TOPIC 1.PROMOTION OF LIFE SKILLS
PROMOTION OF LIFE SKILLS
Life
skills are the mental abilities which enable a person to have self control.
Through these skills, a person is able to act, think or behave in an acceptable
manner in the community. Some of the life skills include: negotiation skills,
relationship skills, self-awareness skills and decision-making skills. Life
skills as a discipline, refers to the study that provide knowledge and skills
which enable people to cope with the day to day socio-economic affairs in the
ever changing world.
Social Problem Solving Techniques
Meaning and Importance of Applying Problem Solving Techniques
Explain
the meaning and importance of applying problem solving techniques
The
advancement of science and technology, diversification of culture, population
growth and interaction of different cultures intensifies the need for education
on life skills in secondary schools and to common citizens,. Life skills
therefore, enable people to cope with the rapid socio-economic, culture and
political changes brought by global interactions.
Promotion
of life skills refers to the deliberate efforts toencourage and cultivate
social values, knowledge and ability of individuals in solving problems. It
helps individuals control themselves in a more acceptable manner.
Activity 1
Discuss with your fellows the ways to combat HIV/AIDS pandemic
People face various problems, especially when they struggle to
achieve better life. Social problems are difficulties that affect people in a
community. These problems hinder various developments in communities. People
always struggle to solve these problems by using a variety of techniques. These
techniques are known as social problem solving techniques, and they are applied
in societies. Therefore, Problem solving techniques are ways though which
people solve different problems encountered in their societies. Societies have
different ways of solving problems due to the varieties of problems. Because of
these variations, techniques of solving these problems differ a great deal.
Speaking skills can be one of them. The following are some of the techniques
that are usually employed in solving problems:
·
Cooperative techniques:thisis
away of solving problems whereby a person who has a problem exposes it to other
people so that they can help each other to overcome it. This technique is very
useful because different people are involved in tackling the existing problem.
Solving problems collectively is more effective than tackling problems
individually.
·
Guidance and counselling: There are problems which cannot be solved physically or
mechanically. Instead, they need psychological treatment. The counselling
treatment is applied to people who suffermentally or emotionally. For example,
HIV/AIDS victims and drug addicts need counselling so as to make them feel
comfortable. In the counselling technique, the problem is not actually solved.
What is done in counselling is simply to give psychological relief. Through
guidance and counselling, a person is given ways of solving the problem or
coping with it. Counselling acts as the curative measure as it helps one to
cope with the situation and feel comfortable.
·
Working hard: It is an appropriate method to the problem that is caused by
laziness. For example, lack of food and good shelter can be solved by working
hard. Working hard has proved to be one of the effective means to success to
success. It’s advisable that, hard work should be employed in both mental and
physical activities so that many problems could easily be solved.
·
Seeking advice from individual persons: It is a technique that is very familiar
to many people for a number of years in problem solving. Every day experiences
show that, many people pay visit to other in searching advice to solve their
problems. In most cases, people consulted are those who are considered to be
wise. With enough knowledge and experience about various problems. At school,
for example, a student may seek advice from his/her fellow students or a
teacher on how to conduct private studies in order to avoid failures in
examinations.Likewise a person who faces a problem in business can seek advice
from well experienced fellow business people on how to solve it.
·
Reading books: Some books tell us something about life skills. Such books give
different suggestions on how to solve problems. For example there are books
which help people with psychological problem to recover. People are encouraged
to build habits to read both fictional and non-fictional stories. They usually
aim at refreshing their mind and acquire problem solving skills. It is
important for a person who is seeking advice to consider the nature of his/her
problem before deciding on what to do. There are problems which may not be
solved by individual people, so they need collective solutions. Normally
problems of this kind need specific strategies to eradicate them. In addition,
an advice seeker should carefully examine every piece of advice given before
implementation. It is however important to note that, for every piece of advice
given, it might have an implication. So, the advice seeker should be very
careful when implementing or executing it.
The
importance of applying problem solving techniques
Problem solving is very important in societies because
thetechnique lays afoundation for realising ideal solutions to the problem
encountered. Problem solving techniques arevery important because:
·
The method helps people to get the required possible solutions
to various problems. If all steps are carefully followed, the probability of
realizing the best solutions is very high.
·
Common people get enough skills and knowledge to problem solving
in society, hence reduce government expenditure.
·
Many different options for social problem solving can be used
depending on the nature of the problem in the society.
Effective
problem solving
Since
communities are problem oriented, people always engage themselves in solving
those problems. We can, therefore, realise that problems are part and parcel of
human life. So, it is the duty of every society or community so solve its
problems effectively. Effective problem solving is determined by the use of
effective strategies. The effectiveness of the solution depends on the right
alternatives that can help to eliminate the problem stated in the society.
The importance of effective problem solving
It has to be understood that problem solving is a necessary
process in every society. The following are the advantages of effective problem
solving.
·
Effective problem solving restores peace and harmony to the
people who have victims. Peace and harmony helps people to live comfortably.
Unity and solidarity may be promoted among people of a given society. For
example people who have been in conflict for a long time, usually enjoying
being free and peaceful once they are reconciled.
·
Effective problem solving can reduce the occurrence of deaths.
Some deaths are usually due to problems such as misunderstanding among family
members or a given society. Immediate and effective problem solving can reduce
the rate of misunderstandings among people. Misunderstanding usually influence
social affections, this may leads to the occurrence of wars, hence causing loss
of many people’s lives. Burundi, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo have
experienced such problems which are mostly due to tribal misunderstandings.
·
Effective problem solving can promote development in the
society. Problems are the major obstacles to the development in many societies
in the world. For example, diseases weaken peoples health. In that situation
there is possibility for that society to have less development. To avoid this,
effective problem solving strategies need to be promoted.
Steps in the Problem Solving Process
Identify
steps in the problem solving process
To
solve problems successfully there are some specific steps to undertake. The
following are some of the basic steps:
Steps
in problem solving process
1. Initiating mediation
Mediation
is one of the processes used in problem solving. In this process, two parties
are reconciled by athird party. The letter is referred to as the mediator. The
mediator assists people involved in a conflict to negotiate and come up to a
mutual agreement. We say mediation is effective if the conflicting parties
become friendly at the end of reconciliation. Its a failure if the parties
continue with their conflict after the conciliation process. Initiating
mediation is technically called problem identification in research procedures.
This is because initiating mediation prepares good ground for proper
understanding of the problem. Through mediation, factors that cause conflict
are put to light as people involved in the conflict are asked about the sources
of their disputes.
2. Gathering information
In
order to solve any problem there should enough information collected about the
problem at hand. It is through information gathering that important data can be
obtained. It is important to collect data about the existing problem in order
to understand what actually causes the problem. For example if one wants to
solve the problem about malaria in a particular area, there is the need to have
enough information about its causes. Likewise, a doctor can cure a disease
after doing through investigation about it. Information gathering has, for
years, been used in establishing different projects. Project developers have to
collect facts or prior information about the area in which they want to conduct
their projects.
Ways of gathering information
Information
is gathered using different techniques. The techniques are determined by the
nature of the problem that needs solution. The following are among of the
tools/techniques employed in information gathering:
3. Observation
It is
physically done by examining the situation which surrounds the problem. In this
tool, a person uses his/her eyes to look at the incident and any available
records. There are problems which can be easily solved after being observed.
For example if one wants to control the spread of malaria at place, he/she will
be required to observe factors that are likely to speed up the spread of the
disease. The presence of tall grasses, ponds and other structures that
facilitate stagnant water provide favourable condition for mosquitoes to lay
eggs and multiply. These will be the area of interest of the observer. In
contrast, if there is cholera one will observe dirtiness of the environment.
The observer will look at the presence of feces from animals or human beings
and other dirty materials which support vibro cholera bacteria to multiply at a
high rate.
4. Questionnaire
It is
an instrument that has a series of question whereby each one provides a number
of alternative answer from which the respondent can choose.The questions are
normally written on a prepared sheet of paper. The questions are given to the
targeted people who are required to respond accordingly.Through these answers,
the researcher can analyse the data and finally draw a conclusion about the
problem stated. Example; is malaria present in your area? Mention the factor
you think have contributed to the spread of malaria in your village. When
answers are given to the above questions, the researcher will understand the
extent of the problem. As a result the researcher will give suggestions on how
to help these people solve their problem. People are supposed to bear in mind
that this tool has its limitation, For instance, questionnaires are only
possible with literate people [those who can read and write].This means, there
will be no response from 5. illiterates.
5. Interview
An
interview refers to a verbal interaction between the interviewer and the
interviewee [respondent]. An interview is usually designed to collect
information and people opinions and feelings on the problem. In fact, it is a
face-to-face conversation between individuals. With interview, an individual,
respondent or a group of respondents who provide instant responses to oral
questions are questioned. The interviewer asks and jots down the answers given
by the interviewees [respondents). The responses are noted down so that they
can later be analysed to see how they correlate with the problem researched.
A
conclusion is made and suggestions are given. Interviews are the most effective
tools compared to other tools. For example, there is a room for making an
additional clarification. Interview is inclusive as it can be used by both
literate and illiterate people.
6 . Reading different books and other materials related to the
problem
Sometimes
answers to the problems can be found in books, journals and other written
material which provide the necessary data needed by the researcher. These data
are known as secondary data. By reading previous studies the problem seeker can
see how other people tried to get the related problems. Materials should be of
recent and related to the problem investigated. In that way the problem seeker
is able to spell out the problem clearly.
Mass media by means of audio and audio-vision materials (i.e.
documentary review)
Radio,
television, newspaper and magazine are good examples of mass media. Through
different programs we can get a lot of information related to the problem
whether directly or indirectly. Also different ways of solving problem can be
learnt from the radio and television. Lesson obtained from the radio and
television programmers can help one to draw a conclusion about how to solve the
problem that one is dealing with. Eventually, the problem seeker develops
strategies of solving the problem.
Scientific experiences
Experiments
of this kind are used by mostly specialists of different disciplines. Doctors,
for example, can conduct experiment that involves investigation for the causes
of different diseases on human beings and animals. The aim of using scientific
experiment is to find out all important facts about the problem that need
solution. Through scientific experiments much information can be gathered and
recognised by the specialist to deal with the problem.
Defining the problem
After
gathering the information, one can state the problem. One can easily tell the
factors which cause the problem to be solved. A person can precisely make a
statement about the problem in a particular area with the aid of the collected
information. For instance, the researcher can generalize that poor academic
performance is mainly caused by truancy. Normally the definition or statement
of the problem has to be precise. Stating the problem is sometimes a hard thing
to do, especially if one has no supporting facts. Otherwise, with supporting
facts it is a simple exercise.
Generating alternatives
The aim
of collecting information about the problem is to find possible answers to the
underlying problem. Normally, the information gathered provides a general
picture about possible causes of a particular problem. For example, the
outbreak of cholera can be attributed by the use of unclear or no-boiled water,
lack of proper toilets and other agents which facilitate cholera transmission.
Knowing the reason or factor for occurrence of the problem leads to the proper
development of solutions. Taking the example of cholera above, boiling are
water, constructing toilets, educating people on the use of toilets properly
and proper waste disposal can be suggested as solutions to the problem, since
the causes are known. As causes of problems vary, also alternatives for solving
the problems depending on the nature of the problem to be solved will vary.
Suggestions given to people suffering from malaria differ from those given to
people who are subjected to poverty.
Agreeing in solution
In
order for suggested solutions to be effective, there should be agreements.
These agreements can involve what to do in order to avoid the re-occurrence of
the same problem. For example poor academic performance which is mainly caused
by absentees in school; the tendency of attending to school will ensure good,
students will also be required to work hard and behave in a good manner. In
order for these processes to be implemented effectively, there must be
conducive school environment. Contrary to that, all those solutions may not succeed.
Therefore,
stake holders ought to make sure that the strategies proposed are seriously
implemented. At the same time those who tend to ignore the agreements supposed
to be punished. They may be forced to pay fines which will serve as the lesson
to them, according to the by-laws.
Exercise 1
A .Answer the following questions
·
Define the following terms: (a)Problem (b)Problem solving
technique
·
Explain any five recommended steps which can be used in solving
problems.
·
Outline the weaknesses of questionnaire in data collection
·
Why do you think it’s necessary to solve problems immediately?
·
Suppose there is a problem of school drop outs in your school.
How would you assist the school to solve this problem?
·
Why it’s necessary to collect data before defining a problem?
Exercise 2
B. Write ‘T’ for true statement and ‘F’ for false statement
1. Corruption,
peace and security are examples of school obstacles
2. A
person with psychological problems is advised to consult a prominent artist
3. Questionnaire
is a verbal interaction between two people
4. Effective
problem solving is determined by the use of effective strategies.