose tells us to poke around inquisitively to learn more

 Small mouth reminds us to speak less and listen more.

 Mouse as a vehicle-Control of desire

 One tusk (ekadanth) -Retain good, throw away bad

Small eyes-Greater concentration

Rope in his left hand-Pulling closer to goals 

 Trunk-Higher efficiency and adaptability

 Modak-Reward for penance or sadhana

Life skills from Holy Quran: Honesty, perseverance, tolerance, firmness, punctuality courage, charity, justice, chastity, forgiveness, repentness, faith, inherent purity, knowledge, sanctity of labour, personal judgement etc.

Life skills from Ants: Fearless persistence, hardwork, self motivation, effective communication, team work, leadership, patience, coordination, integration, flexibility, organization, versatility, saving for the future etc.

Seven deadly sins listed out by Gandhiji: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Religion without sacrifice and Politics without principles.

Important attributes or traits for success in life: Ability to take decisions, Leadership, Integrity, Enthusiasm, Imagination, Willingness to work hard, Analytical Ability, Understanding others, Ability to spot opportunities, Ability to meet unpleasant situations, Adaptability, Willingness to take risks, Capacity to speak and write lucidly, Ability to administer efficiently, Open Mindedness, Will Power, Single minded devotion, Keenness to observe and learn, Curiosity, Skill with numbers, Capacity for Abstract thought, Scientific Attitude etc.

Ten commandments for a teacher:

1.Teacher who teaches should also be ready to learn to teach today’s children with tomorrow’s skills.

2.Bring the world into the class room. Do not make the text book and class room as world.

3.Prepare to accept change and change with changing times as a torch bearer o transmit knowledge, values, culture and heritage from one generation to another generation.

4.Do not be stereo-typed in teaching

5.Set new bench marks for achieving perfection in what you or students do

6.Do work with belongingness, honesty , truthfulness and sincerity

7.Never fail to smile. Smile is a curve which make many things straight

8.Control temper and avoid scolding children

9.Children are like flowers; precious and beautiful. Never hurt them with thoughtless words or deeds

10.Avoid criticizing or condemning students since every student is having some hidden talent.

Class room management and control: Humour, Time management, Relevance and coherence, Black board management, Emotional intelligence, , Connecting content knowledge to the life outside school, Non-verbal and verbal control etc

The teacher-who plays the most important role in molding the thought process of the students, needs to first acclimatize himself / herself to this change with a positive frame of mind. Life skills will be the most essential in helping them to rightly evaluate the co-scholastic needs of the students and guide them as required in the CCE norm.

Life skills enhance efforts to positively develop or change behaviour, as well as make an impact on knowledge and attitudinal components especially related to well being and healthy functioning in the society.