Targeting Life Skills (TLS)
Life is a challenge. Every challenge calls for some skills. The skills required to master life’s challenges are known as life skills. A skill is a learned ability to do something, while life skills are defined as “Skills/competencies that help an individual be successful in living a productive and satisfying life.”
Education is a process, which assists in attaining these life skills. Research has proved that human beings learn different things in different stages of their lives. This makes the curriculum taught at schools and adopted methodologies to transfer that curriculum crucial. In this regard, different scholars have proposed many processes and techniques. One of them is ‘Targeting Life Skills (TLS).’
Targeting Life Skills is a model, which aims at developing life skills. It has categorized life skills into a 4-H clover. The 4-Hs are Head, Heart, Health, and Hand. Each category is divided into two sub-divisions. Then the sub-divisions are followed by specific skills, which are to be developed. For instance: learning to learn, teamwork, communication, etc. The model is shown below.
In the following paragraphs, I give a general outline of the first H – the Head, its subdivisions, and specific life skills.
This is the first H of the 4-Hs. It refers to the head, and it aims at using our minds effectively. The skills to be developed include using the mind to formulate ideas, make conscious decisions, imagine, consider, etc.
Learning to Learn:
Albert Einstein said, “Learning how to learn is life’s most important skill.” This is an important skill, which means comprehending how we learn different things. It is figuring out what is the best way to learn a particular subject. It is also the stepping-stone of learning any subject or matter as we come to know its requirements. Without the skill of learning, it becomes even useless to try out different things. In our general education, teaching – lecturing, reading, etc. are considered the only methods of learning, but it’s not necessary that only these are the ways. Someone subject may need you to do it yourself, not listen or read. Learning to learn is basically a skill you understand yourself and how you learn different things. Curriculum need to focus on developing this skill.
Decision Making:
Decision-making is a mental process resulting in selecting an option among many other alternatives. It is an important skill, as we human beings have to make multiple decisions in our daily lives. So, if someone has got this skill, he/she will make wise and conscious decisions, which will result in a successful life. On the other hand, if we can’t make good decisions, we’ll struggle in our life. It involves thinking before making a decision, thinking about the consequences of my decision, or asking others/adults for suggestions.
Problem Solving:
Education and means of education need to make a student able to solve his/her problems. This skill helps students solve their daily life problems and challenges in a wise and conscious manner. It is not a skill to solve textbook problems rather daily life problems. As human beings face several problems during their lives, problem-solving skill becomes crucial.
Critical Thinking:
Another very important skill to be successful in this world is critical thinking. It is a skill that allows students to read between the lines and get the concept behind what’s written. And comprehend why and what is written. It also makes students able to look for both positives and negatives. These skills are not to be specified to only textbooks; instead, they ought to be developed in such a way that students apply them in their daily lives.
Service Learning:
It is another targeted skill of TLS. It is a form of experiential learning where students develop knowledge and critical thinking while addressing community needs. Developing this skill also helps us build personal integrity based on positive values, learn respect and responsibility, and learn citizenship. It is also called experiential learning because this formal education in schools is blended with examples and real-life applications. In addition to formal learning, it helps students develop social understanding, comprehend social issues, and their root causes critically, know/appreciate different cultures, and many more.
The second category under the 1st H:
Head is ‘Managing.’ In this category, such skills are targeted, which involve managing an individual life and things related to life. For instance, managing anger is a skill that very few people possess. In the same way, record-keeping is another example. The following five skills fall under managing.
Goal Setting:
It is said that the first step of success is setting a goal. Goal setting means defining a specific target in a specific period of time. For instance, a social science teacher could set a goal that at the end of class 3, my students should be able to develop this, this, and that skill. It is very important because it keeps us focused and on track. Goal setting is also a good measure of growth; it lets us know whether we are growing/improving or not.
Moreover, it also helps us reflect on our past and our overall life. Like, at the end of the year, the above teacher can sit back and reflect; did I achieve my goal? If yes, how can I improve next year? If not, what were the reasons? What things can I do differently? In this manner, it helps build us a strong personality.
Planning / Organization:
Another targeted skill of the TLS model is planning and organization. It is a skill, which helps us plan our daily life activities like studying, playing, resting, meeting other people, dining, entertainment, etc. People with this skill enjoy their time. They never seem in a hurry in contrast to all and sundry. As they know when they are going to do what; so whatever they do, they do in a very calm and pleasing manner. This skill organizes our life. Neither it contracts us not utilize our abilities nor expands us and wastes our energies. It balances our lives.
Wise Use of Resources:
Everything in our world is scarce. We don’t have the free choice of utilizing everything according to our will. In such a situation skill of ‘wise use of resources’ comes into play. It means not being wasteful, being responsible for what we use and how we use it, making every resource useful, and setting priorities. For a student, the wise use of resources could be something like using his pocket money properly, making the best use of his time, not wasting his/her time in school, writing on both sides of a paper, etc.
Keeping Records:
Record keeping is another important skill. It is defined as recording useful information or material for specific purposes. This is a way to organize our lives and keep records of our participation, accomplishments, and personal growth. Many times we need a specific document/information, but we don’t get it a) as we don’t know whether we have it not and b) where have we kept it. This skill plays a pivotal role in a successful life as it helps us plan and organize our work, evaluate our growth, meet deadlines, set priorities, make wise decisions, etc. Activities in a formal curriculum must also focus on developing this skill.
Resiliency:
This is the last targeted skill in the category of ‘Head,’ but it is the most important of all as, without this, other skills become futile. It is defined as “The ability to bounce back after bent, compressed or stressed.” The people who develop this skill are those who handle their stress well. Those people are generally more open, forward coming, relaxed, flexible, and can bounce back from failures or setbacks. They do not bow down in front of challenges, nor do they sit back and whine on their setbacks. As I said that this is the most important because we can set goals, keep records, plan, but if we don’t manage our stress or bounce back after a setback, we can never succeed in our lives.
This is to be emphasized that these skills are not only to be developed for the textbooks; rather, texts books must develop these skills for their application in our daily lives so that we can live a ‘successful and satisfying life.’
Lastly, the specially developed curriculum of EAST for class three has incorporated such activities, which build all these skills in the students. For more information on our courses, please contact.