What they should have taught you in school , to be ready for life…. . The new curriculum for the School of Life

What they should have taught you in school , to be ready for life….

The new curriculum for the School of Life

-          Dr Gustav Gous

Normal schooling didn’t prepare us adequately to be ready to face life and all its challenges. It didn’t even prepare us to capitalize on all of life’s opportunities. There is an odd silence in education about the really important questions. Maths and languages, useful as it is, is not enough.  Geography, history, biology and natural science, is not nearly enough to get us fit and ready for everything life offers.  There is an urgent need for a new curriculum preparing you for real life,  in a new school … the SCHOOL of LIFE.

If the absence thereof,  it is no wonder that there are:

-          brilliant mathematicians, failing in relationships

-          salespeople that cannot communicate well with their teenagers

-          good solid people failing financially

-          intelligent academics neglecting their bodies

-          successful sports people losing their moral compass

-          talented people with lousy attitudes

I asked the question to my Facebook friends: ‘What are those things you wished your teachers taught you,  the things really necessary to help you to handle everything that life presented you with.’ The answers were the real thing - basic but important stuff.  I will share some of it later in the blog, because from these answers, a new curriculum can be born.

In this blog I want to share first steps to a new curriculum to make us fit for life. The purpose  is to give us all a grid or checklist to construct you own “school of life’. You must take charge of your own life-preparation to become fit for life. The content or ‘classrooms’ of your curriculum in your own ‘life school’ can then be sourced from many people and institutions.

We can get helpful pointers for a new curriculum from:

-          Howard Gardener and his 7 intelligence theory

-          The World Economic Forum: skills list

-          Psychologists such as Ericson

-          Progressive schools

-          Educational expert Sir Ken Robinson

-          normal people in their everyday effort  to play the game of life

-          even my Get a Life in 40 days “Life-design” program

-          wisdom from parents, coaches, gurus, spiritual leaders etc

Howard Gardener broke new ground with his 7-intelligence theory, when he pointed out that we need more than logical/mathematical  and linguistic/verbal intelligence to handle life, but also  emotional intelligence, inter-personal intelligence, musical intelligence, bodily/kinaesthetic intelligence and spatial/3D intelligence. He also mentioned an 8^th intelligence namely directional intelligence.  After that everybody jumped on the bandwagon, including myself that many more intelligences needed such as inter-cultural intelligence or wider diversity intelligence. Some even suggested that there is also a need for spiritual intelligence.

An international thinktank compiled a helpful list of necessary skillsets in our day and time.  They surveyed 350 executives across 9 industries in 15 of the world's biggest economies   to determine the top 10 skills that will be most desired by employers by 2020: 

Here they are in reverse order building up to the most important one: 

10. Cognitive flexibility: This entails creativity, logical reasoning, and problem sensitivity and deep listening. Especially being able to tailor and adapt how you communicate based on who you're talking to.

9. Negotiation skills

8. Service orientation:  Actively seeking to help others in you team and across your industry.

7. Judgment and decision-making:  With so much data available, those who  can analyse it and use it to make intelligent decisions, will be in demand. 

6. Emotional intelligence.  Controlling your own emotions, reading those of others, and being aware of your impact on others.

5. Coordinating with others. The social skill to collaborate, adjust in relation to others, and be sensitive to the needs of others.

4. People management:  The ability to motivate people, develop the talents and skills of subordinates,  and to select the best people for the position.

3. Creativity.  Bombarded by new technologies, the world needs creative people who can apply it to new products and services.

2. Critical thinking.  Critical minds who can employ logic and reasoning , who can evaluate the uses or abuses of the power of technology

1. Complex problem-solving.  Intelligently analysing complex data and research results for greater efficiency.

The report shows that 36% of all jobs across all industries will require complex problem-solving abilities as a core skill by 2020.  Social skills is also a recurring theme.

The real tasks that must be mastered in the different stages in life were identified by psycholgists such as Erik Erikson:    (i) Basic trust vs. mistrust ; (ii) Control of own functions/ Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt  (iii)  Initiative vs. Guilt ;  (iv) Competence : Industry vs. Inferiority (hard work produces results)  (v)  Identity vs. Role Confusion (who am I)  (vi)  Intimacy vs. Isolation (to love and to share) (vii) Productivity and  Generativity vs. Stagnation (what must I do with my life).  (viii) Wisdom: ego integrity vs. despair (legacy).  How to achieve these seven mileposts,  must also be part of the curriculum of the school of life.

My school was old school. Some modern schools are really smart: They have already included in their purpose the real issues that must be taught: Inbetween all the subjects, activities (sport and cultural) they are clear on what they really want to achieve. They want to teach the following skillsets:

Ø  Thinking skills- critical thinking, creative thinking, reflective thinking;

Ø  Social skills- personal behaviour, leadership, collaboration;

Ø  Research - inquiring into, information literacy, media and digital literacy;

Ø  Communication- personal interaction and communication with others, communication in various contexts;

Ø  Self-management - organisational skills, self-reflection, growth mindset and affective skills

This is really a step in the right direction, and it is good to see the overlap with the skillsets identified by the thinktank.

Obviously we must take note of what Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert, say bout revamping the whole educational system, but that is a topic for another day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U&index=11&list=PL39BF9545D740ECFF&t=0s

The 14 year project that I am busy with, to develop the best Life Planning program available, Get-a-Life in 40 days©, is a first step to include everything necessary for life in one comprehensive program. It has helped more than 12000 people to redesign their lives to survive and thrive in life.  In another blog, I will elaborate on this.

From all of the above , I want to de-complicate the issue and give you the first pointers to a 

Life school curriculum under three headings .

What will really be helpful, is,  if people (parents and peers and coaches)  and schools helps us to obtain specific

A Competencies/Abilities/Skillsets

B Foundations/ Tools

C To use the above to do goalsetting and achieve purposeful living in 8 key areas in life

I will add a few topics under each heading (feel free to add to the list)

A.       Competencies/Abilities/Skillsets 

The following “how to’s” must be part of the curriculum:

-          Critical thinking

-          How to handle your emotions

-          The art of self-motivation

-          Good decision-making in a number of fields

Ø  what to do in life (work/career)

Ø  with whom must I do it

o   Friends

o   Love partner

o   Business partners

-          How to do goalsetting

-          How to handle change

-          How to handle relationships (various: Marriage, friendships, colleagues, etc)

-          How to lead people (leadership skills)

-          How to deal with people who really differ from you

-          How to collaborate in teams

-          How to handle a crisis and a calamity

-          How to change your mind (replace an older outdated framework.

-          Teachability

-          …and many more

These competencies need foundations in order to function.

B.      Foundations/ Tools

You can’t make good decisions, if you don’t have  values to guide you. You need to be clear of your identity to be able to make good job-fit or relationship-fit. The following belong under this heading:

-          How to instil solid values in yourself and your children

-          How to find your identity

-          How to develop a good self-image and healthy self confidence

-          How to find your Faith (your chosen truth)

-          How to discover your life purpose

-          How to find meaning in life

-          How to develop a healthy worldview and thinking framework

-          How to develop  functional habits

-          Developing a healthy attitude or angle on life

These foundational tools and skillsets must be used and applied to live a purposeful and effective life in eight areas in life.

C.       Use the above to do goal setting and achieve purposeful living in 8 key areas in life

The eight key areas in life come from my “Get-a-Life in 40 days program. Areas:

-          Physical & Health

-          Family, Home & Love Relationship

-          Social & Recreational

-          Spiritual & connectedness

-          Intellectual & educational

-          Professional & career  (working for money)

-          Financial & wealth  (money working for you)

-          Community & Cultural (making a difference in the world)

A school of life must focus on the above real life issues:  The abilities, foundations and applications in eight life areas.

And every single topic my Facebook friends mentioned in answer to the question:  ‘What are those things you wished your teachers taught you,   ..?’ , found their  place into the above rudimentary proposed curriculum for a school of life.

If you want more information on corporate interventions or how to make counselling/coaching appointments or book dr Gustav Gous for motivational talks, contact admin@gustavgous.co.za 

If you want  interventions for your team: Contact +27 12 3455931  or email gustav@gustavgous.co.za to discuss possibilities. 

Disclaimer:    Important notice to you as the reader:  Although the life coach (dr Gustav Gous) provide certain recommendations, the sole and final responsibility for decision-making remains your own and that the life coach or anybody associated to him and his company Short Walk Seminars Pty Ltd cannot be held responsible for any of your choices and reactions. You, the reader, must take full responsibility for your life, reactions and choices.  

www.gustavgousonline.com 

Dr Gustav Gous  is an International Motivational Speaker and Executive Life Coach with experience on 5 continents. He 

was the in-house counselor for the petro-chemical company Sasol for 9 years. He is known for his Transformational leadership programmes on Robben Island, titled the “Short Walk to Freedom”. 

He is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and past President of the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa and a member of the APSS (Asia Professional Speakers Singapore).  Currently he is heading up the Diversity Intelligence Institute, specializing in rolling out Diversity Intelligence interventions for 

international companies. His leadership caps does for leadership what De Bono's thinking hats did for creativity and problem solving. His Coaching programme on national Radio in South Africa RSG FM 100-104 "Fiks vir die lewe" touches the lives of many South Africans.  gustav@gustavgous.co.za    drgous@iafrica.com     www.gustavgous.co.za , www.diviin.com ,

Follow him on Twitter: @GustavGous  or on Facebook and LinkedIn .