Personal Growth Reflection

Overview

This 45-minute session is Lesson 7 of 7 in the "Empowering Personal Growth" unit, specifically designed for Year 7 PSHE students (ages 11-12). The focus is to consolidate and reflect on students' learning, personal growth, and resilience-building over the unit, and to empower them to plan future steps for ongoing self-development.

The plan carefully aligns with the National Curriculum for England guidance on PSHE, particularly the statutory relationships, health and wellbeing education and personal development frameworks for Key Stage 3 transition readiness and lifelong learning skills.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

• Reflect thoughtfully on their personal growth and how their skills and resilience have developed during the unit.
• Share and evaluate their personal action plans for future growth with peers, encouraging constructive feedback and confidence in goal-setting.
• Understand the importance of ongoing self-reflection and adaptability to maintain wellbeing and support continuous self-improvement.

National Curriculum Links

• Health and Wellbeing (KS3 framework from Department for Education):
  • Recognise and manage emotions and feelings
  • Develop strategies to maintain personal wellbeing and resilience
• Living in the Wider World:
  • Set realistic and achievable goals
  • Develop self-awareness, self-management and responsibility for own learning
• Enhancing Character Education and Personal Development through collaborative reflection and peer support.

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Resources Needed

• Personal Growth Journals (or booklets) completed through the unit
• Student Action Plans (created in previous lesson)
• Whiteboard or flip chart and markers
• Post-it notes
• ‘Reflection Prompts’ handout
• Timer or stopwatch
• Calm background music (optional)

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter Activity: Mindful Moment & Reflection (5 minutes)

• Begin with a calming breathing exercise (guided 2-minute breathing in/out).
• Pose the question for silent reflection: “What have I learnt about myself during this unit?”
• Students write three words summarising their most important personal development on a sticky note and place it on the whiteboard.

2. Group Sharing – Walk & Talk (10 minutes)

• Organise students into pairs (4 pairs of 2).
• Each student shares their action plan for future personal growth and resilience, explaining their goals and chosen strategies.
• Partners listen actively and then provide one positive, specific feedback and one question to encourage deeper thinking.
• Rotate pairs if time allows to expose students to different ideas.

3. Whole-Class Discussion: Learning Journey & Next Steps (10 minutes)

• Facilitate a whole-class discussion guided by these prompts:
  • “Which skills do you feel most confident in now, and why?”
  • “How can you continue to develop these skills in school, at home or in your community?”
  • “What challenges might you face, and how will you use resilience?”
  • Record key student responses on the board under headings: Skills, Opportunities, Challenges, Resilience Strategies.

4. Individual Reflection and Commitment (15 minutes)

• Students use their Personal Growth Journal to answer:
  • What is one new strength I’ve discovered about myself?
  • How will I keep building this strength over the next term?
  • What could challenge me, and how will I handle this?
• Then, they write a short, SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goal as a commitment for their personal development in the coming weeks.
• Optionally, students decorate or personalise the page for pride and ownership.

5. Plenary – Positive Affirmation and Celebration (5 minutes)

• Each student reads aloud one positive trait or achievement they are proud of from the unit.
• Teacher affirms the collective effort and reinforces the importance of perseverance, self-awareness, and mutual support.
• End with a brief group applause or celebration ritual to recognise their growth journey.

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Assessment & Feedback

• Teacher observes group discussions and gives formative verbal feedback, highlighting effective listening, sharing, and personal insights.
• Personal Growth Journals collected (or reviewed) for reflection quality, goal appropriateness and evidence of self-awareness.
• Use of peer feedback during Walk & Talk assesses social skills, empathy and communication competence as part of holistic development.
• End-of-unit summative reflection marks the students' progress against initial skills baseline from Lesson 1 (if available).

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Differentiation & Inclusion

• Support less confident students by providing sentence starters for reflections and sharing.
• Challenge more able students by asking them to explore long-term implications or to mentor peers in goal-setting.
• For students with special educational needs, allow extra time or alternative modes (drawing, video recording) to express reflections.
• Ensure a safe, supportive environment by setting clear norms about confidentiality and respectful listening.

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Extension Ideas

• Create a “Growth Wall” in the classroom where students post ongoing reflections or evidence of skill development beyond the unit.
• Invite older students or mentors for a follow-up session to discuss real-life application of resilience and personal growth.
• Integrate digital portfolios where students upload reflections and track their goals over the school year.

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This lesson fosters a strong sense of self-efficacy, resilience and collaborative learning, essential for personal development at Year 7 stage and firmly grounded in the National Curriculum. It leaves students feeling empowered to continue their growth journey beyond the classroom.