Hot Air Balloon

What can students learn from this?

This is a simple activity to help students self reflect and recognise their strengths and weaknesses and help them realise what makes them move forward and what keeps them down. In continuance through the discussion they can see how they can start flying and/or go higher.

How can I do this in class?

• Design/draw a simple hot air balloon on the board. Ask the students to choose a color of notes (ie. pink ) to write what they think that their weaknesses are.
• Ask the students to write on the other color (ie. yellow) what they think their strengths are. They can write a maximum of three for each colour.
• Ask them too stand up and stick the strengths at the balloon (area) and the weaknesses on the basket (area)
• Count the notes.
• If the strengths are more that the weaknesses the balloon is flying, if they are equal or the weaknesses are more then its on the ground In order to make it fly, or fly higher, go through the weaknesses, without naming from whom is which, discuss how you can throw the weaknesses away and write the steps down to make the point that when you know your weaknesses you can proceed with doing better for yourself.
• The goal is for all balloons to fly as high as possible

Reflection tips

The point of this exercise is to help the students  develop their self awareness and efficacy, by helping them recognise issues that they may have and at the same time to engage with those and consider how to resolve them in order to move on.

• Once the exercise is over, The teacher needs to ask the students whether they
• Have understood more about themselves (constraints and potentials)
• have found this exercise helpful and could think of other ways/contexts to use it
• understood better the barriers that they may have and how to break them down
• Understood that some of the problems that are keeping them down are easier to lift than they thought

Furthermore the Teacher needs to encourage the students to lift as many barriers as possible by asking questions like :

• Have you considered all options?
• Could someone help you with that?
• Could you solve two problems with one solution?
• Is this really a negative thing, what does it take to become positive?