Life Skills

Life Skills

Rajeev Ranjan

Parent role in developing decision making skill

Teaching Human Values- Teacher Makes Learner Sensible

Teaching Human Values- Importance of Developing Essential Values Among Students

Teaching Human Values- Importance of Developing Essential Values Among Students
Human beings are most wonderful creature of the world. Child is always innocent and pious. A child is remained a child whether s/he belongs to an elite class family or a labor class family. School is second pious place where children from different societies and cultures study under a roof. Their family background may be different but school provides education for each and every one.

Educator, parent and educational institutions provide a wonderful platform for learning. These three pillars train students to become man of values. We can use different means and modes for inculcating human values i.e. self awareness, love, respect, importance of discipline, strong will power, determination, punctuality etc. among students. Our motto is to develop an individual as an integrated world citizen. I think, inculcating essential human values helps a person to perceive world in a wider perspective.

Educator, parent and educational institutions try to sensitize the human values which are of course inbuilt in every child. Learning is always a complex phenomenon. Either we learn complex topics of different subject or we learn values of life. We become alert citizen when we get right parent, right school and right educators. Everyone shows us right path in our journey of life. Every parent, society, culture and state tries to develop essential human values. We used to learn different human values through beautiful narration of our elders family member. Now, child watches different videos to learn values. Human values are just as essential as we breathe fresh air. Both fresh airs and human values give us a new life. Human values make us alive in this materialistic and sophisticated E-gadgets world. (Excerpt)
Teaching Human Values- Importance of Developing Essential Values Among Students

Real Story of Developing Decision Making Skill

Decision making is a life skill. Skill helps us to grow. Decision making involves thousand of factors. Educator integrates students’ subject knowledge i.e. facts, fiction, situations, illustrations and correlates them to real life situation for developing decision making skill. Educator nurtures each individual’s capacity to take a wise decision.
Real story
Four students of class 5th approached the principal to organize a cultural programme to celebrate ‘Teachers’ Day’ in the school. They were highly motivated and wanted to do something great for their teachers. Principal inquired minutely about the programme details. He decided to develop decision making skill among them. Principal asked them to chalk out everything related to the programme i.e. programme schedule, details of programme etc. The group decided everything minutely. Principal suggested girls to take help from educator for necessary modification. He deputed two teachers as observers. Group of 4 students took help from other students of their class, assigned duty and instructed them wisely. They organized programme exceptionally well.
It was a risk to give opportunity to a group of junior girls (5th class) to organize a cultural programme for almost 1000 students and more than 70 staffs; however he identified the calibre of students and took the risk for giving a golden opportunity for them. The principal identified, analyzed, evaluated their calibre, and trusted them, which resulted in a good cultural programme. Educator helps students. How we can do that?
1. Evaluate the calibre of students
2. Trust them, “yes they can”
3. Illustrate best possible alternatives
4. Sensitize them and lead them to the best possible point
5. Guide them to take decision carefully and deliberately
6. Give them space and time to think, to plan and to execute
Educator should sensitize students about the process of decision making. We can help them to work on the process. We can make them alert about the essential characteristics and ways of decision making. Ultimately an individual has to make decision while considering, time, situation, problems, facts, other related circumstances and consequence; moreover educator empowers individual to make an independent decision.
SEVEN-STEP PROBLEM-SOLVING, DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
1. Identify (recognize/define) the problem. 2. Gather information (facts/assumptions). 3. Develop courses of action (solutions). 4. Analyze and compare courses of action (alternatives/solutions). 5. Make a decision; select the best course of action (solution). 6. Make a plan. 7. Implement the plan (assess the results).

Click to access rotc_dm_ps.pdf

Educator should help students to understand the importance of decision making and decision making process to lead an integrated life. We have to accept the universal truth that “Nobody can decide anything for us. Of course, others can help us to do so, but the decision has to be ours. I am accountable for my destiny. It is “I” who has to take right decision at right time. We remember quotes of French philosopher, René Descartes (1596-1650) who proposed a ‘truth’: Cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am).

Educator should nurture the students to avoid a situation of “to be or not to be”. In fact, if a decision takes too much time then it is always inadequate. We cannot stop the right moment/right situation for our decision. Educator should instil the habit of taking right decision at right time. Of course a rational decision making situation needs time but what will be use of that decision if situation/things/professional deal goes beyond our reach. Educator nurtures each individual to take decision at right time and at right place.

(Indian Educationist)

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