Life Skills for Young Ugandans- Secondary Teachers' Training Manual (UNICEF, 254 p.): Section Two: Methodologies and Training Session Activities: PART B. Specific activities that may be used to focus upon some of the key issues of Life Skills Education: WORKSHOP G: PROMOTING SELF ESTEEM IN SCHOOL

Life Skills for Young Ugandans- Secondary Teachers' Training Manual (UNICEF, 254 p.)

Section Two: Methodologies and Training Session Activities

PART B. Specific activities that may be used to focus upon some of the key issues of Life Skills Education

		(introduction...)
		WORKSHOP A: HOW TO IDENTIFY THE NEEDS OF A 13 YEAR OLD UGANDAN CHILD
		WORKSHOP B: WHAT ARE THE PRIORITIES FOR THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN?
		WORKSHOP C: INTRODUCING LIFE SKILLS CONCEPTS
		WORKSHOP D: ATTITUDES TO LIFE SKILLS
		WORKSHOP E: AIMS OF LIFESKILLS EDUCATION
		WORKSHOP F: THE HEALTH PROMOTING SCHOOL
		WORKSHOP G: PROMOTING SELF ESTEEM IN SCHOOL

WORKSHOP G: PROMOTING SELF ESTEEM IN SCHOOL

Introduction

Self-esteem is an important factor in developing and promoting self-confidence in the students. Students of high self-esteem usually tend to behave positively and feel secure and confident.

In school self-esteem is usually developed in the students by the teachers and adults there. When students come to school their self-esteem may be boosted and made secure by the teaching and non-teaching staff of the school. This is only possible when the behaviour of members of staff towards students is supportive and warm. However when staff behaviours towards the student are destructive, their self-esteem becomes battered and damaged.

Objectives

By the end of the session, the participants should be able to:

1. Identify teacher behaviours which are destructive or constructive to the students’ self-esteem in class and school.
2. Analyse the implications of the school rules, regulations and practices
3. Identify and practice some of the practical activities which will promote self esteem of the students.

ACTIVITY

HOW TO PROMOTE SELF-ESTEEM IN OUR SCHOOL(S)

Time: 30 to 45 minutes.

Materials

Large sheets of paper, marker pens.

Procedure

1. Introduce the objective of this session and explain the concept of self-esteem in students and how important it is to health related behaviour (See introduction to this workshop and the subsection on what are life skills in Section One of this manual)
2. Divide the group into pairs using an appropriate method
3. Ask the participants in each pair to recount to one another some of the experiences which they underwent as a result of their teachers’ behaviour towards them. These experiences may have been destructive or constructive to their esteem.
4. Ask pairs to join together to form groups of four. Each group should list teacher behaviours in two columns as given in the sample below:

Constructive teacher behaviour

Destructive teacher behaviour

· Kindness - being friendly, listening to students, motivating students.

· Supportive - showing concern about student lives, wishing them success, acknowledging their efforts, encouraging discussion

· Fair and impartial - avoidance of discrimination on sex, tribe, religion, socio-economic background, home location, political affiliation.

· Keeping time and promises made to students.

· Respect for child rights.

· Beating, bullying, using bad language towards student.

· Sarcasm, belittling, ridiculing, favoritism, finger pointing, victimization and use of ‘you’ instead of names.

· Sexual abuse, flirting in class, use of degrading, impolite language.

· Drunkenness, shabbiness, lateness, telling lies to students.

· Bad handwriting, being unprepared.

· Making unfair demands on the students.

5. Each group displays and explains their list
6. Process the results with the participants by asking:

(i) Which of the two lists was difficult to compose and why?
(ii) Which items on their lists are part of school rules?
(iii) Which items did not match their expectations?
(iv) Which items went contrary to child rights?
(v) How do these teacher behaviours affect student’s self esteem?
(vi) How will they apply what they have learnt in this session to boost the self esteem of their students?

Extension activity

Ask participants to discuss:

(i) How they could apply what they have learned to their own family and community members.
(ii) How they could encourage parents to promote the self-esteem of their children who are still at home i.e. pre-school kids.