Understanding Ourselves and Getting On Together

Professional learning support 

To find out more about using these activities in your classroom, visit the "Understanding the learning activities for the mental health key area of learning" page.
Background information

Refer to the Mental Health Education Guide for an extensive account of teaching and learning about mental health in the curriculum.
Mental Health Education Guide

Activities 

• Identity and self-worth: Me – right now!
  Me – right now! offers ākonga opportunities to identify what makes them unique and develop self-awareness by creating a personal profile.
• Identity and self-worth: Feeling good about myself
  Feeling good about myself supports ākonga to acknowledge each other’s strengths and contributes to an inclusive classroom environment.
• Identity and self-worth: Celebrating whānau
  Celebrating whānau asks ākonga to describe their whānau and their place in it.
• Identity and self-worth: Guidelines for our class as a whānau
  Guidelines for our class as a whānau gives ākonga the opportunity to contribute and co-create class guidelines and values. 
• Identity and self-worth: I belong
  I belong gives ākonga the opportunity to confidently express their ideas, needs, and feelings as class members, and to sensitively listen to others in class.
• Identity and self-worth: Applying for a school or class job
  Applying for a school or class job helps ākonga to recognise their strengths, and how they can use those strengths to support and awhi one another.
• Enhancing relationships: What is a friend?
  Enhance relationships between class members by asking ākonga to consciously identify the qualities of good friendships.
• Enhancing relationships: Relationships across the lifespan
  Examine the wider cultural, social and community factors that inform how we understand ourselves and other people.
• Enhancing relationships: Contributing to effective group work
  Contributing to effective group work challenges ākonga to recognise and describe their individual strengths, and areas that need to be developed, as they work together.
• Enhancing relationships: Weather chart
  Weather chart gives ākonga the vocabulary and opportunity to discuss how they feel.
• Enhancing relationships: Active listening
  Thinking critically about the value of active listening for making and maintaining friendships.
• Enhancing relationships: Being assertive
  Being assertive gives ākonga the opportunity to practise respectfully demonstrating assertiveness when their rights are challenged.
• Enhancing relationships: Making choices
  Making choices prompts ākonga to examine the choices, consequences, beliefs, and values that are involved in making decisions. 
• Enhancing relationships: Communication skills for successful friendships
  Give ākonga the opportunity to explore a range of interpersonal skills that promote mental health.
• Supportive environments: Discrimination – under investigation
  Asking ākonga to examine the reasons why ākonga exclude other rangatahi.
• Supportive environments: Rights, responsibilities, and actions
  Identifying and describing the rights and responsibilities of all ākonga and kaiako within the classroom community.
• Supportive environments: Who says so?
  Asking ākonga to identify and critically evaluate the ways that the media portrays rangatahi (young people).
• Supportive environments: Asking for help
  Asking for help identifies people and agencies that can provide guidance and support when ākonga are facing relationship problems or conflict.
• Supportive environments: We can make a difference
  Challenge ākonga to plan and host a school event that celebrates diversity and promotes the inclusion of all ākonga.