Learning activities that cultivate meaning and purpose
Above : Enrichment Week at Sevenoaks School 2024 .
Offering structured self-reflection activities to students is a promising way for schools to support the search for meaning and purpose . Meaning involves finding significance and worthwhileness in the activities we are engaged in , while purpose is more futureorientated and includes meaningful goals and direction .
Encouraging reflections on personal values and beyond-the-self goals of how we can serve others and the broader society can bring a host of positive outcomes related to wellbeing including greater self-efficacy , higher grades , and a decrease in orientations for social comparison , competition , and fear of failure .
Case study : Enrichment Week
In an annual Enrichment Week , Year 10 students at Sevenoaks School are immersed in a student-led research project of their choice . This is a research-based enquiry into anything that is of interest to them and concludes with a curated exhibition of their findings .
Recent projects have included an exploration of whether fungi can communicate , the impact of phones on the teenage brain , the philosophy of ‘ The Truman Show ’, the evolution of origami and the history of paper .
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