Asking for Help

Students will identify areas in their lives in which they could use support, generate a list of resources, and draft a note to someone asking for assistance.

Objectives

Cognitive: Students will be able to identify areas in their lives in which they could use support and be able to construct an explicit request for support.
Affective: Students will feel supported and empowered to express their needs and wants.

Materials

Journals (post-its), writing utensils

Exercises

Time	Activity	Notes
2 min	Explain that everyone can benefit from help sometimes, even though it can be difficult to ask. This activity is a way to practice asking for help. Ask students: What’s the benefit of asking for help?	Example Answers: You can solve a problem. You can acquire a new skill. You can build and establish connections.
10 min	Ask students to work in pairs or small groups to identify difficult types of problems or difficult conversations they have encountered or have heard about others encountering. Then, ask them to brainstorm people who they might be comfortable asking for help. This activity also could be done silently. Consider the following writing prompt: Sometimes it can be hard to ask for help. Is there something you could use some help on in your life? Who can you ask? Write a note to that person or create an outline of what you might say.	Example Answers: Peers, adults, family, friends, etc.
3 min	Ask students to write a brief note to the person asking them for help on a specific task or goal they may have.	Discourage self-deprecating comments. Reframe “I could use support in…”.
5 min	Wrap up the activity by highlighting: what it feels like to feel supported what it feels like to help someone else how asking for help can support you throughout the day Optional Follow Up: Have students set a date by which they will request the help they wrote about in their letters. Have a follow-up discussion or pair share to check in about who requested and received help and expressed thanks.	Cultivate a culture of help by encouraging students to offer help to others.

Teacher Reflection

How did you feel after the activity? Did students participate and seem engaged? Remember to ask the students to share their feedback on the activity: What went well? What suggestions do they have for making the activity better? Think about what you might do differently next time.

Emotional Intelligence Tips

Asking for help is difficult for many students.
Reframe asking for help as resourcefulness rather than weakness.
Support students in thinking of creative ways to rely on others to achieve their goals.
Approach with curiosity.

Categories:

No Category