Abstract

Developing Life Skills through Constructivist Approach to Teaching

Naghma Shahida

Volume: 13 Issue: 1 2023

Abstract:

A knowledge economy and information age are the era in which we currently live. Competition is essential in the knowledge economy, and nowadays students need various skills in addition to general knowledge to compete in every field. Therefore, developing essential skills among students is most important. Life skills are the properties that help the persons to adapt according to the demands of the changing world and prepare themselves to face the challenges of practical life. Life skills are determined by the psychological and social competency of the individual. Students can better understand their behavior, complete tasks properly, and understand the responsibility for their actions and consequences with the help of life skills. Critical thinking, creativity, decision-making, problem-solving, interpersonal relationships, and effective communication are some of the essential life skills that need to be developed among students. In the present time, to develop the required skills among students, teachers need to apply certain innovative and effective approaches to teaching in the classroom. In this regard, the constructivist approach is the best choice to inculcate essential life skills, because this philosophy of learning is founded on the assumption which is reflected by our experiences. In this approach available resources are used by them; students actively participate in developing their knowledge and skills by connecting new concepts and skills to previous experiences. The constructivist approach is very helpful in inculcating life skills among secondary school students because this approach draws a range of active learning processes like inquiry-based learning, cooperative learning, project-based learning, learning activities with active participation, games, etc. Given the teaching-learning process in the future, what should be the strategies in the development of life skills with “constructivist-based teaching” to make skill acquisition easier and more efficient? The present paper critically analyses these aspects of the development of life skills through the constructivist approach to teaching among secondary school students in detail.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.37648/ijrssh.v13i01.053

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