How can schools move from policy to practice when it comes to nurturing life skills and values? From a recent review of literature conducted by Action for Life Skills and Values in East Africa (ALiVE), we identify forward-thinking models that reimagine not only how learners acquire knowledge but also how they develop compassion, resilience, and responsibility. In this blog, we discuss some of these models as promising approaches that can strengthen pedagogical practices in nurturing skills and values through the whole school approach.
Reinventing the Learning Space
The Inquiry-Based Flipped Classroom (IB-FC) model (Loizou & Lee, 2020) redefines classroom dynamics. Here, students engage with digital learning materials i.e. short videos, readings, or interactive tasks before class. This frees up classroom time for inquiry, reflection, and problem-solving. Teachers act as facilitators rather than lecturers, guiding students through collaborative exploration. The result is a participatory and inclusive environment that promotes independence, adaptability, and teamwork. This model demonstrates that when schools invest in digital infrastructure and teacher capacity, technology becomes a bridge to curiosity and creativity not a distraction.
Coding Character into Learning
The Creative Computational Problem-Solving (CCPS) model (Chevalier et al., 2022) uses robotics and computational thinking to teach collaboration, ethical reasoning, and innovation. Learners work in teams to design, code, and test solutions to real-world problems, blending technical skill with social intelligence. Teachers who piloted the model found that it improved teamwork, reflection, and creativity proving that coding can cultivate both competence and character. For Uganda’s growing digital economy, this model offers valuable insights into how Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) education can become a vehicle for life skills development.
Learning from our Roots
Closer home, the African Traditional Education Framework (ATEF) (Onwuatuegwu & Paul-Mgbeafulike, 2023) reminds educators that values education is not new to Africa. Rooted in the philosophy of Ubuntu “I am because we are” ATEF promotes community learning, moral instruction, and apprenticeship as means of cultivating empathy, integrity, and interdependence. By weaving indigenous knowledge systems into modern schooling, educators can create culturally responsive curricula that celebrate heritage while building civic responsibility and social cohesion.
Resilience and Leadership for the Future
The Resilience Framework for Promoting Competence (Masten et al., 2008) and the Integrated Instructional and Transformational Leadership (IITL) model (Shava, 2021) position schools as ecosystems that nurture both competence and character. They show that effective education goes beyond lessons - it lives in school culture, relationships, and leadership. When teachers and principals adopt transformational leadership which models empathy, vision, and collaboration, schools become nurturing spaces that help students thrive emotionally and academically.
The Big Picture
Across these diverse models, one message stands out: nurturing life skills and values is a systemic responsibility. It requires synergy between curriculum design, school leadership, teacher development, and community participation. From a recent review of literature conducted by ALiVE, we conclude that “competence and character are cultivated when instructional design, leadership, counselling, cultural relevance, and emotional safety operate as a coherent ecosystem.”
When education connects intellect with empathy and culture with innovation, classrooms become spaces where knowledge transforms into wisdom. This holistic approach is what education reform in Uganda and beyond must now aim for to provide an education that prepares learners not only to make a living but to make a difference. The future belongs to schools that educate both the mind and the heart.
By Seezi Bogere
Seezi Bogere is a Research Officer at NCDC and Co-Lead of ALiVE Learning Journey with Schools, Uganda
