Flexible thinking allows for multiple solutions to a problem. This lesson explores the concept of ‘flexible thinking’, recognising the importance of considering multiple points of view and solutions to a problem. Flexible thinking is important for building a students resilience and helps them confidentially tackle the unknown and unexpected.

Year level

7-10

Duration

60 minutes

Type

In class activity

SEL Competencies

Self-awareness

Social awareness

Relationship skills

Responsible decision-making

Learning intention

Students can recognise that thinking flexibly and being able to listen to and accept other people's points of view is a key ingredient in developing resilience.

Key outcomes

By the end of the lesson, students will understand that:

  • flexible thinking requires an ability to listen to other people’s opinions

  • having multiple solutions to a problem relieves pressure during tough times

  • having a Plan B is a core component of flexible thinking.

Materials needed

Mapped to

Australian Curriculum Health and Physical Education

  • Evaluate the influence of respect, empathy, power and coercion on establishing and maintaining respectful relationships (AC9HP10P04)

  • Evaluate emotional responses in different situations to refine strategies for managing emotions (AC9HP10P06)

Australian Curriculum: General Capabilities

  • Personal and Social Capability:

    • Social awareness

    • Social management

    • Self-awareness

    • Self-management

NSW PDHPE Syllabus

  • Examines and evaluates strategies to manage current and future challenges (PD4-1)

  • Demonstrates self-management skills to effectively manage complex situations (PD4-9)

  • Assesses their own and others’ capacity to reflect on and respond positively to challenges (PD5-1)

  • Assesses and applies self-management skills to effectively manage complex situations (PD5-9)

Victorian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education

  • Evaluate strategies to manage personal, physical and social changes that occur as they grow older (VCHPEP124)

  • Examine barriers to seeking support and evaluate strategies to overcome these (VCHPEP125)

  • Investigate and select strategies to promote health, safety and wellbeing (VCHPEP126)

  • Examine the impact of changes and transitions on relationships (VCHPEP143)

  • Evaluate situations and propose appropriate emotional responses and then reflect on possible outcomes of different responses to health and wellbeing (VCHPEP147)

Show details

Activity 1

Class discussion: What is flexible thinking?

20 minutes

Ask students to think about the following questions:

  • What decisions have you had to make today?

  • What impacted on these decisions and your ultimate choices?

  • Were they hard decisions to make?

  • Did you have to change a plan (e.g. what to have for breakfast, or how you were going to get to school)?

Flexible thinking allows for multiple solutions to a problem. Being able to develop alternative plans (Plan Bs) is a vital aspect of resilience. Thinking flexibly and being able to listen to and accept other people’s points of view is a key ingredient in developing resilience.

Life is full of choices. Some decisions are easy to make, such as what to have for dinner; while others are more serious, such as which career to choose. Regardless of how important a decision is, good decision-making skills are useful in life, especially if you feel indecisive about something and it’s getting you down.

Activity 2

Article review: Decision making 101

20 minutes

  1. Share the article Decision making 101 with students.

  2. In small groups, students think of situations where this process would be helpful.

  3. Students discuss the process and think about challenges they would have and how they could overcome them.

  4. Would they add anything to this article?

Activity 3

Activity: Plan Bs

20 minutes

Things don’t always go the way we plan them. Resilient people understand that there are occasions when we may have to abandon our initial plans and switch to a back-up plan (Plan B).

Create a list of Plan Bs for the following ‘What if …?’ hypothetical scenarios:

  • What if you were working on an assignment at home and realised you didn’t save the correct version of the assignment?

  • What if you woke up late and missed the bus?

  • What if you forgot your sports uniform?

Print

Related resources

classroom resource empathy

Empathy

classroom resource impulse control

Impulse control

classroom resource self efficacy

Self-efficacy

wellbeing 5 whats in a name

What's in a name?

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              ReachOut values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.

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