Aiming High Step 0

Aiming High: The ability to set clear, tangible goals and devise a robust route to achieving them.

Step 0: I know when I am finding something too difficult

Outcomes

To achieve Step 0, learners will be able to identify when they are finding something too difficult.

This is the first step in Aiming High and the focus is first on helping learners to recognise the limits of what they are able to do.

Learners need to be able to:

Recognise when they are finding something too difficult
Stop or seek help if they need to

Introduction

When we first do things, we might find them difficult.
We might know that something is too difficult if we cannot work out what to do next, or how to do it, or we cannot answer something.
When something is too difficult, we might also feel some negative emotions. For example, we might feel sad, disappointed, angry or scared.

Skill Starter

Against the Clock

Set learners a physical challenge to complete within a set time period, for example to see how many keepy-uppies can be done in 2 minutes or a bleep test.

This could be a new technique or something you have been practising.

Encourage learners to stop or seek help when they are finding it too difficult. Learners could also take on the role of ‘cheerleaders’ to encourage those who are still going and cheer them on. At the end, reflect on how they knew when it because too difficult.

10 mins

Group activity

Active

Teach & Apply

It is important that if something is too difficult then we don’t just keep going because that might place us in danger.
If a situation is dangerous, it helps us to know we should keep trying or not. If something is not dangerous, then it might be worth trying again, and persisting in case we can work it out by ourselves. We might be able to find something out or ask someone to help us.
If something is dangerous or feels dangerous then we should never attempt to do it ourselves.

Optional Activity

Obstacle Course

Set up an obstacle course with different pieces of equipment (cones, hoops, etc). Halfway through the obstacle course, set up a challenge which would need to completed in pairs or groups, such as reaching something high up or lifting something.

Give a verbal demonstration of the obstacle course. Starting off individually, learners should begin the course. Where possible, try to avoid giving a direct instruction about where they may need to seek help.

Award points for learners recognising their limits and helping each other to complete the course

15 mins

Group activity

Active

Reflection & Assessment

Embed these strategies across your teaching and coaching to help learners apply what they’ve learnt.

Learners can be asked to identify whether they are struggling with something that they will be able to get better at with practice, or whether it is too difficult and they need to help. Any dangerous situations should be highlighted so that learners understand the limits of what they can sensibly do

Use these ideas for ways of assessing this skill step to help you check learners’ understanding and confidence.

You can apply reflective exercise where learners are given different scenarios and asked to consider whether the scenario is one where they should continue to persist or whether they should stop because there is danger.
Ask these reflective questions:
- How do you know if something is too difficult for you?
- What do we mean by danger?
- Why is it important to think about danger?