State of Israel Life Skills in Israel Ministry

State of Israel Life Skills in Israel Ministry of Education Pedagogical Department Psychological and Counseling Services

Basic Assumptions • Life skills can be taught • Learning life skills at school is not intended solely to enhance performance in adulthood but has its own merits during childhood and adolescence • School environment can serve as training playground for developing life skills • School climate should enable student make use of their newly-acquired life skills

The ecologic theory • Aside from focusing on the development of life skills at the individual level, it is imperative that school environment sustain an educational climate that is both supporting, containing and at the same time directive •

History • Life Skills program is implemented since 1996. • Revised in 2007 • Since 2008 – mandatory program

Implementation of Basic Principles • Importance of predetermined time and place • The home-room teacher, who is the significant adult at school, should be the professional who teaches the program. • The home-room teacher is supervised by the school counselor

About the Program • 30 structured session starting at 1 st grade up to end of middle school • 15 recommended sessions for junior highschool

How Life Skills are Selected? • Typical life event: i. e. , for first grade a typical life event is coping with changes and transitions. For fifth graders a typical life event is social integration and leisure activities • Main Developmental stages: i. e. , At junior high and adolescence - interaction with the peer group and first steps in establishing romantic relationship

Main Clusters of Skills • Self identity (body image, feelings, thoughts and behavior), meaningfulness, gender identity and cultural identity. • Self regulation and self guidance • interpersonal interaction • Learning, leisure and playing skills • Coping with danger, stress and crisis

Life Skills Acquired at a Young Age Are Applicable in Adulthood • Interpersonal interaction such as maintaining friendships, teamwork, conflict resolution, leadership, taking social responsibility - require acquiring skills as empathy, bridging skills, flexibility, cooperation, giving and seeking help, respecting others etc.

• Coping with stress in life-endangering situations, inter-personal crises or innerpersonal crises (failures) - requires learning resilience skills such as positive self-talk, methods of self-relaxation, training in explanatory process and value clarification

• All life skills mentioned above that refer to coping with stress and maintaining personal interaction are key skills for adult future career performance.