Life Skill Education

       The term life skill refers to the skills we need to make the most out of the life.Life Skills are Usually associated with managing and living a better quality of life.They help us to accomplish our ambitions and time to our full potential.Any Skill that is useful in our life can be considered a life skill.Tying shoe laces,Swimming, driving a car, and using a computer are useful life skills.

                                        Definitions of Life Skill Education

            A behavior change or behaviourdevelopment approach to address a balance of three areas, knowledge, attitude and skill .                                                         

                                                                                    -  UNICEF

       The abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with demands and challenges of everyday.     -  WHO

Categories of Life Skills

Category I : -  Skills of knowing and living with oneself

·        Self awareness

·        Self esteem

·        Coping with emotions

·        Coping with stress

Category II  :-Skills of knowing and living with others

·        Empathy

·        Effective communication

·        Conflict resolution and negotiation

·        Friendship formation

·        Assertiveness

·        Peer pressure resistance

Category III :- Skills of effective decision making

·        Critical thinking

·        Creative thinking

·        Problem solving

·        Decision making

Importance of Life Skill Education

« It helps to build self esteem

« It helps to build self confidence

« It helps to develop negotiation skills

« It promote risk free behaviour

« It helps to promote the state of mental well being

« It helps to develop full potential

« It helps to develop positive attitude towards themselves and others

« Behave responsibility and which leads to healthy living

« It translate knowledge, attitudes, skills and values in to action

« It promotes the development of positive Self esteem and teacher anger control

« It delays the onset of the abuse of tobacco  , alcohol etc

« It helps in the development of social competence and problem solving skills

« Life Skills help adolescents to transit successfully from childhood to adulthood by healthy development of social and emotional skills   .

                      Life Skill Education has long term benefits to the society    . These include educational, social, health , cultural and economic benefits.

                    Educational benefits

« Strengthens teacher student relationship

« Leads to desirable behaviour change

« Improve discipline in schools

« Help learners to improve their performance

« Reduce learners problems such as truency,

« absenteism drug and substance abuse

           and teenage pregnancies

              

                         Social benefits     

« Improves the socialisation process among

                  learners

« Enable learners to choose good and reliable

                    friends

«   Help learners to use their leisure time proper

« Assists learners to recognise and avoid risky

                  situations

« Being about meaningful interaction among learners

                     teachers and the social community

« Helps character building

                Health benefits

« Leads to prevention and control of diseases

                 such as STI,HIV and AIDS

« Contributes to a persons general well being

« Leads to less strain on health facilities

«   Helps people to be responsible for their

« own and other people's health

             Cultural benefits

« Promotes harmonious interaction between

                  people of different cultures

« Helps in the clarification of values in the society

                Economic benefits

« It leads to high productivity due to a

                 motivated, strong and energetic labour force

« Rehabitation of drug and substance abuse

« Repair of damaged property

« By teaching learning resources

                          Components of Life Skill Education

« Self awareness

« Empathy

« Critical thinking

« Creative thinking

« Decision making

« Problem solving

« Effective communication

« Interpersonal relationships

« Coping with stress

« Coping with emotions

Self awareness : includes recognition of self and Identifying our strengths and weakness desires and

dislikes developing self awareness can help us to recognise when we are stressed or under pressure

Empathy. :It is the ability to image what life is like for another person.To have a society at large.We

need to understand and care about other people'sneeds, desires and feelings.

Critical thinking  : It is an ability to analyse information and experiences in an objective manner.Critical thinkinghelps us to recognise and assess the factors that influence attitudes and behaviour.

Creative thinking : It is a novel way of seeing or doing thatgenerates new ideas has a shifting perspective conceives Something new and builds on other ideas.

Decision making : It helps us to take appropriate decisions about our lives.It can teach people how to actively make decisions are likely to have.

Problem solving : It helps us to deal constructively with problem in our lives.

Interpersonal relationship skills : It helps us to establish a rapport with the people whom we interact with.This includes being able to make and keep friendly relationships, maintain good relations with family members and also being able to end relationships constructively

Effective communication  : It means that we are able to express ourselves both verbally and nonverbally.So that our ideas are effectively transmitted to others.

Coping with stress  : It means recognising the source of stress in our lives recognising how this affects us and acting in ways that helps us control ourselves of stress by changing our enviroment.

Coping with emotions  : It means involving recognising emotions with us and others being aware of how emotions influence behaviour and being able to respond to emotions appropriately.

Methods of teaching Life Skill Education

        The following are suggested methods that to teach life skill education

«  Discussion

« Debate

« Role plays

« Storytelling

« Songs and dances

« Miming

« Poetry and recitals

« Games

« Question and answer method

Discussion

               It is a purposeful conservation proceedings towards a certain   objective.Discussion involves exchange and sharing ideas, experience facts and opinion on given topics the conservation can be used in large or small groups

Debate

           A debate is a discussion which envolves two opposing parties with each group expressing opinions in views about agiven topic or subject.

Role plays

             This is an short drama episodes in which participants experiences how a person feels in a similar real life situation.Role plays can be used whendeveloping specific skills such as negotiation assertiveness, communicationand self awareness.

Storytelling

             They involve telling of naratives with particular theme based on actual event.They given accountof detailed information about as event or life solutions In an interesting way while still passing a normal message.

Songs and Dances

             Songs are musical composition on topical issues and themes.They may convey messages on contemporary issues in the society.They can be used in character building where positive characteristics or values are reinforced.They can be used to develop and strengther life skills for example of self awareness, communication skills and conflict resolution.

Miming

       Miming is acting with out words by use of gestures,signs, physical movement and facial

expression.Unlike drama the idea or situations is solely communicated through actions.

Poetry and recitals

          These are compositions which capture events themes and situations in a short and pre use manner.They communicate feelings, opinions, habits and other experiences.They can be in form of songs, recitations.They can be used to appeal to people's emotions to enable them change behaviour towards a desired direction.

Games

          These are interesting and exciting activities which have set rules.They can be used when clarifying difficult issues enhancing the quality of interaction in a group learning and practising new life skills increasing the participants knowledge of each other making presentations interesting

Question and answer method

            It is where the teacher or the learner tries to find out information through asking questions and getting answers from the respondent.It is an effective method of teaching life skill education because it stimulated learners thinking and creativity.

Why do we need to teach life skill education

           Democracies need active informal and responsible citizens who are willing and able to responsibility for themselves and their communities and contribute to the political process.Democracies depends upon citizens who are

«  Aware of their right and responsibilities as citizens

« Informed about social and political issues

« Concerned about the welfare of others

« Able to clearly articulate their opinions and arguments

« Capable of having an influence on the world

« Active in their communities

« Responsible in low they act as citizens.

                              Life Skills help us to develop self confidence and successfully                  deals

with significant life changes and challenges such as bullying and discrimination.It gives us a voice at school in our community and in society at large.Life Skills used to describe a set of basic skills acquired through learning and or direct life experience that unable individuals and groups to effectively handle issue and problems commonly encountered in daily life.