Exam stress management
Students investigate practical strategies to manage exam stress.
Year level
9-12
Duration
60 minutes
Type
In class activity
Online learning
SEL Competencies
Self-awareness
Self-management
Learning intention
Students assess a variety of strategies for managing exam stress.
Key outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
understand exam stress as something that everyone experiences and that can be managed
appreciate how to use practical strategies to beat exam stress.
Materials needed
Student access to ReachOut's exam checklist
Student access to the ReachOut.com article 'Wellbeing and productivity apps to help you manage study stress'
Student access to the ReachOut.com article 'Everyday mindfulness'
Student access to the ReachOut.com quiz 'How are you going'
Mapped to
Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education
Plan, rehearse and evaluate strategies for managing situations where their own or others’ health, safety or wellbeing may be at risk (AC9HP10P08)
Evaluate emotional responses in different situations to refine strategies for managing emotions (AC9HP10P06)
Australian Curriculum: General Capabilities
Personal and Social Capability:
Self-awareness
Self-management
Critical and Creative Thinking:
Reflecting
Inquiring
NSW PDHPE Syllabus
Assesses their own and others’ capacity to reflect on and respond positively to challenges (PD5-1)
Assesses and applies self-management skills to effectively manage complex situations (PD5-9)
Victorian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education
Evaluate situations and propose appropriate emotional responses, and then reflect on possible outcomes of different responses to health and wellbeing (VCHPEP147)
Activity 1
Think about it
5 minutes
Students individually write for one minute per question to answer the following:
Why do exams cause stress?
What happens when you feel stressed prior to exams?
What happens when you feel stressed during exams?
Do you do anything for exam stress?
Activity 2
Strategise
40 minutes
Explore the following strategies for managing exam stress.
Student access to 'ReachOut's exam checklist' and discuss:
Why could the strategies identified be useful in managing stress in the hours before an exam?
Would the students add, change or adapt any aspect?
Encourage students to look at the apps suggested in the ReachOut.com article 'Wellbeing and productivity apps to help you manage study stress':
Are there any apps in the list they think would help them?
Do any of the students in the class already use any of these apps? If yes, ask them to share their experiences with the group and to explain why they use them.
Encourage students to watch and discuss one of the mindfulness videos in the ReachOut.com article 'Everyday mindfulness':
Did anything surprise you about mindfulness?
Is mindfulness something you would practise to help you focus?
Activity 3
Reflection activity
15 minutes
Discuss with students what they do if they aren’t coping with exams and exam stress. Outline for students who they can talk to at your school.
Students reflect on how they are currently coping by completing the ReachOut.com quiz 'How are you going?'. This quiz shares tips at the completion, depending on the students’ answers.
