What If Schools Taught More of the Skills Kids Need in Life?

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A small Illinois school district is trying something interesting.

Beardstown CUSD #15 is developing a River Futures Opportunity Lab that will combine hands-on learning with career exploration, leadership, wellness, and belonging.

I would love to see schools take this idea even further. Students need academics, but they also need relationship skills, confidence, empathy, cooperation, boundaries, self-care, money management, and more.

We shouldn’t just tell kids about these skills. We can let them practice them.

We can give them opportunities to practice them during classes and activities through real-life scenarios, problem-solving, discussion, and role-play.

When a difficult situation does happen, once the student is calm, we can also help them role-play and problem-solve what they could do differently next time. Reinforce their participation with positive feedback. Then, when we see them using those skills in real situations, we can reinforce their efforts.

I’ve worked with many children who aren’t very engaged by sitting, listening, or doing written work but become much more involved with games, sports, exploration, classroom jobs, technology, hands-on materials, and other active experiences.

Punishing a child repeatedly doesn’t teach them what to do instead. Some children need direct teaching, practice, reinforcement, understanding, and time.

That’s why programs that make room for hands-on and real-life learning are worth paying attention to.

Read the original story: Four innovative school projects receive Tracy Family Foundation funding — Journal-Courier

Rachel Wise

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Rachel Wise is the author and founder of Education and Behavior. Rachel created Education and Behavior in 2014 for adults to have an easy way to access research-based information to support children in the areas of learning, behavior, and social-emotional development. As a survivor of abuse, neglect, and bullying, Rachel slipped through the cracks of her school and community. Education and Behavior hopes to play a role in preventing that from happening to other children. Rachel is also the author of Building Confidence and Improving Behavior in Children: A Guide for Parents and Teachers.

"Children do best when there is consistency within and across settings (i.e., home, school, community). Education and Behavior allows us to maintain that consistency."