Mercy Ruth Zulu Module4 182145

Section 1

Education

1. Explain or discuss “Education is not merely preparation for life. It is life. In

what ways is the “Bush” school in West Africa, an illustration of this principle?

In the African setup, following the concept of “Ubuntu”, originating from the
oneness in the community, the responsibility of teaching the younger children
lies with all the elderly in the village. In the absence of the biological parents,
any elder can stand in as the parent in lieu and as such, the success of the
child is everyone’s responsibility. With this in mind, following the varied talents
and specializations that each elder has, opens the child to various discourses
to learn from and from such, the life skills acquired can make a child self
sufficient, self reliant and a responsible member of the community. Across the
diverse cultures, youngsters have prescribed targets in life. The successful
attainment of these, coins a youngster as educated, thus we get to ascertain
what education is and the value thereof.

Education deals with the most fundamental human need to influence children
to become competent adults. It was one of sociology’s founding subjects seen
as important in socialisation processes for the transmission of society’s moral
values. It is also defined as a social institution which enables and promotes
the acquisition of skills, knowledge and the broadening of personal horizons.
Learning can be meaningful if it is relevant to the needs and interests of the
learners.

Education brings about literacy which is a human right, a tool for personal
empowerment and a means for social and human development. Emile
Durkheim (1961) believes that education has a socialisation function as it
teaches the skills needed to perform roles in specialised occupations.
Theorists also argue that education is not confined to or defined by that which
is delivered in schools. This implies that education can take place in many
social settings be it home, school or work.

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Most observers agree that access to education throughout the life course will
be needed in future. Structure of social relations in education not only inures
the student to discipline of the work place but also develops the types of
personal demeanour, self image and social class identification which are
crucial to ingredients of job adequacy.

It is under this background that the Bush school in West Africa illustrates the
principle that education does not prepare someone for life but it is life itself.
The Bush school took over the socialisation process from primary agents who
are parents and continued with the socialisation process. The young boys
were taken to the Bush school for further socialisation which at this time
involved trainings in their culture and also different skills. The school had the
characteristics of a deliberate and purposive procedure in a specialised
environment. It demonstrated close relationship between the family and the
school as they relate to socialisation.

Their education also offered physical development through sporting activities,

acquisition of fundamental skills and sharpening of the wits. The individuals
learned by direct participation and imitation which was relevant and relatively
adequate for social continuity. The formulation on an educated program for
any group is dependent upon the nature and needs of a child which determine
the methods of procedure and the nature and needs of the society which
determine the goals.

Life patterns were presented to the young boys in their immediate setting and
what they learnt was close to their interests and would be put to direct use.
The training was thorough in physical, mental and moral test in which
unsuitable traits were removed. The individual were thus prepared for a life
worth living. Mark Hanna Watkins believes that education is identical with the
cultural process and that cultural heritage may be learned by direct
participation in daily life.

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Education from the Bush school looked at the aspect of positive social values
like shelter, food and health. The skills they learned included arts, crafts,
games, hunting, fishing, swimming and playing musical instruments. The
young boys were also taught to construct or build structures, hunt for food,
use of medicinal herbs and their curative powers, defence strategies and
cultural norms, values and beliefs. There was direct transmission of all the
culturally accepted values. The boys’ learning was meaningful because they
would draw from their experiences.

While Western society differ sharply in their education philosophies especially

looking at the French education system which is based on fundamental
psychological error, they believe that the intelligence is developed by the
learning and reciting text books by heart. No personal initiative is called into
play. On completion of the school program the individual has little life to look
forward to especially if they cannot find a job. The Bush school involved
subtle, skilful and complex set of abilities as any of the intellectual skills taught
in formal schools.

Secondary schools in England have started a pilot scheme involving about 50

schools which intends to teach emotional literacy. Areas to be covered include
self awareness, friendships, empathy and self motivation. Social, emotional
and behavioural skills need to be reinforced. The achievement clearly shows
that learning is becoming more than just a stage preparing people for work. .

Sir Ken Robinson talked about human creativity which is a very important
aspect in mind development. It gives the individual the confidence to survive
even when exposed to very harsh conditions of life. The young boys were
exposed to this creativity.

Howard Earl Gardners (1999:180-181) believes that knowledge is not the

same as morality. This means it is not the way one lives in the society but
what they can give or do or give to the society. This further strengthens the
fact that intelligence through education is viewed as the capacity to solve
problems or to fashion products that are valued in one or more cultural

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settings. This further implies that education does not prepare an individual for
life only but it is a way of life.

The Bush school was unique in its approach to educating the young boys.
They first looked at the determination of individual interest and ambitions.
They also looked at the demonstration of special ingenuity, skills and
originality. Ken Robinson (2012) suggests that we need a new appreciation of
human talent and that the “ future of school is not in standardising but
customising, not in promoting group think and de- individuation but in
cultivating the real depth and dynamism of human abilities of every sort.”
(Abraham Maslow & Carl Rogers) says that each individual is born with a
basic drive to realise his/her potential to achieve self actualisation.

The Bush school had experts in different fields and these would recognise
and validate the innovations and skills achieved by the young boys. In so
doing this was not only in preparation for their lives but they were giving them
a life to depend on when they returned home.

In contrast to the Bush school there is a village school in BURRI ALLAMAAB.

The teachers had greater emphasis on memorisation of textbooks and on
completion of 4 years of schooling one would be able to read and write, draw
maps and had knowledge of the country’s history. Here we can see that
students were being prepared to face life while awaiting jobs which could not
be guaranteed instantly. Education as a life is not demonstrated here.

John Lock (1632-1704) talks of empiricism which credited human

development to experience which is moulded by society. In this case the
students from Buurri Allamaab were greatly disadvantaged
.
Looking at the meaning of life itself besides being defined as a living human
being there is more to what constitutes life. It means bringing into existence
and being content with one’s life. Man must achieve his purpose willingly and
reach perfection through good deeds voluntarily performed.

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The capacity to voluntarily act and willingly achieve ones good and perfection
gives an individual a peace of mind and therefore realise the purpose to live.
The Bush school in West Africa illustrates this principle through the way they
conducted their teaching and instilling discipline and confidence in the young
boys and rendering them ready to live a life. The education achieved became
their life. As the education programmes are dependent on the nature and
needs of the individual. A youth who showed special aptitude for a skill for
example carpentry was trained to become a master of the craft.

. In some societies an individual completes all the processes of learning form

primary to university and having satisfied all the requirements and acquired
the necessary skills they are regarded as ready to start life in the form of a
career or a job. The education achieved is therefore merely a preparation for
life which will depend on them being able to get employment which suits their
acquired skills.

Another aspect of a life in education is achieved when an individual is healthy,

health being defined as the state of complete physical, mental and social well
being. The more educated a person is, the better his/her health becomes.
This is achieved through the knowledge on good hygiene, healthy food an
overall good quality of life. In West Africa girls were also taught food
preservation, care of babies and keeping homes clean. This helped to
improve quality of life and there the ability to be less influenced by tradition
and culture in terms of unhealthy issues. The Bush school illustrated this
principle of education as life through most of its teachings.

According to Peters & Wilson, [1972,] certain educational processes just are
the same as some processes which increase mental health and that some
forms of teaching are indented with some forms of psychotherapy. The idea
being that learning and therapy involve the development of knowledge,
values, emotions, understandings, reason, skill and experience and insight
and are equally necessary for accessing work, social relations and the wider
communities of practice that constitute a good life.

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In my culture when a young man is ready to marry he informs the elders who
will check if he has made enough money to pay bride price and also to
confirm that he has suitable accommodation and basic requirements to start a
home. The permission to marry is only granted when the elders are convinced
that he is able to sustain his family. This was another role taken by the
teachers at the Bush school. On completion of the programme the young boys
would be ready to get into marriage because they would have acquired all the
necessary skills needed to independently manage their families and lead a life

In Zimbabwe education is achieved through many colleges and universities

which have been established. There are a lot of graduates roaming around
without formal employment. They have been prepared for life but they still
need a life. Most of them have engaged in jobs in which they have no skills.
Those who got different skills from family businesses while they were still
young have resorted to working at these places. They are therefore leading a
life through previously acquired skills rather than from their formal education
this has led to frustration, anger, depression, anxiety and discouragement with
other people engaging in bad habits like alcohol abuse and smoking leading
to mental illness which is detrimental to their life. There are others who
managed to get employment but the economic situation has led to loss of jobs
due to business failure and closure of companies. The boys who received
their education from the Bush school in West Africa would be at an advantage
with the acquired life skills where they got the ability to hunt fish and manage
survival skills. The education they received did not prepare them for life only
but gave them life.

In conclusion I have seen the importance of education and all the advantages
and benefits which can help the society, community and the nation to be a
better place to live in. Despite challenges of economic situations an educated
nation is a wealthy and a healthy nation. Formal education is giving way to the
notion of lifelong learning. There are growing opportunities for individuals to
engage in learning. Emphasis on learning acknowledges that skills and
knowledge can be gained through all types of encounters and there are a
growing number of opportunities for pupils to learn outside confines of the

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classroom. I can therefore conclude that the Bush school in West Africa
illustrates the fact that education is not merely a preparation for life. It is life.

Section 2

Vocabulary

a. Unhappy: sad, down, gloomy, low, depressed.

b. Indifferent: disinterested, unconcerned, detached, uncaring, and unemotional.
c. Carefree: casual, at ease, unbothered, easy going, relaxed.
d. Worried: Bothered, concerned, worked up, troubled, perturbed.
e. Broken-hearted: Dejected, wretched, grieved, devastated, and mournful.
f. Aloof: Distant, indifferent, cold, uninterested, unapproachable.
g. Eager: Keen, zealous, enthusiastic, daring, committed.
h. Serene: Calm, composed, peaceful, steady, collected.
i. Energetic: Active, dynamic, powerful, industrious, vigorous.
j. Reluctant: Hesitant, unwilling, undecided, indecisive, averse.
k. Lethargic: Floppy, sluggish, sleepy, inactive, drowsy, lazyish.
l. Gratified: Pleased, satisfied, delighted, thrilled, appeased
m. Despondent: Disheartened, discouraged, hopeless, depressed, and
miserable.
n. Relieved: Reassured, satisfied, soothed, consoled, comforted.
o. Panicky: Frightened, anxious, startled, jittery, uneasy, nervous, scared.

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Section 3

Personal Response Questions

a. In a page or more describe as honestly as you can what you have gained if
anything from the study of module 4

It has been a great pleasure and I have gained a lot from all the modules I have
studied since I started my diploma with ARLT Foundation.

The topics discussed in module 4 have given me knowledge about the problems
affecting people and how to address them. The sociological imagination which
refers to the ability to see the connections between our personal lives and the
social world in which we live have made me realise how sometimes I worry over
what I thought were private troubles and yet are public issues. I personally have
been worried about graduate unemployment which all along l thought it’s a
personal problem but after the study of this topic I have realised that it’s a social
problem which affects many people. I have also been able to see the influence
and impact of social forces on individuals.

The topic on education has shown me that literacy plays a very important part in
the society as well as community. The Bush school in West Africa proves that it is
not only formal education which is required to improve the community status. A
lot of children who do not perform well in school are often treated as outcasts and
yet they can be educated or trained to be better citizens of their community. The
topic has inspired me to encourage other people to consider enhancing other
skills they might have.

The topic on counselling had the greatest impact since it directly impacts on my
profession. I am a nurse working in the public relations and customer care
department where I meet different patients and clients who need counselling.
After the study I realised there is a lot of omissions in my counselling techniques
and skills

The video from Dr Annemaris Bellentine taught me a lot about developing cultural
competence. It encouraged me to stop making assumptions and judging by

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actions without knowing intentions. To be effective with people I need skills to

properly serve the community.

I have also mastered the counselling skills where I was made aware of the
different therapies i.e. psychodynamic, client, behaviour, cognitive evaluating and
comparing and the biological therapies. (Larson Yao, 2005) has an emphasis on
the statement that the healing relationship between patient and health profession
remains essential to quality care made me realise the importance of empathy
which should “characterise all healthcare professionals and patients
communication in order to achieve the desired healing results”

Empathy was discussed and explained in detail in such a way that I have started
sharing the information with other health workers in my hospital.

The definition by (Rogers, 1951) that empathy is the ability of a healthcare

professional to accurately understand patients emotionally and mentally as
though they were in the patients’ shoes but without losing their status has given
me thumbs up at my work place. I have since realised that a lot of clients I was
helping needed more than what we were offering them.

I am feeling more confident and have found more pleasure in doing my work as I
talk to patients. As health workers we really need the emotional intelligence which
helps us to understand other peoples feeling and listen to them. We have always
taken patients for granted without recognising their emotions.

I therefore appreciate the study of module 4 as it has left me in a better position

to perform my duties far much better than what I used to do. I have encouraged
some of my colleagues to register with ARLT Foundation in order to improve their
knowledge and skills. Empathy should characterise all healthcare professionals.

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Section 4

Social Problems and Counselling Skills

1. You are asked to present a speech on the introduction to counselling

concepts for a group of second level teachers to help them assist their
students in resolving or coming to terms with problems.

Good morning to you all. It gives me great pleasure to have an opportunity to

talk to you about a very important topic. I am going to take you through the
introduction to counselling concepts. Interesting isn’t it? In this discussion, I
will cover
Three counselling theories which are
o The Client/ Personal Centred Theory, to include
 Five Stages in counselling
o The Psychodynamic Theory
o The Cognitive Behavioural Theory.
The techniques for effective counselling.

The school as an agent of socialisation is responsible for nurturing and

facilitating moral and social development of students. You as teachers have a
very important role to be involved in their personal, social and emotional
problems. Our youths today are facing many challenges which include drug
abuse, alcohol abuse and delinquency to name a few. It is at such institutions
where, they can get help to change such behaviours. There are ways
however, that can be used to directly have an encounter with them and assist
them. Counselling is the way to get through. I therefore do hope that you are
going to benefit from the concepts I am going to discuss today.

To start with let me give you one of the many definitions of counselling. It is
the provision of professional assistance and guidance in resolving personal or
psychological problems. This means it’s a process of building relationships
with individuals that empower them to accomplish mental health and wellness,
education and carrier goals. It is important to note that it is the client not the

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counsellor who is the centre of the session. There are essential tools needed
by the counsellor that can help to perform better and achieve the goals. The
counsellor should be an active listener, empathic, ask open ended questions,
have reflective feelings and be able to summarise and accept. I will get into
the details later.

Some theorists have come up with very important and useful theories which
can assist during the counselling process. There are many theories to this
effect but as I have already alluded I will only discuss three.

The first theory I will talk about is The Client/Personal centred theory. It was
developed by Dr Carl Rogers. His focus was mainly on a humanistic
perspective, focussing on the counsellor, who should give the client the active
role to express his feelings, since the client has the first hand experience of
the situation. It is a client centred approach which involves self actualisation,
empathy and an unconditional positive regard. I will give an example of a
student who has become a drug addict. He knows why he started smoking
and where he gets the drugs. He therefore needs to be given the chance to
spell out his problems. Thus the client is then able to focus on their personal
growth, and be able to regain responsibility of his\her life. The counsellor
always has a good feeling in assisting someone to achieve something good in
their lives, especially when they take an active role in achieving it. The Client
Based approach allows the client to freely express his\her feelings without
being judged. He or she is encouraged to face the problem rather than avoid
it. The counsellor should however, be ready to answer questions with
empathy.

Let me at this point discuss the 5 stages of client counselling as they are
mostly used when applying this Theory.
- The first stage is called the Trust building stage.
o We all know that relationships are built on trust. Once that trust is
lost it would be very difficult to earn it back. The first impression
always tells it all. The environment plays a very important part at

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this stage. Imagine yourself being taken for a counselling session in

a noisy room full of other people. You will definitely not be
comfortable to discuss anything. It is therefore important to create a
working and communicative environment, which is quiet, clean and
with no distractions. The sitting arrangement should also be friendly
with chairs facing each other so that there is direct eye contact with
the client.
- The second stage is the Establishing the relationship stage.
o This is achieved by warmly greeting the client. It is paramount to
introduce yourself to the client and to create a good rapport. This
helps the client to unfreeze and reduce the anxiety. This will
determine whether the client will return for more sessions or not.
The counsellor should highlight all the aspects of the sessions and
also ensure confidentiality as it is crucial in earning trust for the
client. Honestly who would want to empty their secrets to someone
who would immediately spill out everything to other people? It is
also during this stage that the counsellor breaks the ice and begins
the session by asking a simple question like ‘I am ready to listen to
what you have to say today?’

- The third stage is the Ventilation stage.

o The client is ready to pour out all his\her problems, worries, fears,
thoughts and feelings. This is the time to apply the most important
tool, which is active listening. At times the client may start crying
before saying anything. The counsellor should remain calm and
allow the client to calm down. There should be no interruption to
show that he/she is wasting time. This is when the patience of the
counsellor is tested.

- The fourth stage is the called The Resolution stage.

o This is the time when the counsellor and the client discuss the
solutions for the previously-discussed issues. The counsellor’s role
here is to assist the client to come up with achievable goals, not to

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give the solution. The final decision has to come from the client so
that he/she feels empowered that they have been assisted to
achieve their goals. The counsellor should not force the outcome.
Another session can be arranged so that the client can come back.

- The last stage is The Termination stage.

o Here the counsellor summarises all that has been discussed
including the solution suggested. The client should also be in
agreement with the summary and the solution including the need to
come back for further sessions if need be.

. Let me now come back to the other theories

The second theory is the Psychodynamic theory, also known as the

Background Theory. It was founded by Dr Sigmud Freud. He believed that
childhood experiences and unconscious thoughts had an effect on people’s
behaviour. The theory focuses on the analysis of innate drive i.e. a person’s
history affects present behaviours. Let’s say a child grows up in a family
where there was domestic violence. He or she will be subjected to this violent
environment and this can be reflected through violent behaviour at school.
The counsellor should allow the client to describe past events experienced.
He then explores the past in order to better understand current problems.

The last theory I would like to discuss with you is the Cognitive Theory
developed by Aaron Beck. According to (Beck A, T, 1975), it focuses on how
peoples’ thinking can change feelings and behaviours. The process involves
the challenge of automatic thinking and often negative thought patterns. The
counsellor plays an important role in challenging these thoughts. This therapy
helps with a number of mental illnesses including anxiety, depression and
substance abuse disorders. The counsellor here focuses more on the client’s
present situation and distorted thinking than on their past. You will find out
that at times a student who fails to achieve his goals will conclude that he is a
failure and cannot do anything about it. This situation can depress him\her

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and so the counsellor will assist him\her to rethink and refocus in order to
achieve his\her goals. Substance abuse disorders often affecting a number of
students can be corrected through this therapy where they can be helped to
reduce symptoms and enhance their coping skills and satisfaction with their
lives.

To sum it up all, as highlighted earlier, there are some vital counselling skills
and techniques which can be applicable in various scenarios. There are

Listening Skill
o This is not just listening but active listening with body, heart,
eyes, ears and mouth.
o It is the most valuable skill characterised by attention, which one
can show by nodding the head in agreement, appropriate eye
contact and body language
Empathy
o This is the ability to put oneself in someone’s shoes.
o The counsellor should not be cold, but the client should feel the
togetherness, and that the counsellor understands their problem
Reflection
o Here one is looking at the client’s state, both verbal and or non
verbal.
o This is best achieved by rephrasing the client’s statement.
o It enables the counsellor to gain further clarity.
o Affirmation encourages the client and instils a positive mindset.
A good example is the phrase, “I think that’s an important step
you want to take.”

Confidentiality
o The counsellor should keep private the discussions and any
material exchanged with the client.
o Clients undergoing traumatic experiences may be reluctant to
share with a stranger.

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o The counsellor should also protect the client’s right to privacy.

o Disclosure can be done at times but with the consent of the
client. This might also be for further management of the client
i.e. to be able to refer to another professional.

Genuineness
o The counsellor should always show genuineness in all the
counselling skills in order to win trust from the client
Self Disclosure
o It goes with being composed and being contained. This
attribute involves fighting off that anxiety on the first
encounter with the client. Though it may be useful to
mention a personal experience occasionally, it is always
vital to consider what to reveal, when to reveal and how
to reveal it.
Communication skills
o One should have excellent communication skills.
o This is the ability to listen and be able to get through to
the client the intended thoughts and ideas in a simple
understandable manner.
Questioning
o It is helpful to allow the counsellor to learn and know
more about the client.
o Questions are in two forms
 The closed questions. e.g. “Did you do it?” Answered as
either “Yes” or “No”. Such should be avoided in
counselling.
 Open questions. e.g. “Would you like to explain how it
happened?” This opens for reflection or exploration on
the clients end.

Conclusion

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In conclusion, counselling is all about creating strong relationships with your

clients that will empower them to obtain mental health and to fulfil their goals.
With the theories and techniques we have discussed today I am sure you are
going to be able to guide your students in reaching optimal mental health as
they pursue their studies.

Assignment Appendix

Bibliography
Giddens, Anthony (2009) Sociology (Sixth Edition). Cambridge, Policy Network : Polity.

Watkins, Mark Hanna (1943) American Journal of Sociology (Vol. 48). The University of Chicago Press.

Capuzzi, D & Gross, DR (2005). Introduction to the Counselling Proffession. Bston:Allyn & Bacon

Rogers, Carl. (1951). Client-Centered Therapy: Its Current Practice, Implications and Theory. London:
Constable. 

Beck, A.T. (1975). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. Madison, CT: International Universities
Press, Inc.

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