How to Teach Life Orientation – 3-5 critical teaching competencies

Teaching Life Orientation is a significant task that requires a blend of specific knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values. Here, we shall discuss five critical competencies you might acquire while teaching Life Orientation: 1. Interpersonal Skills: As a Life Orientation teacher, one needs to have strong interpersonal skills to foster meaningful and effective communication with students. This involves active listening, empathic feedback, and developing an understanding of students' perspectives. You would recognize these skills in the way you engage with your students, respond to their needs, and manage the diverse dynamics within your classroom. 2. Knowledge on Life Orientation Subjects: Having comprehensive and updated knowledge about life orientation subjects such as health and wellness, career guidance, social development, and environmental responsibility is crucial. This knowledge is gained through continuous learning, reading recent research, attending workshops or seminars, and listening to subject experts. As you absorb and utilize this knowledge in your teaching, you will see that students tend to rely on you as a trusted source of information and advice. 3. Development of Ethical and Cultural Sensibility: Life Orientation demands a fine understanding of ethics, values, cultural sensitivities, and social norms. This understanding helps in shaping the moral compass of students. As you delve deeper into the subject to deal with these aspects, you'd perceive shifts in your own perspective and greater comfort in addressing sensitive topics. 4. Critical Thinking Ability: As a Life Orientation teacher, you are required to involve students in discussions and activities that promote their critical thinking. This involvement would consistently require you to think critically and anticipate various perspectives before facilitating any discussion. Thus, you might witness an improvement in your problem-solving skills, decision-making capabilities, and logical thinking ability. 5. Adaptability: Life Orientation is concerned with students' real-life situations, requiring you to be adaptable in your teaching approach. This adaptability can be realized through tailoring content to make it relevant for students and responding to their diverse psychological needs. You will notice your adaptability increasing as you cater to students with different learning styles, interests, and needs. These competencies are usually acknowledged and developed over time as you continuously engage with students, receive feedback, overcome challenges, and see the difference you make in students' lives. They are necessitated by the demands of the subject and are fine-tuned through reflective practice and commitment to continuous professional growth.