Teaching Life and Social Skills

Galen Downes

Description

WHY DO SO MANY OF US FEEL DISSATISFIED, UNHAPPY - SOMETIMES DEPRESSED?We have vastly more material possessions than we need, yet we're duped into buying more, because of our need to keep up with others who have more money and 'things' than we have. We're also pressurised by advertising, and glossy images of people living extravagant lives.There's a noticeable increase in our use of mobile phones. We tend to communicate more by messaging, than face-to-face conversations. There's also a worrying trend in the misuse of social media (including cyber-bullying).All these trends in our behaviour largely explain why there's a rise in mental health problems - especially in youngsters - who need counselling and support. Unfortunately there's a lack of appropriate resources.WE ONLY NEED TO TAKE A FEW PRACTICAL STEPS:We can stop buying things we don't need.Stop envying, and comparing ourselves unfavourably with others.Cut down on mobile phone use; allocate periods of 'phone silence'.Use social media responsibly, and think about its effects on others.Make more time for family and friends, enjoy chatting face-to-face.Think of others - give a helping hand, be generous and positive.All we need is a change of attitude. It requires effort and determination - but it's rewarding; and costs nothing! THIS WORKBOOK IS A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO HELP YOUNGSTERS - WORKING WITH THEIR TEACHERS AND PARENTS - TO COPE WITH ANY CONCERNS OR ANXIETIES THAT INHIBIT THEM, AND TO DEVELOP THEIR CONFIDENCE, AND FULFIL THEIR POTENTIAL.

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 08 janvier 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781398407046
• Langue: English

Extrait

T eaching L ife and S ocial S kills
A P ractical G uide for S chools, C olleges and P arents

Austin Macauley Publishers
2021-01-08
Teaching Life and Social Skills About the Author Dedication Copyright Information © Preface Overview Introduction What is Meant by Teaching Happiness? Section 1. What Makes Us Unhappy? (a) Material Possessions: The Wealth Delusion (b) Physical Appearance and Glamour (c) Social Media Misuse and Mental Health Problems (d) Cyberbullying (e) Mobile Phone Addiction: ‘Nomophobia’ (f) Alcohol and Drug Abuse (g) Obesity (h) ‘Failure’ and Competitiveness Section 2. What Makes Us Happy? (a) Family and friends (b) Altruism (c) Empathy (d) New Challenges (e) Exercise and Sport (f) Being Outdoors and Appreciating Natural Surroundings Section 3. Self-assessment Section 1 asks: What Makes Us Unhappy? (a) Material Possessions and Wealth (b) Physical Appearance and Body Image (c) Social Media (d) Cyberbullying (e) Mobile Phone Addiction: ‘Nomophobia’ (f) Alcohol and Drug abuse (g) Obesity (h) ‘Failure’ and Competitiveness Section 2 asks: What makes Us Happy? (a) Family and Friends (b) Altruism: Helping Others Without Seeking Rewards (c) Empathy: Understanding Other People’s Feelings (d) New Challenges (e) Exercise and Sport (f) Being Outdoors and Appreciating Natural Surroundings
About the Author
Galen Downes is a former teacher and lecturer. He was born in Umtata, Transkei, South Africa. He is a graduate of Natal University (BA) and London University (MA). He has produced training videos for candidates preparing for job interviews. As a former freelancer on Swansea Sound Radio, he reported on rugby and produced a weekly local business programme.
Galen lives in Caswell, Swansea, where he is currently writing a practical language development training programme for nursery teachers and volunteers. This is part of a charitable preschool playgroup project in an African township near Cape Town. He makes regular donations to their toy library.
Dedication
To my family
Copyright Information ©
Galen Downes (2021)
The right of Galen Downes to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
The story, the experiences, and the words are the author’s alone.
ISBN 9781398407039 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781398407046 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2021)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Preface
There are several key reasons for producing this practical workbook/guide.

Depression
In the United Kingdom, in recent years, there’s been a significant rise in mental health problems, especially among young people. Moreover, in our society as a whole, there’s a general sense of dissatisfaction, frustration and a feeling of ‘something missing’ in our lives. This is contrary to our expectations of living in a wealthy country, in which we have all the advantages of abundant material possessions and comforts, provided by modern technology, plus the positive benefits of worldwide communication systems and instant access to information.

Surveys
A number of major surveys have recently been published, which provide worrying evidence of problems within our society:

Unhappiness
A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealed that UK teenagers are among the unhappiest in the world—they came 38 th out of the 48 countries surveyed—based on how satisfied 15-year-olds are with their lives. It also found a rapid increase in teenage cyberbullying.

Bullying
The OECD also reported that headteachers in England, for example, are more likely to face problems with pupils bullying online and misusing social media than in any other developed country. This finding is based on the experiences of more than 250,000 teachers in 48 industrialised countries and regions.

Suicide
The United Kingdom’s Office of National Statistics (ONS) on September 2018 revealed that the number of male suicide victims (aged 20 to24) rose from 279, in 2017, to 363 in 2018 (an increase of approximately 23%). It also reported a 15% increase in the number of teenagers taking their own lives in the last year alone. Furthermore, nearly one in five, 11 to 16-year-olds had contemplated suicide.

Conclusion
This brief narrative highlights the growing concerns about the kind of society we live in, which is becoming increasingly unhappy, more intolerant and less compassionate; epitomised by a rise in hate crime and widespread forms of prejudice.
This practical guide aims to help all those involved in the care and education of our young people.
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Overview
The aim of this guide is to help pupils and students working with their teachers, tutors and parents to gain a better understanding of themselves, to fulfil their potential, gain satisfaction, contentment and … ‘happiness’.

Unhappy
It’s also important to understand what makes people unhappy.
Apart from the more obvious problems caused by, for example, ill-health, poverty, homelessness, alcohol and drug abuse, social research shows that our misguided attitudes to wealth and materialism, body image and glamour, can have a detrimental effect on our lives. Moreover, misuse of social media facilitates the rapid spread of these ideas, as well as promoting cyberbullying, which can have serious consequences for our mental health.

Adapt
Schools (upper-primary and secondary), colleges (the word ‘college’ refers to all forms of tertiary education, including universities) and Parents can adapt these notes to suit a wide age-range of pupils and students.
Furthermore, these guidelines should be regarded as the beginnings of a process, which could continue throughout their lives.
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Introduction

What is Meant by Teaching Happiness?
The idea of ‘teaching happiness’, once regarded as a rather woolly educational theory, is now rapidly gaining credibility and momentum as a worthwhile—arguably, essential —pursuit. The concept of happiness is complex and has exercised the minds of philosophers for many centuries.