Encouraging Independence by Teaching Essential Life Lessons in Education

As we move into what Klaus Schwab defines as The Fourth Industrial Revolution, and AI and machine learning become more present in day-to-day life, the idea that creative skills are falling by the wayside is becoming more concerning.

While benchmarks are important, a student’s education should be about more than just learning specific topics to pass exams, with their educational journey allowing them to also develop valuable skills that will prepare them for life outside of the classroom – giving them a true sense of independence.

Here, Sophie from Burlington Granite is exploring some ways educational institutions can nurture and encourage independence by teaching staple lessons in different ways – from getting the next generation interested in politics to helping them understand how to manage their finances.

Money: managing finances

When it comes to teaching students about money management, you’ll need more up your sleeve than simply recommending that they save a percentage of any future income every month.

We’ve broken down some key areas for you to consider – it’s well worth tackling these one topic at a time, as there’s a lot to cover:

• Debt: this should cover things like loans, credit cards, store cards and finance options. Try giving each group of students a scenario in which they’re considering taking on debt and then explore each of the issues as a whole classroom
• Household bills: create an exercise where you ask students to list all of the household bills they can think of, and then highlight all the ones they’ve missed. You could also ask for guesses in regards to costs to show them the realities of running a house
• Savings: this can cover everything from saving for a mortgage to seeking out a sensible pension plan, so you might want to break this into topics and invite experts in to discuss the different ways there are of saving for the future

Politics: understanding the bigger picture

Following December’s snap general election announcement, almost 45,000 applications to vote were made by those under 25 – and while this is a positive indicator that the youth of today is taking their future seriously, this isn’t the case for everyone. In the UK, you’re not eligible to vote until you’re 18, but don’t let this sway you from paying attention to politics in your lesson plans.

If anything, now is the perfect time to educate – arming students with the knowledge they need to understand how the political landscape might change over the coming months and years and getting them ready for when it’s their time to weigh in on which party runs their constituency.

One of the most fundamental skills of being a teacher of any sort of subject is to ensure that you’re not making anyone in the room feel inferior – and with something as potentially complex as politics, it’s better to start with the basics.

This could be using a card game to pair up political job titles with the people who currently hold those positions or word puzzles that spell out confusing terminology. By posing questions throughout and switching up the groups, you can ensure everyone learns together and has a chance to get involved, even if their knowledge to date is virtually non-existent.

Fortunately, there are plenty of resources on teaching youngsters about politics – so you don’t need to be the most knowledgeable lecturer in this area to be able to educate your students and do the various topics justice.

It is worth doing some reading yourself in advance though – as youngsters are curious by nature and you’re better off being able to point them in the direction of additional resources than admitting you don’t know the answers to their questions.

Physical and mental health: mastering mindfulness

Two very separate subjects that are connected in many ways, mental and physical health impacts everything we do – and as students begin preparing for a life after education, adopting a mindful approach to their own health can be critically valuable in terms of readying them for whatever comes next.

With data suggesting that 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24, their further education years are a crucial time for young adults – so transparency around these difficult topics can be key to arming students with the information and techniques they need to help combat mental health issues. From meditation to deep breathing routines, there are a number of techniques to help manage mental health issues.

Teaching youngsters how to cook can of course still have a place in the classroom, if you’re teaching skills they’ll actually use. If you have the means to do so, carrying out small tasks like making pasta, boiling an egg and cooking chicken will ensure they have some staple skills to whip up easy, nutritious meals once they fly the nest.

On top of this, you could carry out activities to help your students understand more about calorie control and exercise. This would provide them with an understanding of ways to stay fit and active throughout the day, as well as the sorts of foods and drinks they should avoid consuming in excess. If your students are 18+, you might also want to think about a module on understanding binge drinking and the effects of alcohol.

People skills: appreciating communication and etiquette

With more and more technological advancements, we’re right to be concerned about what this is doing for our people skills – and as an educator, you can ensure your students don’t leave education valuing emojis and screen communication over actual human interaction. While the world is attempting to move towards more social acceptance than ever before, it’s also in danger of leading to the demise of proper etiquette – but there’s a way to overcome this.

Attitude and morals will go with your students long after their textbooks are thrown away, helping you shape them into the sorts of people who can empathise and communicate in a respectful manner – which will undoubtedly serve them well.

One of the most impactful ways to teach these types of people skills is to embody them yourself. Be the sort of approachable and understanding person you’re trying to encourage the youngsters in your classroom to be and adopt an inclusive approach to your teaching. This will, in turn, show them that there’s no need to adopt a small minded approach or lose your temper to achieve a desired outcome.

With politics feeding into the way our country is run, and debt and mental health issues intrinsically linked, it’s not difficult to see how a lack of awareness or education around the topics we’ve listed here can lead to a less than happy life.

As an educator, you have a responsibility to your students, and by arming them with skills that will actually make a difference to the decisions they make in their everyday life, you might just be creating a future everyone will want to be a part of.

Sophie Armstrong is a content creator for granite and quartz worktop specialists Burlington Granite, who provide a full bespoke worktop solution by offering templating, cutting, polishing and fitting, all driven by 25 years of industry experience.