Module 3: Life Skills
Shaping the European Active Citizen: Raising intercultural / transcultural awareness through life skills cultivation in primary
No. 2023-1-EL01-KA220-SCH-000158723
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
INTRODUCTION
Life Skills are very important for children’s development. The World Health Organization suggests that there are five core set of skills that promote young people’s well-being (WHO, 2020): 1. decision-making and problem-solving 2. critical thinking and creative thinking 3. communication and interpersonal relationships 4. self-awareness and empathy and 5. coping with stress and managing emotions
- In this module we are going to focus on some of the life skills that are considered essential for adopting healthy lifestyles and developing to become mature adults that make informed decisions.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
In this module we hope to help educators:
Describe the content of the term ‘Life Skills’
Learning Objectives
Present the variety of classifications of ‘Life Skills’
Include Life Skills Education in the formal Curriculum
Highlight the role of the teacher in implementing Life Skills Education
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
By the end of this module the expected results will be to help educators become more aware of:
- what life skills are
- the classification of ‘Life Skills’ that are more suitable for each class
- the importance of Life Skills Education
- the role of the teacher in promoting life skills
Learning Outcomes
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Decision making refers to the process during which a person concludes to a decision after gathering information, thinking of the possible alternative solutions and the pros and cons for each one of them, and selecting in a responsible manner one solution, based on the goal the person wants to achieve and their ethics.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
WHO Life Skills
Problem solving is very similar to decision making and refers to the act of defining and analyzing the problem, developing potential solutions, evaluating the options, selecting the best option and at the end implementing the solution and measuring the results. During this process, the person tries to overcome several obstacles.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Critical thinking is a kind of thinking during which a person interprets, analyses and evaluates facts and information and attempts to find one and only solution through reasoning.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Creative thinking is a kind of thinking during which a person attempts to find as many as possible unique and original solutions through an innovative problem-solving process.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Effective communication refers to the ability of exchanging information and understanding the intention and emotion behind this information. The focus is on active listening, clarity of the message, constructive feedback and feeling heard and understood.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Interpersonal relationship skills refer to the ability to communicate and start, build and sustain relationships with others.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Self-awareness is the ability to focus on your traits, feelings, thoughts, actions and behaviors with the aim to understand one’s strengths and weaknesses.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Empathy is the ability to take another person’s perspective and emotionally understand how this person feels, and possibly respond to their feelings and thoughts.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Coping with emotions assumes the acceptance of all emotions, including those who are defined as negative (e.g. fear, anger, stress), as natural and automatic. When a person is trying to manage and regulate their thoughts and feelings to reduce the internal and external stressful situations, this process describes the skill of regulating emotions.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
What Life Skills are?
Coping with stress refers to the ability on managing the adverse effects of stress through a variety of ways, e.g. exercise, support from friends.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
What Life Skills are?
- There are several related terms that could be included under the broader concept of life skills (Tsoli & Babalis, 2023). Such terms are, for example:
Socio-emotional skills
21st Century skills
Transferable skills
non-cognitive skills
MegaSkills
Employability skills
Soft skills
Transversal skills
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
What Life Skills are?
According to the World Health Organization (2020), life skills are “Abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life” (p. 37).
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
How are Life Skills classified?
There are many taxonomies of life skills, but they all agree on the fact that these skills are important to all people and can be transferred and used in any situation of everyday life, both personal and professional. Some of them are:
OECD skills
UNICEF skills
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
How are Life Skills classified?
WHO skills
CASEL skills
The Partnership for 21st Century skills
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
Why is Life Skills Education important?
On December 18, 2006 Wallis & Steptoe published an article at the TIME Magazine entitled: How to Build a Student for the 21st Century? and on the cover there was a picture of a one-armed desk and apple. The writers were concerned about an entire generation of kids who couldn’t think their way through abstract problems, work in teams, distinguish good information from bad, or speak a language other than their own.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
Why is Life Skills Education important?
Moreover, according to the World Economic Forum's “Future of Jobs Report 2025”, 170 million jobs will be created by 2030, while in-demand 10 core-skills in 2025 will be:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
Why is Life Skills Education important?
In sum, Life Skills Education (LSE):
- helps children address health issues, e.g., use of drugs, alcohol, tobacco;
- helps youth translate knowledge, attitudes and values into actual abilities, influencing their behavior and adopting healthy lifestyle;
- prevents risk-associated behaviours and promotes interpersonal relationships, critical and creative thinking, negotiation skills, etc.;
- provides readily available tools to deal with challenges/demands of daily lives;
- contributes to social and civic engagement;
- assures coexistence in democratic society, inclusion for all and active citizenship within a multicultural society.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
What is the role of the teacher?
- According to the Council of Europe (2014), the role of teachers is advisory, supportive, guiding, coordinating, consulting, facilitating, encouraging.
- They are aware of the task they have undertaken, understand their multidimensional role, demonstrate empathy, create communication networks, collaborate with their colleagues, the director and various local and wider community agencies. They also give priority to the pedagogical relationship, which means developing positive emotional attitude and promoting freedom and autonomy.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
What is the role of the teacher?
It is also important that teachers themselves develop lifelong transversal attitudes, skills, and knowledge. You can see on the next figure the actions a person can take as a teacher and as an individual in general.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
References
American Indian Foundation (AIF) (2018). Handbook of activities on life skills. AIF. CASEL (2011). Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Act of 2011. CASEL. Council of Europe (2014). Education for Change- Change for Education. Manifesto. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2013). Life Skills – Skills for Life: A handbook. OECD (n.d.). Social and Emotional Skills. Well-being, connectedness, and success. Partnership for 21st Century Kids (P21) (2007). Partnership for 21st Century Skills - Core Content Integration. Ohio Department of Education. Tsoli, K. & Babalis, T. (2023). Life skills. Theory and applications for teachers and parents. Diadrassi. UNICEF (2017). Reimagining Life Skills and Citizenship Education in the Middle East and North Africa A Four-Dimensional and Systems Approach to 21st Century Skills. Conceptual and Programmatic Framework. Life Skills and Citizenship Education Initiative Middle East and North Africa. Wallis, C. & Steptoe, S. (2006, December 18). How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century. Time Magazine. World Economic Forum (2025). Future of Jobs Report 2025. WHO. World Health Organization (WHO) (1997). Life skills education for children and adolescents in schools. World Health Organization.
https://pscentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Life-Skills.pdf
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
Module 3 : Life Skills
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Transcript
Module 3: Life Skills
Shaping the European Active Citizen: Raising intercultural / transcultural awareness through life skills cultivation in primary
No. 2023-1-EL01-KA220-SCH-000158723
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
INTRODUCTION
Life Skills are very important for children’s development. The World Health Organization suggests that there are five core set of skills that promote young people’s well-being (WHO, 2020): 1. decision-making and problem-solving 2. critical thinking and creative thinking 3. communication and interpersonal relationships 4. self-awareness and empathy and 5. coping with stress and managing emotions
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
In this module we hope to help educators:
Describe the content of the term ‘Life Skills’
Learning Objectives
Present the variety of classifications of ‘Life Skills’
Include Life Skills Education in the formal Curriculum
Highlight the role of the teacher in implementing Life Skills Education
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
By the end of this module the expected results will be to help educators become more aware of:
Learning Outcomes
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Decision making refers to the process during which a person concludes to a decision after gathering information, thinking of the possible alternative solutions and the pros and cons for each one of them, and selecting in a responsible manner one solution, based on the goal the person wants to achieve and their ethics.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
WHO Life Skills
Problem solving is very similar to decision making and refers to the act of defining and analyzing the problem, developing potential solutions, evaluating the options, selecting the best option and at the end implementing the solution and measuring the results. During this process, the person tries to overcome several obstacles.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Critical thinking is a kind of thinking during which a person interprets, analyses and evaluates facts and information and attempts to find one and only solution through reasoning.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Creative thinking is a kind of thinking during which a person attempts to find as many as possible unique and original solutions through an innovative problem-solving process.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Effective communication refers to the ability of exchanging information and understanding the intention and emotion behind this information. The focus is on active listening, clarity of the message, constructive feedback and feeling heard and understood.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Interpersonal relationship skills refer to the ability to communicate and start, build and sustain relationships with others.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Self-awareness is the ability to focus on your traits, feelings, thoughts, actions and behaviors with the aim to understand one’s strengths and weaknesses.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Empathy is the ability to take another person’s perspective and emotionally understand how this person feels, and possibly respond to their feelings and thoughts.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
Coping with emotions assumes the acceptance of all emotions, including those who are defined as negative (e.g. fear, anger, stress), as natural and automatic. When a person is trying to manage and regulate their thoughts and feelings to reduce the internal and external stressful situations, this process describes the skill of regulating emotions.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
What Life Skills are?
Coping with stress refers to the ability on managing the adverse effects of stress through a variety of ways, e.g. exercise, support from friends.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
WHO Life Skills
What Life Skills are?
Socio-emotional skills
21st Century skills
Transferable skills
non-cognitive skills
MegaSkills
Employability skills
Soft skills
Transversal skills
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
What Life Skills are?
According to the World Health Organization (2020), life skills are “Abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life” (p. 37).
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
How are Life Skills classified?
There are many taxonomies of life skills, but they all agree on the fact that these skills are important to all people and can be transferred and used in any situation of everyday life, both personal and professional. Some of them are:
OECD skills
UNICEF skills
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
How are Life Skills classified?
WHO skills
CASEL skills
The Partnership for 21st Century skills
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
Why is Life Skills Education important?
On December 18, 2006 Wallis & Steptoe published an article at the TIME Magazine entitled: How to Build a Student for the 21st Century? and on the cover there was a picture of a one-armed desk and apple. The writers were concerned about an entire generation of kids who couldn’t think their way through abstract problems, work in teams, distinguish good information from bad, or speak a language other than their own.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
Why is Life Skills Education important?
Moreover, according to the World Economic Forum's “Future of Jobs Report 2025”, 170 million jobs will be created by 2030, while in-demand 10 core-skills in 2025 will be:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
Why is Life Skills Education important?
In sum, Life Skills Education (LSE):
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
What is the role of the teacher?
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
What is the role of the teacher?
It is also important that teachers themselves develop lifelong transversal attitudes, skills, and knowledge. You can see on the next figure the actions a person can take as a teacher and as an individual in general.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
References
American Indian Foundation (AIF) (2018). Handbook of activities on life skills. AIF. CASEL (2011). Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Act of 2011. CASEL. Council of Europe (2014). Education for Change- Change for Education. Manifesto. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2013). Life Skills – Skills for Life: A handbook. OECD (n.d.). Social and Emotional Skills. Well-being, connectedness, and success. Partnership for 21st Century Kids (P21) (2007). Partnership for 21st Century Skills - Core Content Integration. Ohio Department of Education. Tsoli, K. & Babalis, T. (2023). Life skills. Theory and applications for teachers and parents. Diadrassi. UNICEF (2017). Reimagining Life Skills and Citizenship Education in the Middle East and North Africa A Four-Dimensional and Systems Approach to 21st Century Skills. Conceptual and Programmatic Framework. Life Skills and Citizenship Education Initiative Middle East and North Africa. Wallis, C. & Steptoe, S. (2006, December 18). How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century. Time Magazine. World Economic Forum (2025). Future of Jobs Report 2025. WHO. World Health Organization (WHO) (1997). Life skills education for children and adolescents in schools. World Health Organization.
https://pscentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Life-Skills.pdf
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them