Dalmia Octave

Seven Habits

Our character is a composite of our habits. Changing habits is hard, but can be done by tremendous commitment. A (good) habit can be defined as the intersection of knowledge, skill and expectation / desire. Change is a cycle of being and seeing (visualization).The life skills programme is inspired by the seven Habits.

These seven habits are: Be Proactive; Begin with the End in Mind; Put First Things First; Think Win/Win; Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood; Synergize; Maximizing one’s potential (renewal and continual improvement or sharpening your saw).

Habits 1, 2 and 3 (Be Proactive, Begin With The End In Mind, Put First Things First) deal with self mastery. They are the "private victories" required for character growth. Private victories precede public victories.

Habits 4, 5 and 6 are the more personality-oriented "public victories" of Teamwork, Cooperation and Communication.

Habit 7 is the habit of Renewal, creating an upward spiral of growth. This process of growth will be evolutionary, but the net effect will be revolutionary

Media literacy

In the 21st Century, the century our children will live in — the century they will, in fact, shape — media literacy will not be a luxury; it will be a necessity.”

Linda Ellerbee, journalist, television producer.

Media literacy can help enhance a sense of self-development and empowerment With the ability to analyze, critique and effectively use the media to find more information, we can enhance decision making skills with more information.

The effects of media literacy have proven positive in studies across various disciplines concerning various subjects. It is incredibly important that we keep ourselves, our children, and our society media literate in order to counteract the possible negative influences media may have on us.

Aesthetic sense

Aesthetic sense refers to the ability to perceive, appreciate, and create beauty in various forms—art, nature, design, expression, and behavior. Integrating aesthetic education in schools nurtures creativity, emotional intelligence, and holistic development in students.

Meta - cognition

A meta was one of the conical columns set in the ground at each end of the Circus in Rome to mark the turning point in the race. Similarly the concept of meta-cognition can be seen as a turning point in our understanding of the mind.

Students learn to monitor and direct their own progress, asking questions such as 'What am doing now?', 'Is it getting me anywhere?'. 'What else could I be doing instead?'.. Four meta - cognition processes seem to be especially important in solving problems. These are: recognising the problem, identifying and defining the elements of a given situation representing the problem, making a mental map of the problem, comparing it with others.

Planning how to proceed, deciding steps, resources and setting targets , evaluating progress and solutions, knowing about what you know.

Risk taking

Why do children need to experience risk and challenge?

Everyday life always involves a degree of risk and children need to learn how to cope with this. They need to understand that the world can be a dangerous place and that care needs to be taken when negotiating their way round it.

Inevitably the most powerful learning comes from not understanding or misjudging the degree of risk. Children who learn in their early years to make their own reasoned decisions rather than simply doing what they are told to by others will be in a stronger position to resist the pressures they will inevitably face as they reach their teenage years.

In contrast, overprotected children may well make reckless decisions which put them in physical or moral danger.

Self management

(Fitness, Stress, Emotion, Reflection & Spiritual)

Self-management plans are used to teach students to independently complete tasks and take an active role in monitoring and reinforcing their own behaviour. An important goal in education is to foster self-reliance and independence.

The critical elements of self-management include setting goals, monitoring behaviour, and evaluating progress. Examples of self management include self monitoring, self evaluation, and self reinforcement.

When a student engages in self-monitoring, she observes her own behaviour, records its occurrence on a data collection form, and graphs the data to evaluate progress. Self-evaluation strategies encourage students to set their own goals and compare their current performance as they work towards those goals.

Higher order thinking skills

High Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Life Skills Education are essential to help students not only understand life-related concepts but also analyze situations, make responsible decisions, solve problems, and think creatively in real-life contexts.