Junior Mental Toughness Development Toolkit

What will the world* look like in ….. Exercise A Visualisation Exercise Running the exercise – A simple exercise which challenges students to visualise what will be different about the world* at some future date (say 25 years’ time). You can then add to that by asking students to visualise what do they think might be the impact on them – what will they need to know, have skills, et. 1. Explain that students will do an exercise, which will help them to visualise into the future and then use visualisation to explore what that might mean for them. This exercise is to be completed individually. 2. Explain that: Lesson One (3 minute brief to class) You are to imagine what the world will look like in 25 years’ time. Please try to keep monsters and aliens out of it! You need to focus on one aspect of what you imagine and think about what that might mean for you personally. What knowledge, skills, and attitudes, etc. will you need to possess to lead a happy and fulfilling life? You can also think why school is important in preparing you for the future you imagine. It doesn’t have to be something big. It can be something simple. In the next lesson you will have 1 – 2 minutes max to present your thoughts and ideas to the class. Lesson Two Each of you can share with the class your idea of what the world might look like in 25 years’ time and what you think that might mean for you. You have 1 – 2 minutes. Teacher Review Suggested questions: How did they feel about presenting their information? Nervous, but OK? How hard was it to do this? How difficult was it to imagine something that wasn’t yet there? How interesting was it to hear everyone else’s visions? An option is get the class to vote for the most “interesting vision”. *This exercise can be customised around a range of themes. The visualisation element can be focused on a curriculum topic. It can also be made more specific e.g. imagine what the food we eat/transport/schools/ jobs, etc. will look like in 25 years’ time or “imagine being a teacher in 25 years’ time - what would you be doing and what would you say to pupils?” © AQR International 2016

What will the world* look like in ….. Exercise Background This exercise demonstrates visualisation- the ability to use the inside of one’s head to imagine and feel a situation that is not actually there. However psychologists tell us that the experience can be as real as if it really happened. We can also manipulate what is in our heads – making it better, more positive, less threatening, etc.) The exercise also picks up on interpersonal confidence in that they have to tell the rest of the class about their visualisations and may also share their feelings about the visualised situation. The goal here is to show young people how to use the inside of their heads to focus on opportunities and where, threats exist, to learn (inside their heads) how to deal with them. Discussion Guides: When everyone has shared their ideas ask the class to re-imagine their own picture of the future incorporating some the ideas they have heard. This shows that they can manipulate ideas in their head – making them positive and dealing with negatives thoughts. This is a very good exercise to run prior to running the “What does it feel like in an exam?” exercise. Why do students feel good when they have completed a task – even a simple task? How does that feeling compare to when they fail to achieve a task. What difference does this make for them? Does it make them more or less positive about achieving the next task? Support Materials & Resources No special materials required. © AQR International 2016

Vision Boards An Exercise to help with commitment. Running the exercise – This activity usually takes an hour to complete. There are two options for running this exercise: Option 1: This exercise works really well when pupils use power point to design their posters. Each pupil would need a computer with internet access to images. Option 2: This activity can be completed on paper. Before completing the task you would need to ask pupils to bring in pictures from magazines or print images off that they can use to make their poster. For this option, you’ll need scissors, paper, pens, glue, magazine images, pictures or images that have been printed. Ask the pupils to: Phase 1 Ask pupils to shut their eye and to think about all the things that are really important to them. Try to include images from all different areas of their life. It might be school, home, and friends. Ask them to think about what type of activities they are doing. Then ask them to think about things that they would like to do in the future. It’s important they try and think of things that will make them feel good, rather than just on objects they would like to own. When pupils open their eyes they should make a list of all the thing that appeared. These ideas can then be the starting point for the board. Phase 2 This phase depends on whether pupils are working on paper or a PC. Pupils should create a vision board of images that are important to them, now and in the future. Remind pupils that they shouldn’t just focus on things they want! Phase 3 The posters will make an excellent classroom display. © AQR International 2016

Vision Boards Background Discussion Guides: What did you include on your board? Why are these images important? How do they make you feel? Support Materials & Resources Search google images for of posters to show pupils. © AQR International 2016

PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION A Relaxation/Anxiety Control Exercise Running the exercise - A highly participative exercise which can be run comfortably and repeatedly as a part of a lesson. A cycle will take on average 10 minutes. 1. Students should do this sitting down. Students will do an exercise where they will be shown a way of releasing tension. When anxious the body reacts by tightening muscles. Bringing this under control helps to release the tension. 2. Explain that: You do this exercise on your own. Sit comfortably with a straight back. Tell yourself that you are going to relax. Slow your breathing. We are going to do an exercise called Progressive Muscular Relaxation – it’s a very well-known technique. We will go around the body tensing and then relaxing muscles. By the end you should be very relaxed. At each step, tense the muscle slowly, hold it for 5 seconds and then relax for about 10 – 15 seconds before the next step in the cycle. Say “Relax!” as you relax each muscle. Think about your muscles relaxing while you do this. The sequence is as follows: 1. Right hand and forearm. Make a fist with your right hand. 2. Right upper arm. Bring your right forearm up to your shoulder to “make a muscle”. 3. (2 steps) Repeat for the left hand and for the left upper arm. 4. Forehead. Raise your eyebrows as high as they will go, as if surprised. 5. Mouth and jaw. Open your mouth as wide as you can, as if yawning. 6. Neck. Be careful as you tense these muscles. Face forward and then pull your head back slowly, as though you are looking up to the ceiling. 7. Shoulders. Tense the muscles in your shoulders as you bring your shoulders up towards your ears. 8. Shoulder blades/Back. Push your shoulder blades back, trying to almost touch them together, so that your chest is pushed forward. 9. Chest and stomach. Breathe in deeply, filling up your lungs and chest with air. 10. Hips and bottom. Squeeze your bottom muscles. 11. Right upper leg. Tighten your right thigh. 12. Right lower leg. Do this slowly and carefully to avoid cramps. Pull your toes towards you to stretch the calf muscle. 13. Right foot. Curl your toes downwards. 14. (3 steps) Repeat for left foot and left upper and lower leg. © AQR International 2016

PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION Teacher Review Ask class to describe how they feel. Can they feel the tension draining away from their muscles? Do they feel more positive? Remind them that this is a thorough exercise that they should practice whenever they can – at least twice a week. The more they practice the better this works. Later they can focus this exercise on specific groups of muscles – which makes the exercise quicker and sometimes easier. Background One of the body’s responses to fear, anxiety and pressure is muscle tension. This is a result of the “fight or flight response” humans developed thousands of years ago when dealing with threats from sabre toothed tigers and the like. Unfortunately we still respond like this even to imagined threats. It heightens our sense of “anxiety” and can help to create those “panic moments” – this has an impact on our confidence, our sense of control, our response to challenge and our determination or commitment to deliver. Controlled breathing is especially important – most people only use 20% of their breathing capacity – a good and balanced supply of oxygen to the body is important for relaxation as well as response to activity. Discussion Guides:  How did the pupils feel before and after the exercise? (An option is to ask students score anxiety on a scale of 1 – 10 before and after).  If they feel the benefit, will they practice this regularly? Practice does make perfect.  Did they feel more positive after the exercise? Support Materials & Resources No special materials needed. Ideally students should wear loose clothing. © AQR International 2016

BREATHING & CALMING EXERCISE A short Relaxation/Anxiety Control Exercise Running the exercise - A highly participative exercise which can be run comfortably and repeatedly as a part of a lesson. 1. Students can do this sitting down. 2. Explain that students will do an exercise where they will be shown a quick and easy way of releasing tension. When anxious the body reacts by tightening muscles or disrupting breathing. Bringing one or the other under control helps to release the tension. 3. Explain that: You do this exercise on your own. Sit comfortably with a straight back. Tell yourself that you are going to relax. We want you to take deep breaths using the stomach rather than the chest. Put one hand on your stomach and then other on your chest. The hand on your stomach should rise when you breathe in. Take a deep breath (through the nose if possible) slowly for 4 seconds; hold it for 4 seconds (mentally counting from 1 to 4). Release the breath slowly over 6 seconds. Pause for a couple of seconds before repeating the cycle. Repeat the sequence 4 times. Teacher Review Ask class to describe how they feel. Can they feel the tension draining away from their muscles? Do they feel calmer? Remind them that this is a quick and easy exercise that they should practice whenever they can – at home, before sports or challenging activity, etc. A note The normal rate of breathing is 10 – 12 breaths per minute, slowing your breathing down is an effective calming technique. Encourage students to practice this regularly – at least twice a week. With practice, students can reduce anxiety even when in stressful situations like the start of an exam or an interview. © AQR International 2016

BREATHING & CALMING EXERCISE Background One of the body’s responses to fear, anxiety and pressure is muscle tension and/or disrupted or faster breathing. This is a result of the “fight or flight response” humans developed thousands of years ago when dealing with threats from sabre toothed tigers and the like. Unfortunately we still respond like this even to imagined threats. It heightens or sense of “anxiety” and can help to create those “panic moments” – this impacts on our confidence, our sense of control, our response to challenge and our determination or commitment to deliver. Controlled breathing is especially important – most people only use 20% of their breathing capacity – a good and balanced supply of oxygen to the body is important for relaxation as well as response to activity. Discussion Guides:  How did the pupils feel before and after the exercise? (An option is to ask students score anxiety on a scale of 1 – 10 before and after).  If they feel the benefit, will they practice this regularly? Practice does make perfect.  Did they feel more positive after the exercise? Support Materials & Resources No special materials needed. © AQR International 2016

The DE-STRESSERIZER A control exercise Running the exercise – you will need to prepare the materials in advance to assist in the activity. Once completed the students can keep their ball at their desk, provided they are sensible with them. Each student will need a surface to work on, three balloons, a water/drinks bottle half filled with flour/rice mixture in it and some scissors. 1. Ask the students to place the three balloons on their surface. The balloons should all be the same size and shape and all uninflated. 2. Ask each student to follow your instructions so they get the process right. Getting it wrong may end up with flour/rice all over the classroom or them! 3. Ask them to take a balloon and blow it up slightly. Get them to pinch the neck once it has a little air in it. 4. Each student can then take their water bottle filled with a flour and rice mixture (you can decide on the amount of flour/rice) and place the top of the balloon over the neck of the bottle. 5. Get them to fill the balloon with the mixture. They will want to fill it around 5cm deep (so that it is around a handful when tied up). 6. Remove the balloon from the bottle and pinch out the excess air. Tie the balloon up. 7. Using the scissors, snip off the excess rubber by the knot – remind them not to cut too close to the knot! 8. Wrap the other two balloons around the first one at a time, making sure the knot gets snipped on the second and third. You will want them to cover the previous ball in the opposite way with the additional balloon so that the knot is covered by the balloon. 9. Get them to squeeze their new stress ball. Explain that: By focusing on each stage they are concentrating and listening actively so that they can complete the activity. Once they have completed the stages and have their stress ball they can decorate or put their initials on it. Be clear that they are not for throwing around! The total time for this exercise is 10-15 minutes (not including clearing excess materials away). © AQR International 2016

The DE-STRESSERIZER Teacher Review Ask the students when they think they will use the ball the most. Ask them to think about what might stress them and how they can use the ball to relieve the stress. Ask them how it feels when they squeeze the ball tight. Does it release tension? Explain to them by squeezing the ball we are muting the brains thought process of being ‘stressed’ by taking away the focus from that and putting it into the action of squeezing the ball. NOTE – Teacher review: Don't use water balloons, which are too thin and weak for this purpose. Have the materials ready to limit any mess, especially with flour. Get the students to initial the balls with their name so they know which is theirs. Background This is a very straightforward exercise which is used to promote active listening while also producing an object at the end which they can use. Theory suggests that when we are under stress we take information in through two channels. One is the basic, primal sensory channel: the sights, sounds, sensations, and smells of the situation. The other is an intellectual channel: our brains trying to make sense of what’s going on, and put it into words and a context that we can talk about. Researchers have shown that if the basic sensory channel is occupied or “blocked”, people don’t experience events as vividly; the intellectual channel is muted. Large parts of our brains are dedicated to processing the information which comes in from our hands. This means that stress relief techniques which concentrate on the hands will use up more “brain cycles” and pull processing power away from intellectual activities. – (cognitusuk.com) Teacher notes By having several specific stages of the process it will draw attention from the students and will make the activity more positive and increase their listening skills. Support Materials & Resources Balloons (3 per person) Water/drinks bottles or funnels Flour and/or rice (enough to fill up all the balloons) Scissors © AQR International 2016

The 5 x 30 exercise An anxiety control and wellbeing exercise Running the exercise – students can be invited to participate in this exercise but should not be forced into doing so. It will be their choice if they want to or not. Students who decide not to can use other exercises to work on their anxiety and wellbeing. This exercise can be a short (1-2 weeks) or long term (over a year) exercise. The 5 x 30 diary will be needed for this exercise. Explain that: The role of exercise is very important in the wellbeing of individuals. According to some studies, regular exercise works for some people to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and the effects can be long lasting. One vigorous exercise session can help alleviate symptoms for hours, and a regular schedule may significantly reduce them over time. The aim of the exercise is to 1. Over the duration of one week to Jog, run, walk, cycle, or dance three to five times a week for 30 minutes. 2. The aim will be to work up to 5 x 30 mins by beginning with short exercises or activities that build up to the 30 minutes. 3. By setting smaller daily goals and aiming for daily consistency rather than perfect workouts there is more likelihood to achieve. 4. Explain that it would be better to walk every day for 15-20 minutes rather than trying to do a marathon at the weekend! 5. Ask the students to keep a log in their 5 x 30 diary to monitor activity. 6. Identify some milestones where students can reflect on the activity they have been doing. The total time for this exercise is 10-15 minutes. There should be regular updates as a group and individuals. Encouraging students to identify some key milestones to reflect on the impact of exercise. Teacher Review This is a voluntary exercise for students who feel that activities will be helpful in them relieving stress, anxiety and improving wellbeing. Get the students to identify some short term goals in what they wish to achieve. Ask them if they feel confident that they can find time to exercise. If not, why? © AQR International 2016

The 5 x 30 exercise NOTE – Teacher review: Get the students to ‘buddy up’. By having a partner this may motivate them to continue. Ensure that the students are patient and manage their expectations. Studies show it can usually take around 4 – 6 weeks to feel the effects of exercising. Give the students some ideas for making the exercise fun – making a playlist on an iPod, setting small challenges etc. Background The effect of exercise can vary from person to person: Some people may respond positively, others may find it doesn’t improve their mood much and some may experience only a modest short-term benefit. It is important to understand that is a voluntary exercise and at no point should a student be pushed into doing exercise. Encouragement will be key and positive reinforcement through interest by the teaching staff will help. Support Materials & Resources 5 x 30 Diary Possible access to gym (if applicable) © AQR International 2016

MAKING A FIST A short Relaxation/Anxiety Control Exercise Running the exercise - A highly participative exercise which can be run comfortably and repeatedly as a part of a lesson. 1. Students can do this standing up or sitting down. 2. Explain that students will do an exercise where they will be shown a quick and easy way of releasing tension. When anxious the body reacts by tightening muscles or disrupting breathing. Bringing one or the other under control helps to release the tension. 3. Explain that: You do this exercise on your own. Sit comfortably with a straight back. Tell yourself that you are going to relax. Slow your breathing and allow a few moments to let muscles relax. With your arms down your side, make a tight fist with your right hand. You should feel your arm muscles tighten. Hold it for 10 seconds. Release the fist and feel the tension drain away (wait for 15 seconds). Repeat this with your left hand, making a fist and holding it for 10 seconds. Release the fist and feel the tension drain away (wait for 15 seconds). Repeat the sequence 4 times. Teacher Review Ask class to describe how they feel. Can they feel the tension draining away from their muscles? Do they feel more positive? Remind them that this is a quick and easy exercise that they should practice whenever they can – at home, before sports or challenging activity, etc. An Option (as a second phase): You can extend this exercise to include the upper arm. Make a fist with your right hand and raise your right forearm slowly up to your shoulder to make a muscle”. Hold for 10 seconds. Bring the forearm back down slowly and release the fist. Relax for 15 seconds. Make a fist with your left hand and raise your left forearm slowly up to your shoulder to “make a muscle”. Hold for 10 seconds. Bring the forearm back down slowly and release the fist. Relax for 15 seconds © AQR International 2016

MAKING A FIST Background One of the body’s responses to fear, anxiety and pressure is muscle tension and/or disrupted or faster breathing. This is a result of the “fight or flight response” humans developed thousands of years ago when dealing with threats from sabre toothed tigers and the like. Unfortunately we still respond like this even to imagined threats. It heightens or sense of “anxiety” and can help to create those “panic moments” – this impacts on our confidence, our sense of control, our response to challenge and our determination or commitment to deliver. Controlled breathing is especially important – most people only use 20% of their breathing capacity – a good and balanced supply of oxygen to the body is important for relaxation as well as response to activity. Discussion Guides:  How did the pupils feel before and after the exercise? (An option is to ask students score anxiety on a scale of 1 – 10 before we and after).  If they feel the benefit, will they practice this regularly? Practice does make perfect.  Did they feel more positive after the exercise? Support Materials & Resources No special materials needed. © AQR International 2016

TAKE NINE BREATHS A Concentration Exercise – This is an excellent icebreaker or starter for a lesson. A very simple short breathing exercise , which research has shown is enough to refocus the minds of highly distracted people. It works especially well with multitaskers – those who read, watch television and use their phone at the same time. Running the exercise – The mindfulness task simply involves counting groups of nine breaths: nine inhales and nine exhales. I want you to do something simple and straightforward. Sitting at your desk, I want you to inhale slowly and exhale slowly nine times - whilst counting down in your head the number of times you breate.. Teacher Review: Research by two psychologists – Gorman and Green - has shown that deep focus on a single thing, and that single thing is not actually very demanding of your attention can improve concentration significantly. No one can stay focused on it indefinitely – hence only 9 breaths. The beneficial effects aren’t long lasting, as they didn’t carry over across days but they effective for a lesson or a whole day of lessons. Ask students how they feel after the exercise – has it cleared their heads Observe whether their attention has improved. Support Materials & Resources None needed © AQR International 2016

Thunderclap An Attentional Control Exercise Running the exercise – no materials are needed here, this can be done with a small group but the larger the better. The exercise is aimed at younger students but can be used ad hoc in assemblies and large groups. Time can be dependent on the number of cycles you wish the group to undertake. Divide the group into three teams, around similar numbers. Explain to the whole group that: 1. They are collectively going to contribute in making a thunderstorm by making 4 sounds only. 2. The sounds they will be making are Drizzle – this will be done by gently rubbing palms of hands together to make a light whispering noise Light rain – by moving hands up and down in opposite directions, palms brushing against each other as they pass Heavy rain – clapping hands together Thunder – cupping hands and clapping them against your thighs 3. Ask the first group to make drizzle, then ask the second group to make drizzle. Then ask the third to do the same. Then ask the first group to make light rain while the other two groups maintain drizzle. Then bring on board the other groups to make drizzle and so on through the sounds until they are all making thunder. 4. Then work backwards by making the first group to make heavy rain and so forth through the groups and noises until they are all back to drizzle. The total time for this exercise is 10 minutes. Teacher Review The need for concentration and awareness of the role they play in the exercise is important so that they are working as a smaller team as part of a bigger outcome. Get the students to think about focussing on their task. © AQR International 2016

Thunderclap NOTE – Teacher review: This exercise works well with small and large groups and compliments other attentional control exercises such as the Number Grid (Cue Card xxx). By mixing the two exercises up alternatively the students can understand the different ways of bringing their mind to focus on a task. Background Attentional control techniques are very useful for getting students to think about how they keep their ‘eye on the ball’. It also is a great way of getting people to remove distractions from their thoughts. It’s especially useful for bringing a group to focus after a period of activity (like lunch or PE). The exercise also rests on the teamwork of the smaller groups – something which they can build on as part of their development Discussion Guides: At the end of the exercise ask the students how difficult they found it to concentrate at the beginning. Did it get easier as the exercise went on? Were they worried about messing it up? Did they think it would get so loud? Ask them how they felt when it was all building up to the crescendo. Was it exciting? Did it make them feel good that it was all working in harmony? Support Materials & Resources No materials required. © AQR International 2016

US Basketball Exercise A Positive Thinking and Concentration Exercise Running the exercise – no materials are required Teacher shares objectives and why we are doing this. 1. Ask students to pair up and face each other. You will play a competitive game with each other but first you need to learn how to play the game. 2. Do a couple of practice runs. Firstly stand with hands behind your backs. Then bring your hands up in front of yourselves with the palms of your hands facing away from you (at around chest height) and with the palms facing the other person’s palms so that all four hands are comfortably in sight of both of you. First time around many will do this slowly and hesitantly. Repeat the practice run but exhort them to do it much more quickly. 3. When ready, say: You are going to compete with each other over 5 rounds. Only now when you bring your hands up, you choose how many fingers and thumbs you will show. You do this whilst your hands are behind your back. The winner is the one who counts all the fingers (and thumbs) on all four hands in front of them and who is the first to shout out the correct answer. 4. Announce each of the rounds by counting down 3-2-1-Go! 5. Take everyone through the first 4 rounds. A really good buzz develops. Concentration develops over the 4 rounds. Most take it seriously and enjoy it. Some “cheating might emerge”. Some may delay bringing their hands up which gives them a slight advantage. Some always show 8 - 10 fingers and thumbs – knowing that the other will have to count them all whilst they may only have to count a few on their opponents hand. It’s not important and best treated lightly. 6. After the fourth round, check generally to see if there are any clear leaders who are winning 3-1 or even 4-0. Now announce: There is change in the rules - for the final round, the slate is wiped clean and this is now “winner take all”. You will now get groans and some might complain “it’s not fair”. If so respond firmly that “life’s not fair” and “get over it”. You make the rules anyway. 7. Run the fifth round. Congratulate winners, commiserate with the losers. © AQR International 2016

US Basketball Exercise Background and Objectives for the Sessions This is an exercise used by the US basketball team (who rarely lose) to teach players to focus and to concentrate. It works remarkably well. The sudden change in rules is designed to show people how to deal with setbacks. Some will be thrown whereas others seize the opportunity and take it in their stride. It is an experiential exercise which requires structured reflection to enable them to extract learning to build a sense of control and understand how to concentrate. Discussion Guides:  Did everyone enjoy doing this?  What did they think was the key to success in this exercise? – They should point to concentration and focus and not letting the change in rules upset them.  How did they feel when you changed the rules before the last round? How did those ahead feel and how did those who were behind feel? What did it do to their mindset – were they more or less determined to win? Those who were behind should talk about how their mindset changed from feeling they were losing to feeling they were in with a chance. The trick is to do this in the head at any time. They can do that at any time simply by imagining everything is still possible when things go badly.  What did they do to improve focus as the exercise progressed? Can they do this elsewhere – like doing coursework, writing assignments, before an exam, etc?  Why do they think this might help performance, wellbeing and behaviour? Finally a useful message here is that even a world beating team like the US Basketball Team (which pretty much wins all of the time) practices concentration and dealing with setbacks because it is so important to success. © AQR International 2016

Number Grid Concentration Exercise Running the exercise - Paper and pencil version- run in up to 4 cycles, enabling learning from each cycle to be applied to the next attempt. 1. You need a stopwatch (on your smart phone) and copies of the number grid to enable attendees to complete it 4 times. Students need a pen or pencil. 2. Explain that students will do an exercise which will “test” their ability to focus. They must also follow your instructions closely…and must not cheat. 3. Issue a sheet to each person (say, sheet with Grids A and B). Ask to place the sheet in front of them with Grid B facing upwards. 4. Explain that: When I say “GO” you can turn the sheet over and work on the Number Grid which is now facing up (Grid A). This avoids people “cheating” by looking ahead. Turning the sheet over, you need to find 00, cross it off, then 1, cross it off and so on. You must do this strictly in sequence – no cheating – no skipping numbers. You have 90 seconds. The last number crossed off will obviously be your score. 5. Run one round. Shout “Stop” when time is up. You can use different time intervals - up to 3 minutes works. Teacher Review Ask how many scored more than 25 (rare), more than 20, more than 15 and less than 15. Most first time scores are around the 12 – 18 mark. Ask the students with the highest score how they achieved that. Similarly with the students with the lowest score ask what they found difficult or challenging. Encourage short discussion so that all learn ideas about improving their scores. 6. Re-run the exercise three more times, each time challenge students to improve their scores. Teacher Review – after each round Ask how many have improved and how many have worse scores. Congratulate those who have improved their scores and ask them to share “What did you do this time that you didn’t do before”. This shows learning. Over time everyone should improve on their original score and will be concentrating like mad. Encourage students to:  Reflect on what they have done and what they have learned  Identify what they can do to improve concentration  Think how they can apply this to coursework, study, reading, etc. © AQR International 2016

Number Grid Concentration Exercise Background This is an exercise which is engaging and illustrates the value of repeated practice as well as concentration. It involves everyone in debate. It has the advantage that it has a built in scoring mechanism which enables progression to be assessed. Improving Attention Control i.e. the ability to focus longer and to focus better can produce some of the biggest boost to productivity, learning and wellbeing. Studies show that it is possible to improve attention span from an (UK) average of 8 minutes to 45+ minutes. Not only enabling students to be more productive but it takes the stress out of such activities. Discussion Guides: Why do students think their score has changed (hopefully up)? Do people feel more positive and more focused? What difference does this make for them? E.g. when reading or writing? Why do they think concentration helps performance, wellbeing and behaviour? Reflection will usually produce a crop of answers around three themes: 1. Techniques – often to do with organising themselves 2. Setting goals and targets and steadily working towards them. th 3. Concentrating and blocking out distractions…By the 4 cycle students will often be so focused on the exercise that they fail to notice what anyone else is doing. This illustrates that improving focus can be learned and that most can work it out for themselves or by talking to others. This is experiential learning. Support Materials & Resources Pre-printed A4 sheets specially designed for this with double sided grids are available in pads of 50 from AQR. An on-line version is available on http://www.salticid.com/concentration.htm The grid is automatically refreshed randomly each use. It is impossible to cheat. You can alter the dimensions of the grid to make it more difficult over time. It assesses time taken to complete a grid, which makes it useful for developing attention span. It is useful for students who want to practice learning how to focus better and for longer at home. © AQR International 2016

Attentional Control Exercise Number Grid A Below is a number grid containing the numbers 0-99. When instructed to, mark off in sequence as many consecutive numbers as possible in 90 seconds starting with the number 0. 24 43 58 90 49 67 89 86 62 50 3 64 76 84 10 52 27 94 8 77 92 45 53 37 29 17 54 42 19 99 81 00 22 57 31 96 39 12 33 20 25 36 65 88 14 2 78 85 47 87 56 13 6 74 48 23 90 73 98 91 60 41 80 5 11 51 68 38 72 83 97 75 34 79 26 46 82 9 63 16 35 44 21 40 1 69 61 7 55 71 4 30 93 66 59 32 18 70 28 15 © AQR International 2016

Number Grid B Below is a number grid containing the numbers 0-99. When instructed to, mark off in sequence as many consecutive numbers as possible in 90 seconds starting with the number 0. 34 10 26 82 9 50 73 37 38 19 67 56 66 35 59 81 91 2 49 20 45 72 39 84 80 15 92 86 74 30 11 42 83 51 90 25 40 87 48 41 63 16 31 79 58 36 97 3 70 88 22 62 12 52 68 96 27 60 99 21 46 85 44 61 89 1 93 14 95 57 32 5 23 76 00 43 78 4 98 13 6 55 69 17 54 94 53 64 71 47 33 7 29 18 75 24 77 8 65 28 © AQR International 2016

Attentional Control Exercise Number Grid A Below is a number grid containing the numbers 0-99. When instructed to, mark off in sequence as many consecutive numbers as possible in 90 seconds starting with the number 0. 24 43 58 90 49 67 89 86 62 50 3 64 76 84 10 52 27 94 8 77 92 45 53 37 29 17 54 42 19 99 81 00 22 57 31 96 39 12 33 20 25 36 65 88 14 2 78 85 47 87 56 13 6 74 48 23 90 73 98 91 60 41 80 5 11 51 68 38 72 83 97 75 34 79 26 46 82 9 63 16 35 44 21 40 1 69 61 7 55 71 4 30 93 66 59 32 18 70 28 15 © AQR International 2016

Number Grid B Below is a number grid containing the numbers 0-99. When instructed to, mark off in sequence as many consecutive numbers as possible in 90 seconds starting with the number 0. 34 10 26 82 9 50 73 37 38 19 67 56 66 35 59 81 91 2 49 20 45 72 39 84 80 15 92 86 74 30 11 42 83 51 90 25 40 87 48 41 63 16 31 79 58 36 97 3 70 88 22 62 12 52 68 96 27 60 99 21 46 85 44 61 89 1 93 14 95 57 32 5 23 76 00 43 78 4 98 13 6 55 69 17 54 94 53 64 71 47 33 7 29 18 75 24 77 8 65 28 © AQR International 2016

PICK A CARD A Concentration Exercise – This is an excellent icebreaker – especially as an introduction to Commitment or Attentional Control exercises. It’s also a fun exercise. It can also be used as an introduction to problem solving exercises. Running the exercise – Load the Power Point presentation (three slides). I am going to show you a slide with 5 cards on it. Each of you will (in your head) pick a card and I am going to try to make it disappear. Don’t tell anyone what that card is. Show slide 1 Pick a card. You have 10 seconds. I am now going to make it disappear. Show Slide 2 Magic! Hands up those whose card has disappeared Show Slide 3 How did I do that? Teacher Review: All the cards have disappeared and been replaced by new cards. Most of the time students don’t catch on – sometimes they do after a while. Why did that happen? What does that tell us about your concentration? Support Materials & Resources Power Point Slides (downloadable from AQR) © AQR International 2016

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“Bop It” Concentration Exercise Running the exercise – Bop It* is a game/toy marketed by Hasbro which requires attentional control - concentration and focus – for mastery. It is an excellent exercise, which typically will take a lesson and energises people. 1. Issue a ‘Bop It’ game to each pupil. Demonstrate briefly how the game works. 2. Explain that: Phase One I am going to give you 10 – 15 minutes to have two or three goes at Bop It. We’ll stop then and find out how people are doing. You will have a “best” score which we will then try to improve by improving your ability to concentrate. It might be challenging because it is a noisy exercise and there will be lots of distractions for the others. Run the exercise for a few minutes. Then stop everyone. Phase Two Let us find out what everyone has scored. Some of you will have good scores, others will have lower scores. It doesn’t matter – we’ll see how everyone can improve. Phase Three Those of you who got good scores – what did you do that helped you to get a good score? Those of you who got the lower scores – what was the challenge for you? Phase Four I want you to pair up. Those who got good scores with those who did not. Take 5 minutes to explain what you did and what you have learned from each other. Phase Five Now let’s have another go. Take 15 minutes and see what you can now do – what score can you get? How many have improved their scores? Congratulate them for improving. Why has that happened? This game works if you can concentrate and learn to concentrate. But not just for this game but for every time you need to concentrate – doing coursework, reading, doing and exam or test, etc. The important thing is that we can all learn to concentrate better and it helps us to do many things better. © AQR International 2016

“Bop It” Concentration Exercise Teacher Review& Discussion Guide The essence of this exercise is to get students to reflect on what they are doing – can they focus, can they shut out distractions, how to they focus with more intensity (which does develop). When does this ability matter? (For reading, writing and listening, etc.) Will it make life easier or better if they can master the ability to focus - which they all should be able to do? When would the ability to focus help them? Are there times and situations where they know they can focus – playing a favourite game, watching a favourite programme, etc. What can they learn form that? Encourage students to:  Reflect on what they have done and what they have learned.  Identify what they can do to improve concentration.  Think how they can apply this to coursework, study, reading, etc. Reflection will usually produce a crop of answers around three themes: 1. Techniques – this is often to do with organising themselves. 2. Setting goals and targets and steadily working towards them. 3. Concentrating and blocking out distractions. It is useful to run a follow up session after a few weeks. This exercise works well with other Concentration exercises in this series. Background This is an exercise which is engaging and illustrates the value of repeated practice as well as concentration. It has the advantage that it has a built in scoring mechanism which enables progression to be assessed. Studies show that it is possible to improve attention span from an (UK) average of 8 minutes to 45+ minutes. Not only enabling students to be more productive but it takes the stress out of such activities. Support Materials & Resources Bop-It game available form most toy stores and many on-line shops. There are several versions. Basic versions are fine. There are similar – such as the “Simon Says” game which are equally useful but don’t always have the element of noise. © AQR International 2016

Stork Stand Exercise Running the exercise – a good icebreaker which demonstrates how to Empty the mind” and the benefit of so doing. An exercise which is widely used in sports applications and in martial arts and meditation training. For most this is a challenge which they need to master by learning form repeated practice and failure. 1. Explain that: You need to find a spot away from chairs and other hazardous objects. Begin by standing on both feet but putting all your weight on one leg. Place your arms outstretched and gradually raise your free leg. Keep that leg just off the ground. Close your eyes and try to maintain your balance. Then raise the leg to touch the knee How long can you keep this up? (Let’s see who can do it for the longest). Repeat for the other leg Now repeat with the instruction to “empty the mind”. One way of doing this is to pair people up and get them to have a conversation with each other and stop thinking about the exercise. By concentrating on the discussion most will find they will achieve longer stork stands. Another is to open a book and read it. © AQR International 2016

Stork Stand Exercise Teacher Review Model scores are shown below. Encourage students to: Reflect on what they have done and what they have learned about being able to “empty the mind” and achieve a task which is challenging. Identify what they can do to improve concentration. Think how they can apply this to coursework, study, reading, etc. Background This is an exercise widely used for balance training in sports. Increasing balance does not only enhance physical performance, but it t is also thought to contribute to improved psychological and emotional states through the building of self-efficacy (life control and confidence in abilities). Support Materials & Resources None Rating Score (seconds) Excellent > 50 Good 40 - 50 Average 25- 39 Fair 10 - 24 Poor <10 © AQR International 2016

Colour Changing Card Trick A Concentration Exercise – This is an excellent icebreaker, especially as an introduction to Commitment or Attentional Control exercises. It’s also a fun exercise. It takes about 10 mins – more with discussion. Running the exercise – The video for this is on YouTube - www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3iPrBrGSJM I am going to show you a YouTube clip. All instructions are in the clip. We’re going to see how good you are at concentrating. Run video and stop it at 1 minute and 14 seconds Check how many changes did you notice? (The correct answer is 4 which is shortly explained in the video) Run video through to the end Check how many saw the changes. Teacher Review: Why do you think you didn’t notice the changes? How often do you miss something because you concentrate too hard? Or you are focused on one thing only? Teacher Review: People who fail to see something right in front of them while they are focusing on something else have a lower 'working memory capacity' - a measure of attention control, or the ability to focus attention when and where needed, and on more than one thing at a time. In other words some people can multitask, others can’t. It’s working memory. What you need now. Not long term memory where we learn to store data and facts. It explains for instance why some people have accidents – they genuinely didn’t see what happening in front of them Support Materials & Resources YouTube clip © AQR International 2016

Juggling Exercise Running the exercise – A very good exercise which is repeatable. It impacts on Challenge (stretching oneself and learning from mistakes). It also impacts on all 4 Cs. It’s useful to devote 40 – 60 minutes to this. 1. Issue three Juggling balls to each person (bean bags work as well) 2. Explain that: Find a spot away from any hazardous objects and each other. Juggling is when you work with three balls at a time when you only have two hands so that one ball will always be in the air. We’re not looking to turn you into expert jugglers but you will all learn to juggle the balls even if only a little. And you should all steadily improve if you put your minds to it. I’ll give you 10 minutes to see how many times you can toss a ball whilst juggling. 3. Stop and find out how people are doing. Teacher Review How well do you think you are doing? Can you do better? Why do you think you are finding it difficult or doing well? 4. Now suggest that they are going to try again to improve their juggling. Pair people - Someone who is struggling with someone who is doing well. Get them to support each other to improve. Give them 15 – 20 minutes. You can show a short juggling training video to give ideas either to start or at step 3 www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCt1bmSASCI or www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2_j6kMg1co Teacher Review How did it feel when you improved? How did you feel about doing something that might have been outside of your comfort zone? What helped you to do better? What did you learn about learning? Patience, practice, learning from mistakes, etc. When you did get it, how did you block out distractions? When else could you usefully do that – coursework, reading, revision, etc. © AQR International 2016

Juggling Exercise Background This is an exercise widely used for to enhancing a wide range of skills and attributes. It's an aerobic exercise, it develops core strength, and the focus required to toss multiple objects from hand to hand can be a stress-relieving distraction. It is an excellent exercise for developing commitment – particularly the ability to concentrate on the task at hand. If your brain is locked in the rhythm of juggling, you aren't thinking about doing much else. It turns out juggling is a workout for the brain in other ways too. Juggling improves hand-eye coordination, reflexes, peripheral vision and a host of other motor skills [source: Rosenberger]. Recent research has even demonstrated that juggling can affect the size of your brain. Studies show a correlation between juggling and changes in the brain's grey matter, the cell bodies responsible for computation and processing within the brain, and white matter, the nerve fibres that connect different parts of the brain by way of electrical impulses. There is even research which suggests that learning juggling helps people “learn to learn” Support Materials & Resources Juggling Balls or bean bags © AQR International 2016

What I will do tomorrow Exercise A Positive Thinking Exercise Running the exercise - Paper and pencil version- a short (10 minute) exercise which is run at the end of each school day and at some point at the beginning of a following day. The exercise can be run frequently or occasionally to let a habit develop. 1. Students will need post it notes and somewhere where they can place it on a notice board or wall. 2. Explain that students will do an exercise which will help them to focus on their achievements and successes…creating more positive mindset. 3. Explain that: Day One You are to think of something that you must achieve by X time on the following day. It can be something you are already committed to doing or preferably something you will target yourself to do. It doesn’t have to be something big. It can be something simple. It should be achievable. You have 5 minutes. Then write down your action on a post it note and put it up on the wall with everyone else’s. Day Two If you have done what you said you would do, take down the post it note and replace it with a post it note where you describe how you feel? Teacher Review Ask students to describe how they feel. Do they feel good because they have achieved something? How does that compare to when they don’t deliver on time. Do they feel more positive and more confident that they will deliver on time with their next task whatever that is? It can be useful to do this every day for a week and then occasionally. NOTE – Teacher review: This exercise works well with introducing SMART goal setting and with Think Three Positives It can be expanded to embrace bigger tasks – even assignnments. Also can be linked to one of the planning and organising exercises. © AQR International 2016

What I will do tomorrow Exercise Background This is an exercise in Cognitive Behavioural Modification. The purpose is to show how the individual can build a sense of control though understanding what it feels like to achieve things – even simple things. And to understand that wanting to feel good is an important driver which is created through achieving things. By focusing on the positives we can change our mood which impacts on our Mindset. The goal here is to show young people how to focus on their positives, their achievements big and small, even if their achievements are small to build on these. Discussion Guides: Why do students feel good when they have completed a task – even a simple task? How does that feeling compare to when they fail to achieve a task. What difference does this make for them? Does it make them more or less positive about achieving the next task? Why do they think thinking positively helps performance, wellbeing and behaviour? Support Materials & Resources Simple – some post it notes and somewhere to post them so that everyone can see them. © AQR International 2016

Goal Setting Exercise What is my Goal Exercise Running the exercise –students will need access to the Goal Setting Worksheet. This works best with younger students as an entry level exercise in goal setting and understanding the building blocks to achieving. This exercise usually takes around 30 -45 minutes to complete. Setting goals gives meaning and direction and can be used for small or big tasks. Explain to the students that goal setting is a good way of approaching new challenges. Explain that: The Goal Setting Worksheet will act as their guide to getting from the start point of an activity, to the end point. The aim of the exercise is to: 1. The first question will be ‘what is my goal?’ Get the students to think about this for a couple of minutes. They can decide what their goal is – but remember to be realistic. If there goal is to win the lottery just remind them of the odds! The goal can be directed by the teacher (a piece of work) or the student can identify their own goal, personal or academic. Get them to write it in the box titled, ‘what is my goal?’ 2. Ask the students to spend 10 minutes filling in the other boxes on the worksheet. Ask them to think about the practicalities of completing the goal as well as their commitment and challenge to the task. 3. While they are completing the boxes get them to think about why this goal is important to them – what will happen by completing it? Who will benefit? How will it make them feel achieving it? Teacher Review This exercise will get students thinking about what they want to achieve and how they are going to do it. By identifying the elements that will get them there the task will seem less daunting and large. Offering advice around who could help them/where they could go for information and other prompts will allow them to see the task as achievable. © AQR International 2016

Goal Setting Exercise Background The simple definition of goal setting is the process of identifying something that one wants to complete or achieve and setting a process out in which order to be successful. The aim is to guide and motivate a person so that they can accomplish small tasks which will contribute to the final outcome. It is a major component in sport and personal development. Much work around goal setting has been within the world of work by authors such as Edwin Locke. Support Materials & Resources Pens and scrap paper (for writing ideas down) Smart Target worksheet © AQR International 2016

Goal Setting Exercise What is my Goal Exercise Running the exercise –students will need access to the Goal Setting Worksheet. This works best with younger students as an entry level exercise in goal setting and understanding the building blocks to achieving. This exercise usually takes around 30 -45 minutes to complete. Setting goals gives meaning and direction and can be used for small or big tasks. Explain to the students that goal setting is a good way of approaching new challenges. Explain that: The Goal Setting Worksheet will act as their guide to getting from the start point of an activity, to the end point. The aim of the exercise is to: 1. The first question will be ‘what is my goal?’ Get the students to think about this for a couple of minutes. They can decide what their goal is – but remember to be realistic. If there goal is to win the lottery just remind them of the odds! The goal can be directed by the teacher (a piece of work) or the student can identify their own goal, personal or academic. Get them to write it in the box titled, ‘what is my goal?’ 2. Ask the students to spend 10 minutes filling in the other boxes on the worksheet. Ask them to think about the practicalities of completing the goal as well as their commitment and challenge to the task. 3. While they are completing the boxes get them to think about why this goal is important to them – what will happen by completing it? Who will benefit? How will it make them feel achieving it? The total time for this exercise is 30 – 45 minutes Teacher Review This exercise will get students thinking about what they want to achieve and how they are going to do it. By identifying the elements that will get them there the task will seem less daunting and large. Offering advice around who could help them/where they could go for information and other prompts will allow them to see the task as achievable. © AQR International 2016

Goal Setting Exercise NOTE – Teacher review: There is an option to include the SMART Target setting process within this exercise if the group are responding positively. You can use this Cue card in conjunction with the SMARTER cue card to expand the exercise. Another Cue card which may be useful to include in this exercise is the Eating an Elephant card. Background The simple definition of goal setting is the process of identifying something that one wants to complete or achieve and setting a process out in which order to be successful. The aim is to guide and motivate a person so that they can accomplish small tasks which will contribute to the final outcome. It is a major component in sport and personal development. Much work around goal setting has been within the world of work by authors such as Edwin Locke. Support Materials & Resources Pens and scrap paper (for writing ideas down) Smart Target worksheet © AQR International 2016

Goal Setting Worksheet Name: What is my Goal? My Goal is… My target date is… To reach my goal I will do these three things… I will know I’ve reached my goal because… Two things that will help me to stick to reaching my goal are… © AQR International 2016

HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT? Answer: A slice at a time An Exercise in Commitment – Particularly Goal Setting and Setting Milestones An Introduction to a technique that helps to plan the achievement of a big/bigger goal and in setting Milestones Running the exercise – It is most effective when run in conjunction with a real activity or challenge that has been set – an assignment or project. I am going to introduce you to simple technique that will help you to plan the achievement of bigger tasks – like writing an assignment. You will apply it to the task that I have just set you. The 4-2-1 technique shows you how to create the slices. What you do is this:  Take a goal or target e.g. upcoming coursework. It has to be completed in 4* days or 4* weeks  Work out what you must do by the end of next 4 weeks if this is to be achieved- the different elements. These can be transferred to a Gantt chart later on.  Work out what you must do by half way through your task – i.e. the end of 2 weeks if this is to be achieved. List the tasks and activities.  Then using this as your end point, Work out what you must do by half way to this point (1 week) if this is to be achieved. List the tasks and activities.  You will now have a plan with milestones at 1, 2 and 4 weeks. Next  Work on what you must achieve before your first milestone. This should now be achievable – it’s not the big goal but an important step on the way. The actions will typically be small actions that are more easily handled.  When you get to your first milestone, check what you have done and, if necessary adjust your plan in the same way as above to re-set milestones. *It can be any time period as long as you can set milestones for the end goal, 50% of the way there and for the next 25%of the way there. © AQR International 2016

HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT? Teacher Review: Ideally this should be done with a real activity. Check students understanding and get student to do the exercise in class. Check that they are happy and feel confident they will achieve their goals. Review use of the technique on completion of activity. Where else can they apply it? Background This is simply a way of scoping and planning work that might be a little challenging or complex. It’s great for projects and team activities where activities might have to be allocated to others. It works well with Gantt charting and with SMART goals setting. Milestone should be SMART too. Support Materials & Resources Sample 4-2-1 map downloadable from AQR © AQR International 2016

Exercise: 4-2-1 rule Think of a major objective you have to achieve over the next x months. Take an element of your action plan Work out what you must do by the end of the task if it is to be achieved. Then work out what you must do by halfway there if this is to be achieved. Finally work out what you must do by the time a quarter of your time has been taken if this is to be achieved. Use the boxes below to record your ideas. Period What has to be achieved What might get in the way End Big Goal: The End 100% 50% 25% This exercise can be carried out individually or, sometimes more effectively, in groups. Reflect:  Does the first milestone appear achievable? Are you more confident that you can achieve this target? Do you feel more in control?  What might stop you achieving each target – have you planned to deal with it? Are there lead times you need to take into account?  How confident do you feel that you will now hit the big target? © AQR International 2016

Exercise: 4-2-1 rule  How can you explain this to others and gain their commitment? © AQR International 2016

TARGET PRACTICE A Goal Setting Exercise Running the exercise: You’ll need waste paper bins or small boxes plus a lot of small balls (like juggling balls). Position waste paper bins somewhere safe and mark out a line about 4 metres form the bin or box. Explain that: Phase One You will have 10 balls each which you will toss into the bin from behind the line. We want to see how many of the ten balls you get into the bin. That will be your score. Before we start you must estimate how many you will get into the bin. That’s your goal or target. Run the exercise. Teacher Review: How many of you did better than targeted, how many did worse and how many got the target? How did you feel about your result? (Some will have got more than others and yet been disappointed). What does this tell us about goals setting? (This works well with SMART goal setting). Addressing those who got good scores – what did you do that helps? Addressing those who got poor scores – what do you think happened? (One of the factors should be that some “tried too hard” or were “frightened” by the challenge/risk of failure and as a result tensed up). Try to relax a bit more when trying to do something challenging. Phase Two We’ll repeat the exercise now and this time you will set a new target. Let’s see how we do. Run the exercise Teacher review: How many did better than before and/or got closer to their target? How do they feel now? What did they do that they didn’t do first time? How does it feel to set a realistic goal and achieve it or get close to it? © AQR International 2016

TARGET PRACTICE Background This is an exercise in goal setting – being realistic – and in doing something that carries risk. Setting realistic goals means that there is reduced risk of disappointment or feeling of failure. This can impact on positive thinking which in turn impacts on control, commitment and confidence. Goals shouldn’t be easy – achieving easy goals can be equally unsatisfactory. The other element of this exercise is doing something challenging and doing it in front of your peers. This can cause some people to feel stressed. The lesson here is that relaxing and visualising success can help – and importantly learning from mistakes and failures is a positive. It’s how we all learn. Discussion Guides: Built into the exercise above. Explore the notion of learning how to do this better by having a go and not fearing the consequences. Explore the idea that setting goals too high and too low can result in disappointment – even if your score might have been OK. Support Materials & Resources Bins. Small balls or perhaps bean bags. (If using the juggling exercise, these work well). © AQR International 2016

COMMITMENT – 10 QUICK TIPS This can work as a handout or a start point for a discussion Don’t give up too early Give yourself time out to refocus after setbacks but don’t let them stop you from achieving your goal. Asking others for help or coaching might help. Think optimistically Believe you can achieve. Have others achieved with the same or similar tasks? Visualise success – imagine its impact on you and others Develop a clear plan for Take time out to work out what is required in some each task detail – use mind mapping or brainstorming techniques. Use others to help you. Identify what motivates Incorporate this into your planning of a task – either as a you reward or as an integral part of the task. What does a win look like for you, and for others? Break the task down Group similar tasks together and set yourself short term, into manageable long term, immediate and daily goals as a way of chunks motivating yourself. Use the 1-2-4 technique. Take time out to For goals to be effective, they must be SMART. Do a analyse how you will force field analysis – identify what might get in the way achieve the task and what you can do to ensure it doesn’t. Identify what motivates Incorporate this into your planning of a task – either as a you reward or as an integral part of the task. What does a win look like for you, and for others? Group similar tasks Group similar tasks together and set yourself short term, together long term, immediate and daily goals as a way of motivating yourself. Use the 2-4-8 technique. Take time out Take some time to analyse how you will achieve the task Set SMART goals For goals to be effective they must be SMART. Do a force field analysis – identify what might get in the way and ensure that it doesn’t. © AQR International 2016