The Urgency of Life Skills in Digital Age Education and Its Challenges
The Urgency of Life Skills in Digital Age Education and Its Challenges
By Sujaya, S.Pd. Gr. (Advisory Board Member of DPP ASWIN)
A.What are Life Skills
Life skills or life competencies are practical skills required by individuals to effectively face daily life challenges. Life skills are basic skills needed by someone to live independently and productively. These skills include critical thinking, effective communication, decision-making, emotional management, and adaptability to change.
B. The Urgency of Life Skills in Education
In the context of education, life skills help students not only master academic aspects but also prepare them to face a world of work and life full of uncertainty. By having good life skills, students can adapt to change, solve problems creatively, work with others, and become resilient and independent individuals in facing various situations in the future.
C. The Challenges of Disruption and Technology
The digital age is a period of significant change in various aspects of life due to technological innovation, especially digitalization and automation. In this era, traditional ways of working, doing business, and communicating are replaced by new, more efficient, and faster ways.
D. What Life Skills are Needed in the Present and Future?
According to Perttu Pölönen in his book “Future Skills”, the skills required to welcome the next century focus more on soft skills that cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence or automation. Pölönen emphasizes the importance of soft skills such as creativity, empathy, flexibility, and critical thinking, which are not easily replaced by artificial intelligence or automation.
E. Challenges in Implementing Life Skills in Schools
Challenges in implementing life skills in schools include:
1. Limited time in the curriculum 2. Lack of training and resources for teachers 3. Lack of support from parents and the community 4. Lack of facilities and infrastructure in schools
Life skills that parents should teach their children include:
Effective education is not only about academic achievement but also about forming individuals who are independent, creative, and able to adapt to change. Therefore, the integration of life skills into the learning system should be a priority for educators, schools, and parents.