Informal soft skills development

In the contemporary world in which young Indians are competing and shining on the national as well as international stages, educational needs go far beyond the acquisition of academic competence. In incrementally competitive workplaces around the world, the need for building soft/life skills is being acutely felt. In India and abroad corporates are no longer satisfied with academic records and achievements. Increasingly, they are beginning to place high premia on soft skills such as communication, leadership, teamwork ‚ qualities indicative of holistic education.Therefore an early start in developing soft skills helps students grow as individuals and make an early impact in their professions and vocations. People with soft skills tend to become more productive citizens with greater ability to cope with whatever life throws at them.The World Health Organisation (WHO) has listed ten life skills as minimal behavioural requisites which help students and youth cope more effectively with workplace pressures. These life skills are: self-awareness; empathy; effective communication; decision making; creative thinking; critical thinking; problem solving; interpersonal relationships; coping with stress and emotions.Interspersed within the gamut of these life skills are numerous others such as leadership, team work, time, anger and disaster management, organisational skills, public speaking, etiquette, goal-setting etc.Even as a growing number of progressive schools are enthusiastically embracing life skills education by scheduling formal classes and workshops into their time tables, class teachers can introduce life skills education into their classrooms in an informal way. Integrating soft skills learning with other subjects is an effective methodology to help students imbibe them through practical learning. Here are a few suggestions for teachers to informally develop their students‚ life skills and enjoy the rewarding experience of watching them blossom.Group activities. Think of a project that you would like your students to work on, such as making an interactive model of an object (from their science textbook) or finding ways to improve the classroom. Divide the project into several component parts and the class into composite groups. One group could be assigned the task of developing an interactive discussion format which would explore the dimensions of the project. Another group can list ideas on how the project assignment can be done and how the work can be divided among different groups. Now that they have decided how to go about the project, the class can start working on it in groups and later present the outcome to the teacher and the class.The key to developing soft skills is to let groups work on their own as much as possible, with the teacher assuming the role of mentor and guide. Soon qualities such as empathy, communication, leadership, ability to cooperate, teamwork etc become apparent.You‚ll be amazed at how many great ideas students come up with. Let them solve their problems and make their own decisions. That‚s a great way to encourage the flowering of leadership, planning, co-operation and enthusiasm.At the end of the project, representatives from each group can share their learning and work experiences with the teacher and the class, with the teacher highlighting and commending the skills displayed. Not only will the students experience a sense of achievement in what they have accomplished, but each one will gain self-confidence, awareness of his/her aptitudes and abilities as also of the importance of cooperation, teamwork, empathy and effective communication. Class discussions. Likewise it‚s beneficial to encourage classroom discussions on goal-setting, stress management, emotional problems and so on. Since this will require a certain amount of openness while sharing experiences, a set of common rules such as, ‚ËœNo making fun or hurting the feelings of others,‚ ‚ËœConfidences by classmates must be kept confidential,‚ and so on could be spelled out ab initio. Moreover sharing your own experiences will encourage students to open up.Another effective pedagogy to develop soft skills is to invite a student forward and ask the class to list her soft skills. Next the student could be asked how she plans to effectively utilise these skills. This could be followed by suggestions from the class as to how this particular student could best employ them in the future.As teachers venture beyond textbooks and consciously develop the often suppressed talents and life skills of their pupils, they will find the experience enriching for their own self-development. Moreover they will experience the pleasure of taking students to the next level of learning by helping them grow as individuals, with well developed aptitudes and attributes which will stand them in good stead throughout their lives.(Cynthia John is a Bangalore-based writer and illustrator of children‚s books. She also writes activity-based curriculums for the development of soft skills)