The Progressive Teacher Vol 04 Issue 03

new trends
Effective Pedagogical
Approach to Impart
Life- Skills
Education
in Schools
– P. Ajitha
We live in times
characterized by
violence, negativity,
narrow parochialism, fascism
in the name of nationalism and
chauvinistic jingoism. This has
made our lives very insecure.
This has resulted in a climate
of distrust; irrational fears
bordering on paranoia and
unmitigated levels of stress.
Add to all this the ubiquitous
technology that has permeated
our lives and revolutionized the
ways in which we relate to one
another or do things, has also
created the dichotomy that exists
in our lives , more apparent
and defined. The digital natives,
on one hand are very adept at
the use of technology to their
advantage but on the other hand
are becoming more and more
disconnected with reality and
actual life around them and
their immediate surroundings,
leading to a host of psychological
and social problems. This in
brief is the world we inhabit
today! What role does education
play in helping children of this
generation to not just negotiate
their way through the labyrinth
of life but also chart their own
path to a healthy, contented and
fulfilling life?
It is an undeniable fact that the
education for the 21st century
must lay equal, if not more
emphasis on imparting life skills
to children in order to equip
them with the necessary tools
(skills) that would come to their
rescue whenever faced with
what may seem insurmountable
hurdles that one comes across
in life to those without a coping
mechanism in place.
It is an undeniable fact that the education for the 21st century must lay
equal, if not more emphasis on imparting life skills to children in order
to equip them with the necessary tools (skills) that would come to their
rescue whenever faced with what may seem insurmountable hurdles that
one comes across in life to those without a coping mechanism in place.
The World Health Organization
has defined life skills as the
abilities for adaptive and
positive behaviour that enable
individuals to face the demands
and challenges of everyday life.
It has identified and enlisted 10
core life skills that our children
need to be taught (from as early
an age as possible) to foster their
holistic growth .These 10 core
life skills are:
1. Self Awareness
2. Critical Thinking
3. Creative Thinking
4. Problem Solving
5. Decision Making
6. Interpersonal Skills
7. Communication Skills
8. Empathy
9. Coping with stress
10. Managing emotions
There are different mediums and
approaches that schools world
over use to impart these essential
life skills to students. Whatever
programme educational
institutions implement, it should
be implemented systematically
and reach every child in the
ambit of the programme. The
efficacy of the programme
depends primarily on the mode of
engagement used. Remember the
good old moral science classes?
Why wasn’t the programme
successful enough to be made
an integral part of curriculum?
How effective were the schools
in imparting value education and
how seriously was it taken up
by schools? The value education
programmes implemented earlier
were lacklustre and did not do
P Ajitha is a teaching practitioner
who has been advocating for
‘liberating’ the education process to
accommodate change and give true
freedom that enables the teacher to
create, innovate and experiment
with notions of learning; a votary of
teachers’ rights to empower them to
become the catalysts of change in
building a national force of informed
men and women with sound value system and integrity of
character; a staunch believer in the transformational nature
of education imparted with true commitment to the larger
objectives of this noble endeavour. The author presently
teaches at Delhi Public School, Coimbatore and can be
reached at ajithapaladugu@gmail.com.
much in terms of effecting long
term behavioural and attitudinal
changes in students.
I had for quite some time mulled
over how to infuse enthusiasm
for the learning process and
make actual learning in terms
of life skills acquisition to
transpire. Having experienced
the immersive quality of the
experiential learning method
recently, I feel the experiential
learning method is the panacea
to address the learning gap
which inevitably occurs when
taught using conventional
teaching methods which
engage just two senses at a
time and caters to the auditory
learners (in lecture mode of
delivering curriculum content).
My new found experience
with experiential learning has
convinced me about the efficacy
of the approach to meet the
intended learning outcomes.
This happened during a six day
workshop conducted in DPS
Coimbatore to orient a select
team of teachers towards the
new Life Skills programme
being introduced in the school.
Through a slew of engaging
activities the teacher trainees
where taken on fun filled learning
ride. Having experienced firsthand
one could see the great
potential the approach held to
impact meaningful attitudinal
and behavioural changes any life
20 The Progressive Teacher Jul/Aug 2017