All training sessions need to be reviewed for appropriateness and modified as necessary. There are abundant daily life. In practice, many skills are used simultaneously. For example, decision-making involves critical thinking, e. What Knowledge sharers earlier shared with me material for soft skill I now have sent in the attachment. During a life skills programme, educators will encounter strong emotions and distressing situations which the children face and talk about.
Educators need to support each other to cope with this. Tips and tools for life skills educators The effectiveness of life skills learning depends greatly on the abilities of the life skills educator and their relationship with the children.
This section gives guidance on how the educator can create a safe environment for learning to take place and tips and tools the educators have developed and found to work well. Creating a safe learning environment Where?
Life skills sessions belong to the children and to you The best sessions are a partnership between what the children need from the session and can bring to it and the support that the educators can give the children through structure and guidance. Life skills learning depends on what the children and the educator bring to the sessions and how they develop.
Admit any problems and weaknesses you have and negotiating a solutions with the children. Children know themselves and their lives best Respect their experience Tools 1.
Establish ground rules for life skills sessions Ground rules can help life skills sessions work well. It is best if the educator and the group of children can create them together. Make a Ground Rules poster and display it at each life skills session to remind everyone of the rules and refer to them if necessary. If there are many changes in the group, it is important to have a short discussion on the rules so that all children in the group understand and follow them.
See Section Three for a session plan on how to set ground rules. Use physical movement to support learning Using physical movement in activities improves life skills learning. For example, rather than saying I agree or I disagree, the children move to an I agree or I disagree positions in the room. Questions and comments At the end of each session, ask children for their questions and comments before asking them specific questions on the activity.
Try to get into the habit of this even if the children do not say anything at first. This will help to build their confidence. Dealing with painful topics The educator can use imaginative communication tools to help the children think about and discuss intensely personal and other painful issues. It is important to put the issue into a bigger picture. This helps the children to see the painful discussion as part of a bigger process, moving towards a positive outcome.
For example: the snail: This visualisation technique helps the children reflect on their progress during a lifeskills programme. When they complete the life skills learning, the children imagine how their skills and identities have grown.
Encourage respect in the group Encourage the children to say after expressing an opinion about something. This helps children learn that everyone has their own unique view of the world. I liked what you said about… In a discussion, before criticising or adding to an opinion, encourage children to say first what they liked about the idea even how it was said, when it was said.
The children should feel that 'being bad' is not part of an unchanging identity. Reinforce this by using words which focus on the behaviour and not h person.
For example, Shouting at others is not helpful. Give sincere praise to children as often as possible. How interesting! I really appreciate your This is help much better. That is a very useful You are comment working very hard today 9. Avoid value judgements Use value-free language to deal constructively with difficult situations and controversial issues and continue to highlight unacceptable words or behaviour.
This useful phrase responds to hurtful words or behaviour in a value-free way which reduces conflict. Educators can teach this tool to the children. Try to get children to visualise the behaviour we want them to adopt. Asking sensitive questions If the children have the writing skills, they can write sensitive questions on pieces of paper. These questions can be put anonymously in a box.
The questions can be answered in front of the group. This allows children to have sensitive questions answered without fear or embarrassment. Create a good environment for the sessions Use an informal style of seating. A circle or a semi-circle is good for most of the activities. If possible, sit, draw and write on the floor. Have a wall or a board that all the children can see easily to put pictures or posters. Have a simple way to attach these pictures or posters.
Have enough room for children to break into small groups or pairs. Group work In this handbook, there is lots of group work. Use imaginative ways to divide children into groups for example the fruit salad game you will find at the end of this section.
If some of the children are shy to speak, ask them to discuss things first in pairs, then share these ideas with a small group and then, if appropriate, with the whole group.
You can make groups of different sizes for different reasons. The literacy question Groups using this book may include literate and non-literate children.
Even if the majority in the group are non-literate, you can use large pieces of paper or a flipchart and pens or crayons to share and record ideas. Use slips of paper with tasks or posters etc as described by the activity. Children will understand the different of uses of literacy by observing them and this will help to motivate and encourage them to gain more literacy skills. However, do not present large amounts of text on charts as this may act to discourage children. Monitoring and evaluation tools Some monitoring tools you can use in addition to the monitoring questions suggested after each activity.
Label the chairs to indicate that they represent a range of feelings from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The groups sit around a large piece of paper with the letter, 'H' written onto it.
You could use pebbles or seeds instead. Work out the average score for each group and is written in the upper middle section of the 'H'. If there are more than three groups, each group can put up their diagram and the whole group visit each others' diagrams.
TIP If the children do not write easily then do this with the whole group verbally, with the children giving their responses and the educator recording them in writing, drawing or using the agreed symbols.
Many programmes may think they need to train staff when in fact they need to build a better support structure for the programme. It is also important to ensure that educators have the correct skills. A well-trained teacher may not be as successful at teaching life skills to children as a semi-literate teenager who has a good relationship with the children.
Each educator will have different experiences and skills, any training should be designed to fill the gaps. This section outlines topics that could be used in a training workshop and suggests a timetable. The final design of the training workshop will depend on the needs of your programme and the skills of the educators. The workshop will take five days. The sessions can be spread out over several weeks or they can be done on consecutive days. There are advantages and disadvantages of both.
The person s conducting the training needs to be an experienced in life skills education and training. To increase the effectiveness of the training, plan a follow-up meeting where educators ca share their ideas and plans, their problems and successes.
This handbook can be used as the resource book for a training workshop. Day 1 1. This session can use the example given in the handbook where participants are asked what 'skills' are 'life skills'. If time, it is useful to do group work in which participants think about a problem situation in which life skills are used or needed, to role play this situation and to discuss which life skills were needed to deal with the problem.
For example: A teenager is being pressured into taking drugs by his group of friends, what does he do? How does he cope?
What life skills did he use? What life skills if any should he use? What life skills does he need to deal with this situation?
A support structure for the life skills programme Without a strong support structure, it is difficult for a programme to keep a life skills programme going well. In this session, participants can discuss what support is needed for life skills programmes. Then they assess the support structure of their own programmes and identify any gaps. Understanding the children and young people in the programme In this session, it would be useful for participants to work with children and young people to find out their needs and issues.
It is best if there are more children than adults in each group. Participants then need to discuss the circumstances of the children in their programme and the developmental problems and needs of the children and how a programme could respond.
For example, the participants can work with children and young people to complete the solutions chart. A method that has been used successfully by a number of projects is for groups to develop charts in the following way: 1. For the purposes of the life skills planning, may want to make it more general. The group identify the problems and write these in the left hand column. They then discuss how serious each problem is and how common in their community and then allocate scores in these columns.
They discuss how much children can do about each of these problems and they write and score this column. They total the points awarded against each problem and discuss the outcome. Not enough teachers at 5 2 2 Children can help to raise awareness about 9 school. They can encourage care for sick relatives children to come back to school and help to organise alternative care for relatives during school hours Children do not want to 4 5 4 Children can learn about HIV and AIDS and 13 be friends with children learn how to support children who have family whose family members members with HIV or AIDS have HIV or AIDS This method helps identify a key topic or a sequence of sub-topics on a health issues.
It is a simple method but one which generates useful discussion. Once the groups have completed their charts, if time and if appropriate, a whole group chart can then be created putting together the most popular ideas from all the charts. This chart method can be used with children who cannot read, using pictures or symbols for the key ideas.
Day 2 4. Power issues: Be a guide on the side not a sage on the stage In this session, participants arrange themselves in order of power from hose at the top of the power ladder to those lower down. Ask each participant to explain why they chose their position. Children will be strongly influenced by the ideas and values practised around them at home and in their community. When activities involve these other factors, change becomes more likely. Different groups and societies place different emphasis on individual actions and values and on group actions and values.
I feel like a human being now. In our programme, children average 18 months in an intensive programme focusing mainly on life skills. This is followed by a two to three-year follow-up phase to help the children build this positive change into their lives.
Please note! The task of teaching life skills to children who face hurdles in their personal development is not easy. Educators must be prepared for the time it takes children to use and improve upon their life skills, programmes and their funders must be patient. Section Two Planning, Managing and Implementing a Life Skills Programme This section provides guidance on how to plan and develop a life skills programme and gives advice to educators on session planning and teaching methods.
It explains what is meant by active thinking and learning and describes teaching methods that promote it. There are practical tips and tools for educators. Fitting life skills with an overall approach There are many types of programmes for children with different aims, philosophical approaches and styles of working.
It is possible to teach life skills separately or alongside literacy, vocational skills health and hygiene education or other elements. To work well a life skills programme needs to have a strong support structure and skilled educators to work creatively with children.
Lifeskills programmes need support structures and skilled educators. What are strong support structures? This is essential so that progress can be measured. Stability A sense of stability is important, especially if working with vulnerable groups who live disordered lives. The strong support structure see previous section is a foundation on which the life skills programme is built. Building slowly and steadily will make the programme stronger. Again, this may be within an existing learning programme or separate from it.
The activities in Section Three are grouped in this way: Part 1: Where are we now? Part 2: Moving forward Part 3: Our future When planning your life skills programme, look first at any life skills activities being done in an existing school or programme.
Then they need to think about the opportunities there are to increase or strengthen these existing activities. Then look at the topics in this handbook and select the relevant ones. This can be done in a training workshop, by self-study, in a meeting with other colleagues or a combination of these. The educator needs to be able to spend time planning the sessions, discussing it will colleagues and trying things out. The Butterflies Programme in India, who tested some of the activities in the handbook, commented: 'Encourage organisations to select the activities that they find fit together best, that can be facilitated with their children in a logical sequence, in a time available for maximum benefit.
They found that these methods helped to catch the children's interest and attention. Planning a life skills session A life skills session is the block of time the educator has with the children to conduct a life skills activity or activities. A life skills session may have more than one activity depending on the time available, on the activity chosen and the methods used to conduct the activity. When selecting an activity the educators must try to build on the content and outcomes of the previous session.
The timings are a guideline only. For example, you may want to spend longer than mins on an introductory activity and less time on the main activity. Sample Life skills Session Plan 60 mins Purpose of the session Think about the skills that you want the children to have by the end of the session.
Write down brief point to remind you of the main points to make when you introduce the topic. Notes: At the end of the session write down any thoughts you had about the session and nay comments from the children.
Use this to decide what you will change next time you use the activity and to plan the next session. Note how the children were affected. Adapting an activity Educators need to select and adapt the activities o their culture and to their specific life skills programme. If so, how? In life skills learning the experience of the children matters more than the age. The important thing is to adapt the activities to the needs of the group.
However, do not underestimate what the children can do. This is a common mistake. Teaching a life skills session Teaching methods Children respond well to methods that make them think in an active way. The learning programme needs to meet their needs. It is important that educators have experience of or understand active thinking and learning methods.
Methods for teaching life skills activities Group discussions Feedback Picture cards Puppets Surveys Silent reflection Role play Out of class projects Games and exercises Interviews Drawing Reading quietly Active thinking and learning You can see from the list of methods above, that active learning does not always mean being active.
A child can learn or think actively while reading quietly, listening to others speaking or while writing. Active thinking and learning means that the child responds while learning.
They do not just receive information passively. Active learning encourages children to think for themselves, to develop ideas and to suggest possible solutions. They can then apply the knowledge and skills in their life. This is different from teaching methods where the teacher talks and the child receives information in a passive way.
If children simply repeat and memorise information given to them by the teacher, they may not know what it means and they may not be able to apply the knowledge in their own life. This does not develop life skills. While planning, teaching, and reflecting on life skills learning and teaching, the educator needs to remember that change will come about by building on children's life skills in a way that recognises who they are and how the child will use and practise the skills.
Coping with powerful emotions In life skills learning, the educator will want to encourage children to express themselves at a deep level. Many children do not find it easy to respond to direct questions about feelings. In some of the activities, it is suggested that children draw symbols or representations of their thoughts as a record for further discussions. This is especially useful if the children are not literate. When skills are new to children, it may be best to have a special session in which you show how symbols can represent thoughts and feelings.
Confidentiality It is important that both the educators and the children understand clearly what is confidential and what is not. During the life skills sessions, the children need to know when it is safe to talk about their feelings.
A good general rule is that most information in the life skills sessions should be kept confidential. However, there may be exceptions to this. Some children are subjected to sexual, physical, emotional abuse by adults or by their peers.
It is therefore very important for programmes to have a clear policy to guide educators on what to do if a child reveals a serious problem, for example, sexual abuse by an adult. Some programmes have a policy which requires educators to report all instances of abuse to a government body such as social services or the police.
If the educator promises confidentiality to the child, the educator must tell the child this. The educator must explain that if the child reveals a problem, the educator has to act.
It is important that the child consents to and participates in whatever action is taken. The child might need additional one-to-one support and counselling. During a life skills programme, educators will encounter strong emotions and distressing situations which the children face and talk about.
Educators need to support each other to cope with this. Tips and tools for life skills educators The effectiveness of life skills learning depends greatly on the abilities of the life skills educator and their relationship with the children.
This section gives guidance on how the educator can create a safe environment for learning to take place and tips and tools the educators have developed and found to work well.
Creating a safe learning environment Where? Life skills sessions belong to the children and to you The best sessions are a partnership between what the children need from the session and can bring to it and the support that the educators can give the children through structure and guidance.
Life skills learning depends on what the children and the educator bring to the sessions and how they develop. Admit any problems and weaknesses you have and negotiating a solutions with the children. Children know themselves and their lives best Respect their experience Tools 1. Establish ground rules for life skills sessions Ground rules can help life skills sessions work well.
It is best if the educator and the group of children can create them together. Make a Ground Rules poster and display it at each life skills session to remind everyone of the rules and refer to them if necessary. If there are many changes in the group, it is important to have a short discussion on the rules so that all children in the group understand and follow them. See Section Three for a session plan on how to set ground rules. Use physical movement to support learning Using physical movement in activities improves life skills learning.
For example, rather than saying I agree or I disagree, the children move to an I agree or I disagree positions in the room. Questions and comments At the end of each session, ask children for their questions and comments before asking them specific questions on the activity. Try to get into the habit of this even if the children do not say anything at first. This will help to build their confidence.
Dealing with painful topics The educator can use imaginative communication tools to help the children think about and discuss intensely personal and other painful issues. It is important to put the issue into a bigger picture. This helps the children to see the painful discussion as part of a bigger process, moving towards a positive outcome. For example: the snail: This visualisation technique helps the children reflect on their progress during a lifeskills programme.
When they complete the life skills learning, the children imagine how their skills and identities have grown. Encourage respect in the group Encourage the children to say after expressing an opinion about something. This helps children learn that everyone has their own unique view of the world. I liked what you said about… In a discussion, before criticising or adding to an opinion, encourage children to say first what they liked about the idea even how it was said, when it was said.
The children should feel that 'being bad' is not part of an unchanging identity. Reinforce this by using words which focus on the behaviour and not h person. For example, Shouting at others is not helpful.
Give sincere praise to children as often as possible.
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