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Students will imagine and write about their lives 40 years from now.
Digital Engagement Module
Lesson 6/9
Available Lesson Resources
Lesson 6: Best Possible Self
Before you start the lesson, make sure to read through the lesson overview and the lesson preparation. The Facilitator Guide can also help you prepare.
Lesson Preparation
ESTIMATED TIME
- 20 Minutes
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
- What are some ways you can become your best possible self?
- Why is it important to think about this now?
MATERIALS
- “Best Possible Self” Handout
- Writing Materials
PREPARATION
- Take a moment to identify the three most important values to you listed on the handout. Why are these values so important to you? How do they influence your daily life and your long-term plans?
OPTIONAL: ISTE DIGCITCOMMIT COMPETENCY
- INCLUSIVE: I am open to hearing and respectfully recognizing multiple viewpoints and I engage with others online with respect and empathy.
Ready?
Begin Lesson
TELL YOUR STUDENTS
You are going to do an exercise that will allow you to be as creative as you want to be: You’re going to imagine what your life might be like 40 years from now.
CLASS INTERACTION
Start by inviting students to close their eyes or to look at a spot on the floor in front of them and to take a few deep breaths.
ASK YOUR STUDENTS
Take a moment to imagine your life 40 years from now. Things have gone as well as you possibly could have hoped. Silently visualize your answers to my next questions.
- What will you be doing?
- Who will be in your life?
- What will be most important to you?
CLASS INTERACTION
Give students the “Best Possible Self” handout and ask them to complete it on their own. When students have finished, give students the opportunity to share either their writing or their thoughts about this process with each other or with the whole class, if they feel comfortable doing so.
ASK YOUR STUDENTS
- Ask students to reflect on whether this exercise confirmed their sense of purpose or if they aren’t sure of their purpose, did it give them any clues or insight into what their purpose might be?
TELL YOUR STUDENTS
Understanding our sense of purpose, can not only help us in our daily lives, but it can also ensure we are practicing positive online engagement that showcases our best possible self and drives us toward our purpose.
Assignment
(in class or homework)
Reflection After the Practice
- How did students respond to this practice? Did they find it helpful in helping them decide what their purpose might be?
Congrats!
You've finished the lesson
Source:
This lesson is being shared through collaboration with the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. The Purpose Challenge Toolkit was created by Dr. Kendall Cotton-Bronk in partnership with the Greater Good Science Center and Prosocial. kendallcottonbronk.com. For more information, visit: purposechallenge.org & ggie.berkeley.edu/practice/best-possible-self.
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