Three social and emotional learning activities that are designed to address high school students’ need for status and respect.
According to a 2018 survey, current and recent high school students don’t believe their schools have done enough to help them develop socially and emotionally, and most graduates don’t feel prepared for life after high school.
Researcher David Yeager and his colleagues argue that it’s important to address teens’ need for status (“How do others treat me?”) and respect (“Am I granted the rights I expect to be granted as a student?”). If teens feel competent, autonomous, and valued in their community—if they have a sense of high status and respect, in other words—they’re likely to be more motivated and engaged.
Here are three ways you can help teens develop greater self-awareness—and ultimately enhance their sense of status and respect among peers and adults.
INVITE STUDENTS TO USE THEIR CHARACTER STRENGTHS
ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO IMAGINE THEIR BEST SELVES
CHALLENGE STUDENTS TO EXPLORE THEIR PURPOSE
Once students have practiced using their character strengths and imagined their future selves, create opportunities for them to think about how they might contribute to something larger than themselves.
The Purpose Challenge Toolkit features research-based online activities that prompt students to imagine how they might leave their mark on the world—and make it a better place.
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