Be inspired by others

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Develop new skills

Practical suggestions for how to learn and grow

Every day in school and when you play with your friends, you learn something about yourself. You learn about what you like and dislike and what happens when you make decisions. You also learn to speak up for yourself and explain who you are to others. And you discover what you are particularly good at, and what new skills you would like to learn.

Key skills

  • Make choices: How to choose the option you like best when you have more than one choice
     
  • Make decisions: When you make a decision, how does it help you do what you want to do, and how does it affect others?
     
  • Solve problems: When you have a problem, do you know how to solve it?
     
  • Set goals: Decide on something you really want to do and plan how you will do it
     
  • Speak up for yourself: When you need help, explain what you need to those who can help you
     
  • Understand your own actions: How do your actions affect yourself and others and how can you change your behavior?
     
  • Know what you are good at: Discover your interests and special talents
Below are some things you can do to practice these skills. When you have done them, you can make up other exercises yourself to keep developing the skills further.

Choose what you like:

  • Choose a small dish you will prepare for your family on the weekend
  • Choose a different way home from school tomorrow
  • Ask yourself: Was it a good choice?

Make a decision:

  • Decide how you will respond if some one asks you about your hearing device
  • Decide when you will work on your next assignment for school
  • Ask yourself:
    • Why did I make that decision?
    • Was it a good decision?
    • Why was it good/less good?

Solve a problem:

  • Think of a problem you experience sometimes and that is related to your hearing loss. What can you do to solve it?
  • Think of a problem you experience with others at school from time to time. What can you do to solve it
  • Ask yourself:
    • Why did I choose the solution I did?
    • Did my solution work?

Make a plan:

  • Think of something you would really like to do
  • Make a plan for how you can do it
  • Ask yourself:
    • What does it take for my plan to work?
    • Who else can help me?
    • How will I know if my plan was good?

Speak up for yourself:

  • Plan what you will do the next time you cannot hear well
  • Think about who can help you and how you will ask them for help
  • Ask yourself:
    • Did I ask for the right kind of help?
    • Did I ask the best person for help?
    • What else could I do?

Be a good friend:

  • Think of a good friend of yours: Why is he or she your good friend?
  • List 2-3 things that you admire about them
  • Ask yourself:
    • Why do admire them?
    • Do you share some of the same traits?

What are you good at?

  • Write down or create a poster with pictures of things you are good at
  • How do you know you are good at these things?
  • Ask yourself:
    • Why am I good at these things?
    • What other things would I like to become good at?