Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) · 1st Year · Transition and Belonging · 1.º Período

Understanding Myself and My Values

Reflecting on personal strengths, interests, and the core values that guide everyday decisions and behaviours.

TL;DR:Self-awareness is a vital skill as 1st year students begin to define their identity outside of their primary school context. This topic encourages students to reflect on their personal strengths, interests, and the core values that guide their behavior. It aligns with the NCCA SPHE goal of 'Understanding Myself and Others,' helping students build a stable sense of self-worth that isn't solely dependent on peer approval.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA SPHE Specification Strand 1: Understanding Myself and Others (1.2)
• Junior Cycle Wellbeing Indicator: Aware

About This Topic

Self-awareness is a vital skill as 1st year students begin to define their identity outside of their primary school context. This topic encourages students to reflect on their personal strengths, interests, and the core values that guide their behavior. It aligns with the NCCA SPHE goal of 'Understanding Myself and Others,' helping students build a stable sense of self-worth that isn't solely dependent on peer approval.

By identifying what they value, such as honesty, kindness, or hard work, students can make more intentional choices in their new environment. This reflection also helps build self-confidence during a time of significant change. This topic comes alive when students can physically model their values through creative projects and share their insights through structured peer feedback.

Key Questions

1. What are my personal strengths and talents?
2. How do my values influence the choices I make?
3. How can I build my self-confidence?

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Strengths only count if they are related to school subjects or sports.

What to Teach Instead

Students often overlook 'soft' strengths like being a good listener or being organized. Active station rotations help them recognize a broader range of valuable personal attributes.

Common Misconception

Values are just rules that adults make up.

What to Teach Instead

Students may see values as external constraints. Through collaborative investigations of real-life scenarios, they learn that values are internal compasses that help them stay true to themselves.

Active Learning Ideas

Stations Rotation

The Strengths Circuit

Students move through stations focused on different types of strengths: creative, social, academic, and physical. At each station, they complete a quick task and reflect on whether that strength resonates with them.

45 min·Small Groups

Think-Pair-Share

Value Shield

Students design a personal 'shield' representing their top four values. They then explain to a partner why they chose those specific values and how they might use them to make a difficult decision in school.

20 min·Pairs

Gallery Walk

Identity Collage

Students create a visual representation of their interests and talents. The class walks around to leave 'strength notes' on each other's work, highlighting a positive quality they have noticed in that classmate.

30 min·Whole Class

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I help my child identify their personal strengths?

Focus on 'effort' and 'character' rather than just grades. In SPHE, we use the 'Strengths Circuit' to help students see that being a reliable friend or a creative problem-solver is just as important as being good at Irish or Maths.

Why do 1st years study 'values' in SPHE?

Values provide a foundation for decision-making. When students understand what matters to them, they are less likely to give in to negative peer pressure. It helps them build the 'Aware' indicator of the Junior Cycle Wellbeing framework.

What is the 'Value Shield' activity?

It is a creative exercise where students choose four core principles they want to live by. By sharing these in pairs, they realize that while everyone has different priorities, most people value things like kindness and honesty, which builds class empathy.

How can active learning help students understand their own values?

Active learning moves values from abstract concepts to concrete actions. By participating in simulations where they have to choose between two competing values, students see how their beliefs actually dictate their behavior. This hands-on approach makes the connection between 'who I am' and 'what I do' much clearer.