In today’s world, young generation do not rely on their parents or teachers to show them how to find out relevant information. Education providers concentrate on building safety and behavioural habits in children so that they can evaluate, identify, learn and research on their own. Most of their teachings include – how to use quality information or data in an easy and safe way. In today’s world, the primary source of information is the internet {World Wide Web (www)}.
Young generation is very adept in getting information from net. But do they get relevant information or their search is leading to results which is totally unsuitable. We need to teach children what is suitable and what is not. But does the existing curriculum teach these things? No….not at all. We need something more. We need to teach children some skills which help them in overcoming day to day challenges and also teach them to differentiate between right and wrong. These skills are called Life Skills. Skills like leadership, team building, ethics, empathy, virtual productivity, smart consumer literacy, and economic common sense are included in Life Skills. Let us take a look at two of these skills.
There are two essential life skills that can enrich the learning experiences of a child; Virtual Productivity and Smart Consumer Literacy.
Virtual Productivity – This skill is related to internet world. This skill provides an array of knowledge which a child can use to securely navigate pages and find out pertinent information for their homework or project. This skill also helps children in their research and avoids unwanted suggestions from automated search engines. This will definitely help them to ‘focus’ on their research and gather suitable source. While growing up, they will learn the functionality of computer applications and their use in real world. Some of the essential components of Virtual Productivity includes: Microsoft Office i.e. Word, PowerPoint, excel sheets and power packed browsers like Internet explorer, Firefox, Chrome etc. Furthermore, they will learn how to connect between productive software and web based functionalities. Dwelling in the skill for long, they will integrate the conceptual utility of each tool and how to use them in today’s fast paced world. Organizing, communication and analysing will become a cup of tea for them if they employ this high level approach.
Smart Consumer Literacy – Consumer behaviour uses the fact that children have a good influence on how their parents choose a product or service. They have a broader product choice from toys to clothes to Xbox 360 to computer software. In their 30s, they will finally come up with quality life standards based on these choices of products and services. They develop their individual impressions on products and their subjective definitions right from their youth and have a higher chance of reminding that to any bystander questioning their choice. To become a smart consumer literate, they need to get hold of the concept which explains why money is important and how to manage money. Parents and formal educational institutes have to have a proper control on the application of this particular skill. This will not only help children in their purchasing decisions but also impact their budgets in future.
Interestingly, these two Life Skills can also teach a child how they can use a debit or credit card while accessing online payment options. Life skills teach many essential skills that cannot only help but empower children for their future. Now to impart these life skills to your children, start today.
Interested Schools Head/Principal and Students can Register for Life Skills Olympiad.
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