Social Influences Exploration

Curriculum Links

Subject Area: Other (Personal and Social Capability)
Year Level: Year 10
Australian Curriculum Reference: Personal and Social Capability - Level 6 (Year 9–10)

• Self-awareness Element: "Develop criteria to appraise personal qualities and use these to design strategies to achieve future success."
• Social Awareness Element: "Critically analyse the role of contextual factors in ethical decision making and action."
• Social Management Element: "Evaluate the effectiveness of conflict resolution and negotiation strategies."

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Lesson Overview

This highly engaging lesson explores the powerful influence of peer groups, social norms, and societal expectations on decision-making and personal identity. The aim is to cultivate self-awareness, critical thinking, and strategies to navigate social pressures in a way that aligns with students' values and long-term goals.

Students will actively participate in small group discussions, role-playing activities, and an imaginative-reframing exercise. The lesson ensures every student engages with ideas through personal reflection and group collaboration.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Analyse how societal and peer influences shape opinions and behaviours.
2. Evaluate ethical decision-making in context-specific scenarios.
3. Design strategies to stay true to individual values while responding to social pressures.

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction - Setting the Scene (5 mins)

• Warm Welcome: Begin with a brief check-in, asking students about a time they felt influenced by their friends or a social situation.
• Classwide Poll: Using coloured index cards (red for “yes,” blue for “no”) distribute the cards and ask, “Have you ever done something just because others around you were doing it?" Students hold up their chosen card.
• Use this quick poll to introduce the idea that everyone is influenced by external factors, but it’s how we respond that matters.

2. Exploring Context: Group Discussion (10 mins)

Task: Divide the class into small groups of three (6 groups total).

• Each group receives a card with a scenario describing a situation involving peer or societal pressure. Examples include:
  • A friend encourages skipping school to attend a party.
  • A group chat mocks a classmate, and you're deciding how to respond.
  • Peer pressure to engage in underage drinking.
• Guiding Questions:
  • What is the influence at play (peer, media, societal)?
  • How might someone feel in this situation?
  • What could be the short- and long-term consequences of different choices?
  • How do personal values come into play here?
• Groups discuss and record responses on butcher’s paper to prepare for feedback.

3. Role-Play Scenarios (15 mins)

Task: Students role-play the scenarios discussed earlier, with one group volunteering to perform their scenario for the class.

• Encourage them to act out multiple decision pathways (e.g., giving in to pressure, resisting, or finding a compromise).
• After each role-play, the rest of the class provides feedback: Was the outcome ethical? Did it align with the character's supposed values?
• Reflection Question: Do our imagined responses align with how we‘d respond in real life?

4. Imaginative Reframing Exercise (10 mins)

Task: Hand each student a postcard or blank sheet of paper. They are to write a letter to their "future self," imagining they are 25 years old and reflecting on a decision they make today in response to a social pressure.

• What was the situation?
• What decision did you make?
• How do you feel about that decision now?
• Wrap this activity by having students share a snippet of their letter with a partner.

5. Plenary - Takeaways (5 mins)

• Class Discussion Prompt: “What was one surprising thing you learned today about decision-making or social influences?"
• Write these takeaways on the board to visibly track insights.
• Briefly discuss practical strategies (distraction techniques, "broken record" responses, aligning decisions with long-term goals).
• Finish with a quick mindfulness breathing exercise to centre students before transitioning to their next class.

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Resources Needed:

• Coloured index cards (red/blue for the poll).
• Scenario cards describing ethical dilemmas (one per group).
• Butcher’s paper and markers for group discussions.
• Postcards or blank paper for the letter-writing exercise.

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Differentiation Strategies

1. For Introverted Students: Provide an opportunity to contribute written reflections instead of speaking during discussions.
2. For Accelerated Learners: Challenge them to create their own scenarios or ethical dilemmas and analyse them.
3. For Students Needing Support: Pair with a peer for collaborative reflective thinking and allow extra guidance to help them unpack complex scenarios.

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Assessment

• Informal assessment through observation of group discussions, role-plays, and student reflections.
• Collection of the "letter to future self" as a written record of self-awareness and critical thinking.

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Extension Ideas

If additional time is available, consider conducting a class debate on a divisive moral issue (e.g., "Social media does more harm than good for teenagers"). This encourages students to further analyse social influences and practise managing disagreements constructively.