Educating young people

I spoke to the new batch of students who joined our Integrated Programme this year. One of the things they have to pick up along their educational journey is soft skills. I mentioned to them that among the many attributes and qualities one needs to cultivate and develop are the following:

(i) Discipline: a habit of mind that enables one to exercise self-control; this has to do with coming out with a schedule and following it to manage all your work and activities. Capitalise on ICT tools to jot down the deadlines for all projects and assignments; when there would be tests/assessments. Keep pace with all your daily work and assignments. You’d have to learn how to prioritise the things that need to be done each day, including your outside activities. Let me at this point mention the dangers of spending too much time on the internet or playing computer games. Limit your time spent on social networking sites, etc. Students who don't exercise self-control now may have to bear the consequences of their actions later.

(ii) Proactive: this has to do with initiating change before things get worse and you start reacting; invariably if this happens too often, it would be too late sometimes to salvage the situation. For example, if you are missing lessons for whatever reasons, you are to find out from your classmates or tutor what you have missed and bridge the knowledge/skills gap. In this way, your pursuit of knowledge can continue unhindered. You have to develop courage to ask your tutors questions whenever you encounter problems understanding materials being taught. If you do ask your friends, make sure they’re giving you the right information. When you’re not sure of things, don’t assume; ask, ask, ask! All your tutors are willing to help you if you approach them with the spirit of genuine inquiry.

(iii) Inter-personal skills: Group work will play a crucial part of your life in school. It goes without saying that to survive in any organization or social institutions; one has to learn how to relate with each other. When we pool our resources and energies together, we can definitely accomplish much more due to synergy. All of us have different personality traits and behaviour. Some traits endear us to people while others may not be to their liking. Certainly when you’re not pulling your weight in a project, you’ll not endear yourself to others. Know where your strengths lie and contribute meaningful based on your talent or gifting. Learn to communicate expectations clearly to one another. If you’re put in-charge, lead! These platforms will provide you the opportunity to hone your leadership ability as well as your social-interpersonal skills. Learning to live and let live is an essential mindset for successfully navigating life's journey with people of different mix and temperaments.