Middle School

Session 6:

Roadblocks to Participation in Desired Activities

Before you begin, read how you might use TW2:

Two black upward-pointing arrows, slightly offset.

Students will learn how to make an action plan to participate in desired activities. This lesson also helps students identify potential constraints that might get in the way of engaging in desired leisure interests and whether they are real barriers or whether there are ways to overcome the perceived constraints.

Session 6:

Roadblocks to Participation in Desired Activities

  • Student Goals:

    • Learning a method (flowchart) for planning an activity.
    • Identifying types of roadblocks that get in the way of pursuing or continuing a desired activity.
    • Understanding how attitudes and stereotypes are types of roadblocks.
    • Determining of the roadblocks are real or perceived.
    • Developing strategies for overcoming roadblocks.

  • Students Will Think About:

    • What kinds of things get in the way of participating in a desired activity.
    • Attitudes and stereotypes that may be affecting them.
    • How they can overcome things that get in the way, or whether the roadblocks are real.




Subtopics:

  1. Flowchart for planning for new leisure interests
  2. Stereotypes and attitudes that get in the way of participating in a desired activity
  3. Identifying roadblocks to participating in a desired activity and deciding whether the roadblocks can be overcome

Activities:

  • Warm-up activity regarding stereotypes and attitudes
  • Discussion of stereotypes and attitudes that may inhibit participation in desired activities.
  • Complete Identifying Roadblocks Worksheet and Discuss Real and Perceived Roadblocks

Materials:

Subtopic 1:

Planning For New Leisure Interests

In the last session you identified a number of new activities that you might be interested in trying. The purpose of developing new leisure interests is to avoid boredom and find fun, healthy, and meaningful things to do in your free time. Leisure activities you can stick with over time bring you a lot of benefits.

  • Planning Flowchart:

    Planning Flowchart Worksheet


    Show them (and hand out if you'd like) the planning flowchart. Discuss each step of the flowchart. We will be coming back to the Planning Flowchart in another session.


Subtopic 2:

Stereotypes and Attitudes That Get In The Way of Participating In A Desired Activity

There are a number of things that might prevent a person from being able to pursue something they are interested in learning. We call these obstacles or roadblocks. For example, think about going to Disney World. Let’s brainstorm what roadblocks might get in the way of going to Disney?

  • Activity 1:

    Warm-up activity regarding stereotypes and attitudes


    Sometimes, when choosing a new activity we would like to learn, we get caught up worrying about all the things that might get in the way of doing the activity.


    Next ask students to fill in the following sentence on post it notes:


    • I would really like to (try, do) _________________ but I can’t or won’t because _____________.

    • Put post it notes on the board.

    Categorized responses into “time/material” reasons (e.g., transportation, money) and “attitudinal” reasons (e.g., fear of failing or some other reason, would feel uncomfortable for gender/race/poverty etc. reasons).


    Some things to consider:

    • Be mindful of bias toward wealthier families/families with actively engaged parenting adult(s), especially the third bullet point.
    • Be sensitive to students who have limited exposure to activities beyond TV/screens; students who have parenting adult(s) who have limited ability to be involved in parenting (multiple jobs, limited financial situation, substance abuse, mental health limitations, incarceration, shared parenting duties, etc.) 
    • Be sensitive to students who have limited exposure to activities beyond TV/screens; students who have parenting adult(s) who have limited ability to be involved in parenting (multiple jobs, limited financial situation, substance abuse, mental health limitations, incarceration, shared parenting duties, etc.).

  • Activity 2:

    Attitude and Stereotype Roadblocks


    Often our own, or other peoples’, attitudes or stereotype influence what we think we would like to do or that we can do.


    Possible attitudes and stereotypes include:

    • lack of self-confidence
    • feeling that you have to be good at something to enjoy it
    • believing only the popular kids do/play [activity]
    • personal or societal culture, gender or racial/ethnic bias
    • too heavy a reliance on what others would think of you/peer pressure/social norms, social media.

    In pairs or individual responses, identify the stereotype or attitude from each of the following 5 statements.

    • I won’t try out for the soccer team because I won’t be very good at it. [Lack of self-confidence, you have to be good at something to enjoy it, only the popular kids play soccer.]
    • Ballet sounds like a great class but people would make fun of me if I did it. [What characteristics do you think of, of someone who does ballet?  Are these stereotypes? What is the attitude here? Maybe there is a gender bias, or even a culture bias.]
    • I really want to try out for the school play but I don’t want to go to the auditions myself. I know my friends won’t go with me. [Too heavy a reliance on friends, assumption that they won’t go, it’s not okay to do things alone. Bring in the role of motivation and how motivation can affect one’s attitude. E.g., for what others think motivation may turn into an attitude that gets in the way of doing things you might want to do.]
    • I’m kind of interested in the chess club but I’m not going to join. [Are there stereotypes about the kinds of kids who join the chess club?]
    • I’m going to join in the pick-up basketball games down the street, even though they are all boys and I’m a girl, I enjoy it and don’t care what others will think of me. [Positive attitude about feeling free to enjoy herself even if she thinks she will be judged.]

    How might you deal with these stereotypes and attitudes?



Subtopic 3:

Identifying Roadblocks to Participating in a Desired Activity

Refer back to the Planning Flowchart. The next step in this planning process, after you have identified an interest you would like to pursue, is to identify the roadblocks you think might prevent you from participating in the activity.

  • Activity 3:

    Complete Identifying Roadblocks Worksheet and Discuss Real and Perceived Roadblocks


    Have them complete the Identifying Roadblocks table from TimeWise Student Book page 21.


    Sometimes roadblocks can be overcome, perhaps with negotiation. Other times they cannot be overcome. It is important to learn to tell the difference. And sometimes we think a roadblock is real and sometimes a roadblock is just something we think is there, but it really doesn’t exist. Some roadblocks just can’t be overcome. That is why it is a good idea to have several interests that you would like to pursue.


    Think about the following activities that are in the Live Your Why website.



    Let’s choose a few of these and discuss what obstacles might get in the way of pursuing the activity and whether the roadblock can be overcome.




  • Summarize:

    We have been discussing how to develop a new interest(s) in order to avoid boredom and get more benefits. Developing new interests often provides us with more variety and balance in what we do. Developing planning and decision making skills is a valuable skill that can be used in all aspects of life!

Previous session

Next session