LIFESKILLS EDUCATION

Adolescence, a vital stage of growth and development, marks the period of transition from
childhood to adulthood. It is characterized by rapid physiological changes and psychosocial
maturation. Adolescence is also the stage when young people extend their relationships beyond
parents and family and are intensely influenced by their peers and the outside world in general.
As adolescents mature cognitively, their mental process becomes more analytical. They are now
capable of abstract thinking, better articulation and of developing an independent ideology.
These are truly the years of creativity, idealism, buoyancy and a spirit of adventure. But these are
also the years of experimentation and risk-taking, of giving in to negative peer pressure, of
taking uninformed decisions on crucial issues, especially relating to their bodies and their
sexuality. Adolescence is thus a turning point in one’s life, a period of increased potential but
also one of greater vulnerability.

KEY ISSUES & CONCERNS OF ADOLESCENT

STUDENTS
Developing an Identity

# Self – awareness helps adolescents understand themselves and establish their

personal identity. Lack of information and skills prevent them from effectively
exploring their potential and establishing a positive image and sound career
perspective.

Managing Emotions
# Adolescents have frequent mood changes reflecting feelings of anger, sadness,
happiness, fear, shame, guilt, and love. Very often, they are unable to understand
the emotional turmoil.
# They do not have a supportive environment in order to share their concerns with
others. Counseling facilities are not available.

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Building Relationships
# As a part of growing up, adolescents redefine their relationships with parents, peers
and members of the opposite sex. Adults have high expectations from them and do
not understand their feelings.
# Adolescents need social skills for building positive and healthy relationships with
others including peer of opposite sex. They need to understand the importance of
mutual respect and socially defined boundaries of every relationship.

Resisting Peer Pressure

# Adolescents find it difficult to resist peer pressure. Some of them may yield to
these pressures and engage in experimentation.
# Aggressive self conduct; irresponsible behaviour and substance abuse involve
greater risks with regard to physical and mental health.
# The experiment with smoking and milder drugs can lead to switching over to hard
drugs and addiction at a later stage.

Acquiring Information, Education and Services on issues of Adolescence

# Exposure to media and mixed messages from the fast changing world have left
adolescents with many unanswered questions
# The widening gap in communication between adolescents and parents is a matter of
great concern.
# Teachers still feel inhibited to discuss issues frankly and sensitively.
# Adolescents seek information from their peer group who are also ill informed and
some may fall prey to quacks.
# Fear and hesitation prevents them from seeking knowledge on preventive methods
and medical help if suffering from RTIs and STIs.

Communicating and Negotiating safer life situations

# Sexually active adolescents face greater health risks.
# Girls may also face mental and emotional problems related to early sexual
initiation.
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 # Resisting the vulnerability to drug abuse, violence and conflict with law or society.

Understanding Life Skills – A Teacher’s prospective

Life skills have been defined as “the abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that
enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life”
(WHO). ‘Adaptive’ means that a person is flexible in approach and is able to adjust in
different circumstances. ‘Positive behaviour’ implies that a person is forward looking
and even in difficult situations, can find a ray of hope and opportunities to find solutions.

The terms ‘Livelihood skills’ or occupational/vocational skills refer to capabilities,

resources and opportunities to pursue individual and household economic goals and
relate to income generation. Thus, Life skills are distinct from livelihood skills.

Key Life Skills

Life skills include psychosocial competencies and interpersonal skills that help people
make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate
effectively, build healthy relationships, empathize with others, and cope with managing
their lives in a healthy and productive manner. Essentially, there are two kinds of skills -
those related to thinking termed as "thinking skills"; and skills related to dealing with
others termed as "social skills". While thinking skills relate to reflection at a personal
level, social skills include interpersonal skills and do not necessarily depend on logical
thinking. It is the combination of these two types of skills that are needed for achieving
assertive behaviour and negotiating effectively. “Emotional” can be perceived as a skill
not only in making rational decisions but also in being able to make others agree to one's
point of view. To do that, coming to terms first with oneself is important. Thus, self-
management is an important skill including managing/coping with feelings, emotions,
stress and resisting peer and family pressure. Young people as advocates need both
thinking and social skills for consensus building and advocacy on issues of concern.

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The Ten core Life Skills as laid down by WHO are:
1. Self-awareness 2. Empathy
3. Critical thinking 4. Creative thinking
5. Decision making 6. Problem Solving
7. Effective communication 8. Interpersonal relationship
9. Coping with stress 10. Coping with emotion

 Self-awareness includes recognition of ‘self’, our character, our strengths and

weaknesses, desires and dislikes. Developing self-awareness can help us to recognize
when we are stressed or feel under pressure. It is often a prerequisite to effective
communication and interpersonal relations, as well as for developing empathy with
others.

 Empathy - To have a successful relationship with our loved ones and society at large,
we need to understand and care about other peoples’ needs, desires and feelings.
Empathy is the ability to imagine what life is like for another person. Without
empathy, our communication with others will amount to one-way traffic. Worst, we will
be acting and behaving according to our self-interest and are bound to run into
problems. No man is an island, no woman either! We grow up in relationships with
many people – parents, brothers and sisters, cousins, uncles and aunts, classmates,
friends and neighbours.

When we understand ourselves as well as others, we are better prepared to communicate

our needs and desires. We will be more equipped to say what we want people to
know, present our thoughts and ideas and tackle delicate issues without offending other
people. At the same time, we will be able to elicit support from others, and win their
understanding.

Empathy can help us to accept others, who may be very different from ourselves. This
can improve social interactions, especially, in situations of ethnic or cultural diversity.
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 Empathy can also help to encourage nurturing behaviour towards people in need of
care and assistance, or tolerance, as is the case with AIDS sufferers, or people with
mental disorders, who may be stigmatized and ostracized by the very people they depend
upon for support.

 Critical thinking is an ability to analyze information and experiences in an objective

manner. Critical thinking can contribute to health by helping us to recognize and
assess the factors that influence attitudes and behaviour, such as values, peer
pressure and the media.

 Creative thinking is a novel way of seeing or doing things that is characteristic of

four components – fluency (generating new ideas), flexibility (shifting perspective
easily), originality (conceiving of something new), and elaboration (building on
other ideas).

 Decision making helps us to deal constructively with decisions about our lives. This
can have consequences for health. It can teach people how to actively make decisions
about their actions in relation to healthy assessment of different options and, what
effects these different decisions are likely to have.

 Problem solving helps us to deal constructively with problems in our lives.

Significant problems that are left unresolved can cause mental stress and give rise to
accompanying physical strain.

 Interpersonal relationship skills help us to relate in positive ways with the people
we interact with. This may mean being able to make and keep friendly relationships,
which can be of great importance to our mental and social well-being. It may mean
keeping, good relations with family members, which are an important source of social
support. It may also mean being able to end relationships constructively.

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Â Effective communication means that we are able to express ourselves, both
verbally and non-verbally, in ways that are appropriate to our cultures and situations.
This means being able to express opinions and desires, and also needs and fears. And
it may mean being able to ask for advice and help in a time of need.

 Coping with stress means recognizing the sources of stress in our lives, recognizing
how this affects us, and acting in ways that help us control our levels of stress, by
changing our environment or lifestyle and learning how to relax.

 Coping with emotions means involving recognizing emotions within us and

others, being aware of how emotions influence behaviour and being able to respond to
emotions appropriately. Intense emotions like anger or sadness can have negative
effects on our health if we do not respond appropriately.

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 ÂImportant FAQs:
(a) How are Life Skills important for growing minds?

We find that behaviour does not always follow the mind. This is when
incidents of “I know but I can’t help it” occur. What we need is the ability
to act responsibly. Life skills enable us to translate knowledge, attitudes and
values into actual abilities.

(b) Why is there a need for Life Skills Education?

The host of factors that promote high risk behaviour such as alcoholism,
drug abuse and casual relationships are boredom, rebellion, disorientation,
peer pressure and curiosity. The psychological push factors such as the
inability to tackle emotional pain, conflicts, frustrations and anxieties about
the future are often the driving force for high risk behaviour. Life skills
training is an efficacious tool for empowering the youth to act responsibly,
take initiative and take control. It is based on the assumption that when
young people are able to rise above emotional impasses arising from daily
conflicts, entangled relationships and peer pressure, they are less likely to
resort to anti social or high risk behaviours.

(c) Who needs Life Skills?

The Life Skills programme is a school based programme where Life Skills
are imparted in a supportive learning environment. They are applicable for
all ages of children and adolescents in school. However, the age group
targeted is mainly 10-18, adolescent years, since young people of this age

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 group seem to be most vulnerable to behaviour related health problems. The
programme is for the promotion of health and well being and targeted group
is all children.

(d) How are they imparted?

The method used in teaching of Life Skills builds upon the social learning
theory and on what we know of how young people learn from their
environment; from observing how others behave and what consequences
arise from behaviour.

It involves the process of Participatory learning using 4 basic components:

1. Practical activities
2. Feedback and reflections
3. Consolidation and reinforcement
4. Practical application to day to day life challenges

(e) Peer Educators Approach?

The peer training approach, involves one teacher and 3-4 student
representatives from each school (forming the core life skills team) at the
school. They learn these skills through active learning and participation in a
6 session inter school training workshop programme. They further train their
peers at school in these skills through the same process. They follow up with
the main resource team for feedback, discussions, training material etc.

(f) Different methods that can be used to enhance Life Skills in students?
Each workshop is specially designed to impart a particular skill and involves
all or some of the following techniques:

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 ƒ Class discussions ƒ Small groups
ƒ Brainstorming ƒ Educational games and
ƒ Demonstration and guided practice simulations
ƒ Role plays ƒ Case studies
ƒ Audio and visual activities, e.g., ƒ Story telling
arts, music, theatre, dance ƒ Debates
ƒ Decision mapping or problem trees

KEY STEPS IN LIFE SKILLS APPLICATION

Defining and Promoting Life Skills

• Defining the skills: What skills are most relevant to influencing a targeted
behaviour or condition; what will the student be able to do if the skill-building
exercises are successful?

• Generating positive and negative examples of how the skills might be applied

• Encouraging verbal rehearsal and action

• Correcting misperceptions about what the skill is and how to do it.

Promoting Skills Acquisition and Performance

• Providing opportunities to observe Life skills being applied effectively

• Providing opportunities for practice with coaching and feedback.

• Evaluating performance.

• Providing feedback and recommendations for corrective action.

Fostering Skill Maintenance/Generalisation

• Providing opportunities
• Fostering self – evaluation and skill adjustment.

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 MATRIX OF LIFE SKILLS IN A CLASSROOM
TEACHING DESCRIPTION BENEFITS PROCESS
METHOD
CLASS DISCUSSION The class examines a Provides opportunities • Decide how to
(In small or large problem or topic of for students to learn arrange seating
groups) interest with the goal of from one another and for discussion
better understanding an practice turning to one • Identify the goal
issue or skill, reaching another in solving of the discussion
the best solution, or problems. Enables and communicate
developing new ideas students to deepen it clearly
and directions for the their understanding of • Pose meaningful,
group. the topic and open-ended
personalize their questions.
connection to it. Helps • Keep track of
develop skills in discussion
listening, progress
assortiveness, and
empathy.
BRAIN STORMING Students actively Allows students to • Designate a leader
generate a broad variety generate ideas quickly and a recorder
of ideas about a and spontaneously. • State the issue or
particular topic or Helps students use problem and ask
question in a given, often their imagination and for ideas
brief period of time. break loose from fixed • Students may
Quantity of ideas is the patterns of response. suggest any idea
main objective of brain Good discussion that comes to
storming. Evaluating or starter because the mind
debating the ideas occurs class can creatively • Do not discuss the
later. generate ideas. It is ideas when they a
essential to evaluate first suggested
the pros and cons of • Record ideas in a
each idea or rank ideas place where
according to certain everyone can see
criteria. them
• After
brainstorming,
review the ideas
and add, delete,
categorise

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ROLE PLAYS Role play is an informal Provides an excellent • Describe the
dramatization in which strategy for practicing situation to be
people act out a skills; experiencing role played
suggested situation. how one might handle • Select role players
a potential situation in • Give instructions
real life; increasing to role players
empathy for others • Start the role play
and their point of • Discuss what
view; and increasing happened
insight into one’s own
feelings.

TEACHING DESCRIPTION BENEFITS PROCESS

METHOD
SMALL For small group work, a Useful when groups are • State the purpose
GROUP/BUZZ large class is divided into large and time is limited. of discussion and
GROUP smaller groups of six or Maximises student input. the amount of
less and given a short Lets students get to know time available
time to accomplish a one another better and • Form small
task, carry out an action, increases the likelihood groups
or discuss a specific that they will consider • Position seating
topic, problem or how another person so that members
question. thinks. Helps students can hear each
hear and learn form their other easily
peers. • Ask group to
appoint recorder
• At the end have
recorder describe
the group’s
discussion

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GAMES AND Students play games as Games and simulations Games:
SIMULATIONS activities that can be used promote fun, active • Remind students
for teaching content, learning, and rich that the activity
critical thinking, problem discussion in the is meant to be
solving and decision classroom as participants enjoyable and
making and for review work hard to prove their that it does not
and reinforcement. points or earn points. matter who wins
Simulations are activities They require the Simulations:
structured to feel like the combined use of • Work best when
real experience. knowledge, attitudes, and they are brief and
skills and allow students discussed
to test out assumptions immediately
and abilities in relatively • Students should
safe environment. be asked to
imagine
themselves in a
situation or
should play a
structured game
of activity to
experience a
feeling that
might occur in
another setting

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SITUATION Situation analysis Situation analysis allows • Guiding questions
ANALYSIS AND activities allow students to explore are useful to spur
CASE STUDIES students to think problems and dilemmas thinking and
about, analyse, and and safely test solutions; it discussion
discuss situations provides opportunities to • Facilitator must be
they might encounter. work together, share ideas, adept at teasing out
Case studies are real and learn that people the key points and
life stories that sometimes see things step back and pose
describe in detail differently. some ‘bigger’
what happened to a Case studies are powerful overarching
community, family catalysts for thought and questions
school, or individual. discussion. • Situation analyses
Students consider the and case studies
forces that converge to need adequate time
make an individual or for processing and
group act in one way or creative thinking
another, and then evaluate • Teacher must act as
the consequences. By the facilitator and
engaging in this thinking coach rather than
process, students can the sole source of
improve their own decision ‘answer’ and
making skills. knowledge.
Case studies can be tied to
specific activities to help
students practice healthy
responses before they find
themselves confronted with
a health risk.

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 TEACHING DESCRIPTION BENEFITS PROCESS
METHOD
DEBATES In a debate, a Provides opportunity to • Allow students to take
particular problem or address a particular positions of their
issue is presented to issue in depth and choosing if too many
the class, and students creatively. Health students take the same
must take a position issues lend themselves position, ask for
on resolving the well: students can volunteers to take the
problem or issue. The debate, for instance, opposing point of view
class can debate as a whether smoking • Provide students with
whole or in small should be banned in time to research their
groups. public places in a topic.
community. Allows • Do not allow students
students to defend a to dominate at the
position that may mean expenses of other
a lot to them. Offers a speakers.
chance to practice • Make certain that
higher thinking skills. students show request
for the opinions and
thoughts of other
debates.
• Maintain control in the
classroom and keep
the debate on topic.
STORY TELLING The instructor or Can help students think • Keep the story simple
students tell or read a about local problems and clear. Make one or
story to a group. and develop critical two main points.
Pictures, comics and thinking skills. • Be sure the story (and
photo novels, Students can engage pictures, if included)
filmstrips and slides their creative skills in relate to the lives of
can supplement. helping to write stories, the students.
Students are or a group can work • Make the story
encouraged to think interactively to tell dramatic enough to be
about and discuss stories. Story telling interesting. Try to
important (health lends itself to drawing include situations of
related) points or analogies or making happiness, sadness,
methods raised by the comparisons, helping excitement, courage,
story after it is told. people to discover serious thought,
healthy solutions. decisions, and problem
solving behaviours.

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 Life skills-Commandments to Remember
I read, I forget, I discuss, I remember, I do, I inculcate.
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.

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 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.

“We are guilty of many errors and many faults, but our worst crime is abandoning
the children, neglecting the foundation of life. Many of the things we need, can wait.
The children cannot. Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is
being made and his senses are being developed to him we cannot answer
“Tomorrow”. His name is “Today”.

Gabriela Mistral, 1948

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