Teaching Sequence

20 minutes

Explore: Influences on mindset

20 minutes

Discover: Understanding my mindset

10-20 minutes

Thrive: Being my best self

Explore: Influences on mindset

Step 1

Ask students to form groups of 3-5, then brainstorm a range of positive and negative mindsets. At this stage, they can be general beliefs rather than their own.

Example:

Positive: “I am great at trying new things.”
Negative: “I am no good at anything.”
Positive: “I can do this.”
Negative: “There’s no point in trying.”

Step 2

Provide each group with a copy of the worksheet Influences on Mindset and ask them to focus on Task 1.

Encourage students to think about how each of the categories could influence a person’s self-belief and mindset (positively and negatively). Ask them to record their ideas on the worksheet.

Influencing categories:

Family
Friends
Peers/Acquaintances
Celebrities/influencers
Media/Advertising
Other

Examples:

Family - believe in me and support my goals.
Influencers - sometimes impact self-belief through unhealthy comparisons.

Step 3

Ask groups to pair up and share answers or discuss them as a whole class.

Discover: Understanding my mindset

Step 1

Ask students to focus on Task 2 of the worksheet, Influences on Mindset. Under the heading ‘People’, ask students to write down 5 people they spend time with. This can be family, friends, peers/acquaintances, coaches, teachers, etc.

Ask students to identify how each of these people make them:

feel (mood)
think (about yourself)
act (behave).

Step 2

Ask students to reflect on their answers and discuss the following questions with a partner:

Who do you feel like you are your best self around?
Which people support and encourage you to be your best self?
Is there anyone you spend time with that brings out a different side of you or makes you feel like a different person?

Step 3

Under the heading ‘Places’, have students write down 5 places or environments they frequent with others.

Examples: school, sports club, shopping centre, friends’ houses, at home with visitors, music lessons.

Ask students to identify how each of these places make them:

feel (mood)
think (about yourself)
act (behave).

Step 4

Encourage students to reflect on their answers and discuss the following questions with a partner:

How does each environment impact how you feel, think and behave?
Which environment do you feel like your best self?
Is there an environment that does not bring out your best self?

Step 5

Ask students to write down who they feel they are when they are alone, without anyone influencing their thinking or behaviour.

The following questions will be on their reflection sheet as prompts:

Who are you when you’re by yourself?
What kinds of thoughts do you have? Are they positive or negative? Somewhere in the middle?
What aspects of yourself do you like when you’re alone?
Is there anything about the way you feel, think or behave that you would like to change?

Step 6

Invite students to reflect on their responses about People, Places and Self by highlighting (in 2 different colours) aspects of their lives that contribute to a positive mindset and self-belief and those that contribute to a negative mindset and self-belief.

Step 7

Encourage students to participate in a group discussion to bring this information together in recognising patterns of behaviour, people or environments that could contribute to their mood, outlook and relationships.

The following questions can be used to guide the group discussion:

Reflect on your answers. Where can you see differences in your mindset or actions?
Which version of yourself feels like the best version?
Are there areas of your life that are feeding a negative mindset rather than promoting positive self-image, talk and awareness?
How do relationships and settings impact our behaviour? Are there certain people or places that tend to bring out our best selves or parts?

Thrive: Being my best self

Step 1

In small groups, ask students to brainstorm factors that contribute to a positive mindset.

Examples:

Positive self-talk
Focusing on the positives (learnings)
Being kind to yourself
Demonstrating empathy and kindness
Practising gratitude
Knowing your strengths and limitations

Step 2

Now ask students to brainstorm factors that contribute to a negative mindset.

Examples:

Negative self-talk
Focusing on the negatives (complaining)
Being overly critical of yourself or others
Procrastination/lack of action

Step 3

Remind students that it is normal for humans to have both positive and negative mindsets and the importance of identifying when these negative mindsets arrive - reflecting on who they are with, where they are and what they are doing.

Step 4

Provide each student with a blank piece of paper (or digital doc/canvas) and ask them to add the heading, ‘Best Self’. Encourage them to build their best self based on everything they have learned today. They can use a combination of words, statements/affirmations, illustrations or photos of them when they feel their best.

Use the below prompts as a guide:

Head - thoughts they have when they are their best self.
Heart - feelings they have when they are their best self.
Body - actions they take when they are their best self.
Surrounding space - the environment they are in and the people they are with.

Step 5

Ask students to partner up and share their work. Encourage them to think about their biggest learning from the session and share it will their partner or the whole class if they feel comfortable doing so.

Conclude the lesson by explaining how the visual representation they created can serve as a reminder of what their best self looks like in practice, how to use this knowledge to guide their actions and decision-making going forward, and how having a deeper understanding of the internal and external factors can influence their mindset.

Health: Self-belief and Wellbeing

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UN Sustainable Development Goals

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