RESOURCES
Big Idea: Attitude
It is always a good idea to take stock of our attitudes and make decisions to change behaviors and/or pursue new goals. One of the factors related to our ability to be successful in achieving our personal, group and institutional goals and resolutions is a Big Idea – ATTITUDE. Simply put, our attitude is the way we think or feel about things and the impact this has on our behavior. Quotes from public figures lauding the importance of attitude as being a critical variable for being successful are plentiful. There is also a growing amount of research demonstrating that our attitudes impact our performance, relationships, health, and success. So let’s explore the Big Idea of attitude while we take on the challenge of getting our attitudes “right” and making a positive difference.
ENGAGE
Big Idea:Attitude
Essential Question:How can we use our attitudes to improve our lives and those around us?
Challenge:Get our attitudes “right” and make a positive difference!
Sample Guiding Questions
These are only example questions we encourage you to ask as many personal and contextual questions as possible.
- What is an attitude?
- Why are attitudes important?
- How does my attitude impact the people around me?
- How do I define good and bad attitudes?
- How can I improve my attitude?
- Can a group or organization have an attitude?
- How can individual attitudes impact a group?
- What do positive and negative attitudes look like?
- What is a right attitude? For me? For groups?
- How does context determine attitudes?
- How does context determine the interpretation of attitude?
- Etc.
*Once you brainstorm all of the questions organize and prioritize them.
INVESTIGATE
Guiding Activities and Resources
These are only a set of example activities and resources and the learners will need to evaluate the quality of the content. They are not verified or necessarily supported, just examples. The ones that you choose should be in direct relationship to your specific guiding questions and context. Activities and resources for adults, adolescents, and younger children will be different. The goal is to develop solutions that mean something in your community and are sustainable.
Example Activities
- Individually define attitude and provide examples of “good” and “bad” attitudes. Think about why they are described that way and by whom.
- Create a mind map or word cloud related to attitude, define each of the words
- Research quotes on attitude
- Find one that you like and explain why
- Create a biography of the person to learn why they have that attitude
- Keep a diary to document attitudes and their causes.
- Explore the concept of attitude in different fields (science, art, business, sports). How are they similar and different?
- Explore the concept of attitude across genders, culture, and nationality.
Example Resources
- The 3 A’s of awesome
- The Happy Secret to Better Work
- The Surprising Science of Happiness
- Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator
- Etc.
Synthesis
Using the research findings from your Investigations develop a synthesis that demonstrates a clear understanding of the challenge. For help with creating a synthesis explore this resource.
Solution Prototypes – Using your research synthesis create multiple ideas for solutions and review each one to make sure your research supports it. Share the prototypes with various stakeholders and get feedback.
Solution – with the feedback from the stakeholders develop one solution that has the most potential for success.
ACT
Implement – Develop a plan to implement the solution with the stakeholders and collect data about the impact.
Evaluate – Using quantitative and qualitative measures determine if the solution is valid and what can be improved.
REFLECT, DOCUMENT, AND SHARE
Throughout the experience take time to document the events and reflect on what is happening to build on prior knowledge and identify future questions.
Share what you learned with your local community and the world. Use #CBLWorld on social media.