My Learning Journey

Overview

In this fifth lesson of Lead, Reflect, Grow, students create a personal timeline of significant learning experiences, challenges and achievements. They reflect on how their knowledge, skills, confidence and character have developed, including the influence of role models, beliefs, values and community.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• identify significant learning experiences, challenges and achievements.
• describe changes in their knowledge, skills, confidence and character.
• consider how values, beliefs, role models and relationships have influenced their growth.
• practise making intentional choices that support their wellbeing and future learning.

Success criteria

• I can place at least four significant experiences in chronological order.
• I can explain what I learned or how I changed through each experience.
• I can identify a value, belief, person or community influence connected to my growth.
• I can name one realistic next step for my learning journey.

Curriculum links

• Health and PE — Relationships / Self and others: reflecting on how role models and peer influences shape values and behaviours.
• Health and PE — Relationships / Self and others: understanding and respecting diverse cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds.
• Health and PE — Relationships / Self and others: practising strategies that promote fairness, inclusion and collective wellbeing.
• English — Text Studies / Response to texts: recognising that personal responses can provide information about ourselves and others.

The lesson also develops the key competencies of managing self, relating to others, thinking, and participating and contributing. It supports the values of respect, integrity, empathy and community.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Hook and safe learning space. Open with the hook and learning intention slides and display the question: “What experience has helped you become more like the person you want to be?” Explain that students may choose school, family, cultural, religious, sporting, creative or community experiences, and may keep private details general. Students silently list two possible experiences, then share one only if comfortable.

2. 4–9 min · Model a learning journey. Use the model timeline slides to show a fictional example of a student moving from being new to a school, through a difficult group task, to a later leadership opportunity. Model thinking aloud: “At first my confidence was low; after practising and receiving support, my communication skills grew.” Clarify that a timeline is more than a list of events: each point should show an experience and its impact. Students identify the knowledge, skill, confidence or character change in the example.

3. 9–12 min · Plan significant moments. Distribute the My Learning Journey timeline worksheet. Students brainstorm four to six possible experiences in the planning boxes. Prompt them to include at least one achievement, one challenge and one experience involving learning with or from others. Students may use broad labels such as “joining a new group” rather than naming people or describing sensitive events.

4. 12–22 min · Create the timeline. Students select at least four moments and arrange them chronologically on the worksheet. For each moment, they record: what happened; what they learned; which area changed—knowledge, skill, confidence or character; and an influence such as a value, belief, role model, whānau member, teacher, peer or community. Circulate and conference briefly with students using questions such as, “What changed because of this?” and “What helped you keep going?” Students who finish early add arrows or captions showing links between experiences.

5. 22–27 min · Pair reflection and feedback. Use the sharing and feedback slides to provide the sentence stems “One change I can see is…” and “One question I have is…”. In pairs, students share a selected timeline point, not necessarily the whole timeline. Partners respond respectfully and identify one strength, such as clear reflection, evidence of perseverance or recognition of support. Students may choose a written partner response instead of speaking.

6. 27–30 min · Plenary and exit reflection. Invite two or three volunteers to share general insights about how people grow through experience. Finish with the success criteria exit ticket slips. Students indicate which criteria they met and write: “One next step in my learning journey is…” Collect the slips with the worksheets.

Resources

• the complete lesson slide deck
• the My Learning Journey timeline worksheet
• the success criteria exit ticket slips
• Pens, pencils and coloured pencils
• Timer
• Board or display surface
• Optional quiet workspace or headphones

Assessment

• During modelling, check whether students can distinguish an event from the learning or change that resulted from it.
• Confer during timeline creation, looking for chronological order, specific reflection and links to values, relationships or influences.
• Review the timeline and exit ticket for evidence that students can identify growth and set a realistic next step. Follow up privately where a student records a sensitive challenge or appears unsettled.

Differentiation

• Provide a completed example, word bank and sentence starters: “I used to…”, “I learned…”, “This helped me to…”, and “My next step is…”.
• Allow students to draw symbols, use brief notes or dictate responses rather than write extended explanations. Offer a private alternative for experiences they do not wish to share.
• Support EAL learners with visual categories for knowledge, skills, confidence and character, paired rehearsal, and permission to use their strongest language for initial planning.
• Extend confident students by asking them to explain a turning point, compare two influences, or show how one challenge led to a later achievement.