Indigenous Workbook

Term 1 – Week 9

RELATIONSHIPS + EMPATHY

MIRROR NEURONS

WHY: by understanding that you have millions of mirror neurons which unconsciously copy the attitudes and intentions of other people, you will be more self-aware of when this is happening.

HOW: choose to be with students who are optimistic and hopeful about their futures. Think about how happy you feel when you are with positive people, and then how you feel when with sad and unhappy people. Be a powerful role model for others to copy by showing positive intentions.

Acknowledgement: Greenfield & Iacoboni

DO: what is a positive attitude and intention that you can role model for other students’ mirror neurons to copy?

When is a time that you unconsciously copied someone’s attitudes?

WHAT WENT WELL THIS WEEK?

LEADERSHIP WEEK

This week enjoy making a positive difference to other peoples’ lives, by creating activities using the strength LEADERSHIP, to grow relationships with your family, friends and school community. (Leadership Week worksheet and Leadership Wellbeing Award are in Individual Resources on www.learningcurve.com.au)

Acknowledgement: Seligman & Peterson

LEADERSHIP – Bringing out the best in others. Enjoy using Leadership this week to build your wellbeing.

What are the five most important values in your life? Write them down and live by them.

POSITIVE EMOTIONS + GRATITUDE

POSITIVE SELF-TALK

WHY: by using positive self-talk as a coping strategy to contest negative unhelpful thoughts, you will start feeling positive again.

HOW: say “I can and I will” statements over and over to yourself. For example, “I can and I will control my emotions and impulses”, or “I can and I will keep asking questions when I don’t understand something.” It also works well to spur yourself on to overcome challenges and to calm yourself when you feel anxious.

Acknowledgement: Ryan & Deci

DO: what self-talk can you use when you want to stop yourself doing something risky with your friends?

When you need to be strong to take breaks from social media, what self-talk can you use?

WHAT WENT WELL THIS WEEK?

WELLBEING@SCHOOL

When things don’t go your way, you can learn a lot about yourself. What is a coping strategy that you use to overcome difficult times, who is one of your Trusted Champions, and what is a concern that you could ask them to help you with?

Coping strategy

Trusted Champion Concern

Acknowledgement: ACARA 7-8 HPE

ABORIGINAL EDUCATION: World Book Day

SELF-REGULATION – Controlling your impulses and emotions. Enjoy using Self-Regulation this week to build your wellbeing.

HOW WAS I CURIOUS?

Fast food puts you in the fast lane to becoming overweight.

Term 2 – Week 6

HEALTH + STRENGTHS

MIND-BODY LINKS

WHY: by understanding that your mental and physical health are closely linked and affect each other, you will be more aware to take care of both of them.

HOW: make doing the Big Five a habit, smile more, look for what is right and on the bright side of life and give of yourself. These will enable you to enjoy a healthy immune system to fight illness, reduce blood pressure and anxiety, feel energised, and have regular and smooth heart rhythms.

Acknowledgement: Rath & Hassed

DO: when is a time that you noticed that your mental and physical health were closely linked?

How can following through on the Big Five assist you mentally and physically?

WHAT WENT WELL THIS WEEK?

MINDFUL MAZE

WHAT WAS I GRATEFUL FOR?

ABORIGINAL EDUCATION: Mabo Day

WELLBEING FITNESS CHALLENGE LOOKING FORWARD

Positively Focused ~ every morning thinking about what you are looking forward to most for the day ahead, writing it down, and enjoying it when it happens. What is something that you look forward to often and why?

WELLBEING TIP

Try mountain bike riding; a great workout in the outdoors and plenty of fun.

TERM TWO GOALS AND SUBJECT REFLECTIONS

This Lesson: WHY: for you to reflect on how far you moved towards achieving each of your three goals and progress in each of your subjects. HOW: in the left hand column, reflect on what you learned for each of your goals that you are grateful for and how far you reached towards achieving each of them. In the right hand column, reflect on how well you went in each of your main subjects.

REFLECTIONS ON MY TERM TWO LEARNING GOALS REFLECTIONS ON MY SUBJECTS

GOAL ONE: What positive things did I learn for this ‘learning and thinking skills’ goal?

....................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................

Mark where you felt you reached towards achieving this goal: 1 2 3 4 5

GOAL TWO: What positive things did I learn for this ‘building my respectful relationships’ goal?

Subject: My effort and outcome rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Something to improve?

Subject: .................................................................

My effort and outcome rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Something to improve? ................................................................................

Subject: My effort and outcome rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Something to improve?

Subject: .................................................................

My effort and outcome rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Mark where you felt you reached towards achieving this goal: 1 2 3 4 5

GOAL THREE: What positive things did I learn for this ‘what I want to achieve’ goal?

Something to improve?

Subject: My effort and outcome rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Something to improve? ................................................................................

Subject: My effort and outcome rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Mark where you felt you reached towards achieving this goal: 1 2 3 4 5

Something to improve?

YOUR GOALS TERM THREE

This Lesson: WHY: for you to write down three goals that you are determined to achieve. HOW: write down a goal for building your learning and thinking skills in class, a goal for building your respectful relationships and a goal about what I want to achieve for myself. Writing down goals is a tried and proven way to provide you with reasons to apply yourself well at school. Your goals are both your pathways forward and your anchors when things don’t go your way. Aim to set goals that will stretch your best self.

MY GOALS - MY PATHWAYS AND MY ANCHORS

GOAL ONE: About building my learning and thinking skills in class

I will ...........................................................................................................................................................................................

Starting Target: Circle where I think I am now on achieving this goal: 1 2 3 4 5

What could be a challenge and who can help me?

GOAL TWO: About building my respectful relationships

GOAL THREE: About what I want to achieve for myself I will

What could be a challenge and who can help me?

Acknowledgement: Sheldon & Adams Miller

Term 4 – Week 5

ACCOMPLISHMENT + OPTIMISM

ASKING FOR HELP

WHY: by asking your teachers questions to make things clearer, and asking your Trusted Champions to help you sort out relationship issues, you will protect your wellbeing.

HOW: ask immediately for help when you know that you need it, and don’t let learning and personal problems build up till you feel exhausted with worry. Problems don’t go away on their own. The main thing is to know who are the right people to ask for different problems and what to say.

Acknowledgement: Ericsson, Griffiths & Christensen

DO: when is a time that you knew you needed to ask for help and what did you say to ask?

What is a learning problem that you have that you should ask your teachers for help with today?

WHAT WENT WELL THIS WEEK?

MINDFULNESS TIME

Going Home: close your eyes and pretend you are travelling home from school. Focus on every turn, and every time you must stop and start the whole way home.

How many stops and traffic lights? .................................................................................

How many turns and other interesting things? .................................................................................

Acknowledgement: Kabat Zinn & Baer

ABORIGINAL EDUCATION: Racism and Discrimination

Rememberance Day

SENSE OF MEANING – Having a purpose larger than yourself. Enjoy using Sense of Meaning this week to build your wellbeing.

WHAT GOOD CHOICES DID I MAKE?

WELLBEING TIP

Exercise the brain by doing sudoku, crosswords, chess, games of logic; keeps it agile.

Term 4 – Week 11

MEANING + PURPOSE

RELATIONSHIP PROBLEM SOLVING

WHY: by solving problems fairly and quickly, which threaten your respectful relationships, you and the other person will continue to feel connected, protected and respected.

HOW: firstly, consider, what did you do or say? What were you thinking then? What have you thought since? Who has been affected and how? What could you have done or said differently? What would you do and say now? How would things change? What should you say and do to make things right?

Acknowledgement: Peterson & Gable

DO: when is a time that you sorted out a relationship problem with someone fairly and quickly?

What is a problem that you should start sorting out today?

WHAT WENT WELL THIS WEEK?

RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS

To become the person you want to be, use positive “I can and I will” self-talk to contest negative unhelpful thoughts. E.g. “I can learn new approaches and I will fix my mistakes.” Create two positive self-talk “I can and I will” statements to contest different types of negative unhelpful thoughts that you could have.

WHAT DID I ACHIEVE?

Acknowledgement: 7-8 RRRR, Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne