1. Living Skills as a Core Curriculum Component.
- Author
-
Sydney Univ. (Australia). Curriculum and Research Development Centre. and Dufty, David
- Abstract
Schools should help students develop daily living skills in addition to basic cognitive skills such as reading, writing, and figuring. Living skills are interpreted to include those skills which help students cope with rapid social change. Skills need to be taught on health and nutrition, safety and first aid, interpersonal relationships, family living, group dynamics, social problems, finance, and human rights. The following four-domain taxonomy demonstrates one way of classifying daily living skills. The domains are: (1) intrapersonal, including being, expressing, relaxing, and making decisions; (2) interpersonal and intercultural, including empathizing, communicating, coping with problems, and mixing with people in other age groups; (3) environmental, including consuming within limits, recycling, and realizing the interdependence of people and nature; and (4) institutional, including knowing and defending one's rights, abiding by the law, and participating politically to create better institutions. Four steps are outlined to aid teachers as they develop and implement curriculum based on this taxonomy. The first step is to determine the title and scope of the projected course. The second step is to seek assistance from community members as well as experts in the relevant discipline when designing a course. The third step is to clarify objectives. The final step involves developing models or structures, such as a life stages model, around which activities and goals can be developed. A bibliography of works on life skills for a changing society concludes the document. (DB)
- Published
- 1980