Helping Students Gain and Understand Perspective

"My teacher likes everyone except me."

"I'll never learn this."

"Everyone else understands except me."

Students often use overgeneralised thoughts like these, which can negatively impact their confidence, motivation, and sense of belonging at school. This Overgeneralisation Cheat Sheet helps them recognise and challenge these thinking patterns by assessing their accuracy, considering alternative perspectives, and identifying evidence. By reframing unhelpful thoughts, students can build resilience, improve relationships, and feel more engaged in their learning environment.

This activity encourages students to reflect on their perceptions of a person they strongly dislike, particularly a teacher, by acknowledging both the negative and positive aspects of their behaviour. Students are guided to note what frustrates them about the person, then shift focus to identify redeeming qualities they may have overlooked.

This activity is helpful in situations where a student’s negative perception of a teacher or peer is impacting their relationship or overall experience in class. For example, if a student consistently feels frustrated with a teacher's teaching style or communication, this activity encourages them to recognise the positive traits of that teacher, such as their organisation or fairness.

Help students understand the difference between equality and equity with this engaging, discussion-based activity.

Using a powerful visual of different-sized bicycles and a wheelchair-accessible bike, students reflect on times they felt treated unfairly and explore how different needs require different support. 

This 10–15 minute activity encourages empathy, perspective-taking, and a deeper understanding of fairness in school and beyond.

Learn more about the source of the graphic here.

This activity helps students develop empathy for teachers by illustrating the personal and professional challenges they face. Through a storytelling exercise about a teacher’s typical day, students are encouraged to reflect on the struggles teachers endure, from managing personal responsibilities to navigating the demands of the classroom.

By participating, students gain a better understanding of what it’s like to be a teacher, which can help improve student-teacher relationships and foster mutual respect. For example, students may realise that teachers, like everyone else, have difficult mornings and personal lives, helping to break down unrealistic expectations (e.g. to have an assessment marked for the next morning!)

This activity encourages students to explore their personal identity and reflect on the diverse aspects that make them who they are, such as cultural background, nationality, gender, interests, and skills (Meg Languages, 2022). 

Developed as part of resources from the National Centre for Guidance in Education (NCGE, 2022), this activity helps students gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their peers. 

This reflection builds self-awareness and helps students appreciate the unique qualities of others. 

I particularly like the interactive word cloud at the end, which is a great way to reflect, visualise and celebrate the diversity within the group (NCGE, 2022).