The “Why?” of Teaching Decision-making, Goal setting and Other Basic Life Skills

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The “Why?” of Teaching Decision-making, Goal setting and Other Basic Life Skills

According to:
Quotes from Stephen R. Covey, The Leader in Me

  • “While the demand for character is at some of its highest levels ever, it is not just more character that business leaders are seeking. They are also pleading for basic life skills. Look again at the lists. What about planning and goal setting skills, decision-making skills, conflict management skills, teamwork skills, time management skills, self-assessment skills, listening skills, presentation skills, and creativity skills. Where do students get such everyday life skills? In too many schools, the answer is, “Not Here.”
  • “Student involvement and empowerment are the keys.”
  • “In today’s global economy, we simply cannot afford to wait until young people receive their first promotion into corporate leadership before we show them the better road to getting along with others. We cannot stand by and wait for the to become CEO’s or school teachers or parents before we teach them how to organize their lives, to set goals,or to be assertive. We cannot afford to sit by idly and hope that they pick up on their own how to resolve conflicts, how to be more responsible. We have done that for years and the approach is just not working. We must show them the upward path.”

Quotes from Robert Marzano, Classroom Management That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Every Teacher

  • Training students to use problem-solving strategies can help them develop a sense of responsibility for how the classroom is managed and reduce behavior problems.

    Marzano, Robert. (2003). Classroom Management That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Every Teacher. Alexandria: VA: ASCD, 88-91.

Quotes from Daniel Goleman, The Emotional Competence Framework , Working with Emotional Intelligence

Goleman’s Five Components of Emotional Intelligence - Goleman broadened Mayer’s and Salovey’s four-branch system to incorporate five essential elements of emotional intelligence — or EQ, the shorthand he sometimes uses:

  1. Emotional self-awareness — knowing what one is feeling at any given time and understanding the impact those moods have on others
  2. Self-regulation — controlling or redirecting one’s emotions; anticipating consequences before acting on impulse
  3. Motivation — utilizing emotional factors to achieve goals, enjoy the learning process and persevere in the face of obstacles
  4. Empathy — sensing the emotions of others
  5. Social skills — managing relationships, inspiring others and inducing desired responses from them

Quotes from D.D. Black and J.C. Downs, Administrative Intervention: A Discipline Handbook for Effective School Administrators

  • Sometimes problem behavior occurs because students simply don't know how to act appropriately. Based on their studies, researchers urge administrators to regard disciplinary referrals as opportunities to teach students valuable social skills that will promote success in future employment as well as in school. They recommend logical procedures for "de-escalating disruptive behavior, obtaining and maintaining instructional control, teaching alternative behaviors, and preparing students for classroom re-entry.

    Black, D. D., and Downs, J.C. (1992). Administrative Intervention: A Discipline Handbook for Effective School Administrators. Longmont, CO: Sopris West, Inc.

Quotes from C. Moorman, Motivating the Unmotivated: Practical Strategies for Teaching the Hard-to-Reach Students

  • Teachers can utilize activities and discussions with students to help them see and feel the role they play in creating their own experiences. By getting students to recognize their choices (cause) and the result their choices produce (effect), the students can experience increased personal power. This personal power boosts self-esteem and motivation while it reduces discipline problems.

    Moorman, C. (2007). Motivating the Unmotivated: Practical Strategies for Teaching the Hard-to-Reach Student, Bellevue, WA: Bureau of Education and Research, 17