Personal Development Key Stage 3
Layer 3
THEME: Managing Influences and Making Decisions
AIM: To explore and understand the impact of internal and external influences on our behaviour and decision making process.
Year Sub-theme
Suggested Learning Intentions
Possible Activities/Resources
Development of
Pupils are learning:
Thinking Skills and
Personal Capabilities
8
Internal and
 understand that decisions are  Ask pupils to thought shower (come up with as many Thinking, Problem
external
Solving, Decision
not made in a vacuum
ideas as possible) how decisions are made. Pose the
influences
Making
question, ‘You are going to the cinema with your
Make links between
mates, what will you wear?’.
cause and effect
Reflect on the answers and discuss the reasons for
these answers. On a flipchart categorise the
responses under the following:
Being Creative
o Internal influence, eg, comfort.
Making new
o External influence, eg, look good.
connections between
ideas/information
 Why do we make the choices we do?
What, or who, influences the choices we make?
In groups children should discuss the questions
above.
Record the groups’ responses on a flip chart.
How do our feelings and emotions influence our
choices.

understand the influence of
peers in the decisions that we
make

The Smarties Game – give each pupil a smartie and
an instruction, either ‘don’t eat it and try to persuade
others not to’ or ‘eat it and try to persuade others to’.
Pupils should feedback on the task. What sort of
strategies did the persuaders use? How did they feel
when they were being persuaded.
Self Management
Manage emotions and
behaviour in a range
of situations
THEME: Managing Influences and Making Decisions
AIM: To explore and understand the impact of internal and external influences on our behaviour and decision making process.
Year Sub-theme
Suggested Learning Intentions
Possible Activities/Resources
Development of
Pupils are learning:
Thinking Skills and
Personal Capabilities
Class discussion around group dynamics, decisions,
gender differences etc. Link to feelings and
emotions.
Managing the
decision
making process

develop and use a framework 
to assist in the decision
making process
In pairs, pupils talk about a difficult decision they
have had to make. How did they reach that decision?
What steps did they take when making that decision.
Feedback on how the decision was reached in the
form of steps on a flipchart.
Introduce an existing decision making framework
and discuss the similarities between the two.
Working With
Others
Develop routines of
turn-taking, sharing
and cooperating
Listen actively and
share opinions

Applying a decision making framework to a scenario
which requires a decision For example:
o You are at a friend’s house with your mates. One
brings some cans of beer and asks if you would
like one.
o You are at a friend’s house and it is getting late.
o You need to be home soon but a good film has
just started.
Thinking, Problem
Solving, Decision
Making
Make connections
between learning in
different contexts
Personal Development Key Stage 3
Layer 3
THEME: Managing Influences and Making Decisions
AIM: To explore and understand the impact of internal and external influences on our behaviour and decision making process.
Year Sub-theme
Suggested Learning Intentions
Possible Activities/Resources
Development of
Pupils are learning:
Thinking Skills and
Personal Capabilities
8
Understanding  understand that decisions
Thinking, Problem
 Consider the previous scenarios and examine the
the
Solving, Decision
have consequences, both
positive and negative consequences of the decisions
consequences
Making
good and bad
made.
of decisions
Examine options,
Would your decisions have been different next time.
 to evaluate their learning
and how they
weigh up pros and
Why?
based on experience
shape our
cons
behaviour
Personal Development Key Stage 3
Layer 3
THEME: Managing Influences and Making Decisions
AIM: To explore and understand the impact of internal and external influences on our behaviour and decision making process.
Year Sub-theme
Suggested Learning Intentions
Possible Activities/Resources
Development of
Pupils are learning:
Thinking Skills and
Personal Capabilities
9
Personal
Thinking, Problem
 understand the importance of  Thought shower areas in their life they are
responsibility
Solving, Decision
personal responsibility
responsible for (eg, personal hygiene) versus those
and self
Making
they are not responsible for (eg, paying the
management
Justify methods,
mortgage/rent). Feedback on flip chart.
opinions and
conclusions
 Hold a class discussion about the importance of
Examine options,
taking responsibility for the decisions that you make
weigh up pros and
and the importance of having a balance of
cons
responsibility.

‘What’s it to do with me?’ quiz. Pupils are given a
range of scenarios with three answers A,B,C.
For example, Your bedroom’s a mess and your friend
is coming to stay over. Do you:
A) Clean your own room, it’s a poor reflection on
me if it’s a mess!
B) Say to yourself ‘I’ll do it later if I’ve time’
C) Leave it as it is. It’s not my job, mum will clean
it.
This quiz can be a pen and paper exercise or a debate.
THEME: Managing Influences and Making Decisions
AIM: To explore and understand the impact of internal and external influences on our behaviour and decision making process.
Year Sub-theme
Suggested Learning Intentions
Possible Activities/Resources
Development of
Pupils are learning:
Thinking Skills and
Personal Capabilities
Self Management
 set personal targets to
 Each pupil chooses one issue they would like to
Set personal targets
increase their personal
become more personally responsible for. They
and review them
responsibility and review
should target three areas: school, home and
Organise and plan
them
friendships. Develop an action-plan involving
planning, carrying out and reviewing, which is time- how to go about a
task
bound.
Review learning and
some aspect that
might be improved
Delaying
 understand the concept of
 Discussion around the culture of immediacy (getting Being Creative
gratification,
Experiment with ideas
immediacy
the things you want without needing to wait).
learning to wait
and questions
Thought shower the advantages and disadvantages
Thinking, Problem
and
record
these
on
a
flipchart.
 understand the balance
Focus on the disadvantages. Would delaying getting Solving, Decision
between immediacy and
Making
what you want reduce the disadvantages?
delayed gratification
Examine options,
weigh up pros and
Group discussion. Think of situations where it is
cons Generate
better to delay getting what you want.
possible solutions, try
out alternative
approaches, evaluate
outcomes
Personal Development Key Stage 3
Layer 3
THEME: Managing Influences and Making Decisions
AIM: To explore and understand the impact of internal and external influences on our behaviour and decision making process.
Year Sub-theme
Suggested Learning Intentions
Possible Activities/Resources
Development of
Pupils are learning:
Thinking Skills and
Personal Capabilities
9
Will power
 to understand what we mean  Thought shower ‘what is willpower?’ Pupils think of Managing
Information
by willpower and the internal
lots of words associated with willpower, eg,
Ask focused questions
and external factors that
persistence, determination, commitment, focus and
Thinking, Problem
impact on it
self discipline.
Solving, Decision
As a class, discuss the things that affect our
Making
willpower.
Make links between
cause and effect
Self Management
 to recognise that willpower is  Washing line activity.
Be aware of personal
individual we all have
In pairs pupils are given a set of statement cards
strengths, limitations
different degrees of will
around situations related to willpower to discuss.
and interests
power at different times and
They then place these on the washing line (use the
contexts depending on
left side if they indicate weak willpower; use the right
values, beliefs and the
if it shows strong willpower). For example, smoking,
situation
studying for exams, eating three bags of crisps in a
row, playing computer games all night, watching TV Working With
Others
all day on Saturday, etc.
Give and respond to
feedback
 Circle time activity.
Give every pupil a Post-It note and ask them to write Develop routines of
turn-taking, sharing
down one area where they would like to increase
their willpower. Pupils then stick this on their blazers and cooperating
and look at each other’s sticker.
Select one or two of these areas and as a class,
discuss some strategies that could help.
THEME: Managing Influences and Making Decisions
AIM: To explore and understand the impact of internal and external influences on our behaviour and decision making process.
Year Sub-theme
Suggested Learning Intentions
Possible Activities/Resources
Development of
Pupils are learning:
Thinking Skills and
Personal Capabilities
Self Management
 to understand all the internal  Individually, pupils record strategies which might
Review learning and
and external factors that
help strengthen their willpower.
some aspect that
influence will power
might be improved
Personal Development Key Stage 3
Layer 3
THEME: Managing Influences and Making Decisions
AIM: To explore and understand the impact of internal and external influences on our behaviour and decision making process.
Year Sub-theme
Suggested Learning Intentions Possible Activities/Resources
Development of
Pupils are learning:
Thinking Skills and
Personal Capabilities
10 Creative and
Thinking, Problem
 that thinking is an
 Individually pupils think about a rash decision they
critical thinking
Solving, Decision
important part of decision
have made and the consequences of this, to what
in decision
Making
making
extent do they feel that the consequences were
making
Make links between
positive or negative? Think, pair, share.
cause and effect
Examine options,
 Discuss the importance of rational thought before
weigh up pros and
decisions are made. How can rational thought be
cons
compromised? For example, the influence of
alcohol, drugs, peers, adrenalin, emotional state.

about the importance of
critical and creative
thinking in making
decisions

Nine dot exercise. Pupils draw nine dots, three in
each line, to make a square. They must join all nine
without lifting their pencil. Feedback on how they
arrived at the answer (hint: think outside the box!).
This should lead to a definition of creative thinking
(having unusual ideas and innovative thoughts and
being able to put things together in imaginative
ways).
Give out checklists on creative thinking and in
groups compare this to your feedback.
Being Creative
Make ideas real by
experimenting with
different designs,
actions, outcomes
Experiment with ideas
and questions
THEME: Managing Influences and Making Decisions
AIM: To explore and understand the impact of internal and external influences on our behaviour and decision making process.
Year Sub-theme
Suggested Learning Intentions Possible Activities/Resources
Development of
Pupils are learning:
Thinking Skills and
Personal Capabilities
 Introduction to critical thinking. Debate an issue, for Thinking, Problem
Solving, Decision
example, which method of mobile phone
Making
communication is better, text or talk.
Justify methods,
Divide class into pairs to discuss and then present a
opinions and
reasoned judgement on which is best. Pupils should
conclusions
explain the reason behind their decision.
Influences on
decision making

to understand internal and
external influences on
behaviour

Discuss the process involved in arriving at the
judgement and give out a checklist on ‘critical
thinking’, compare this to feedback. Talk them
through each statement and help them to develop
their own understanding, with appropriate examples
linking to their own experiences.
Self Management
Compare their
approach with others
and in different
contexts
The class are given a number of scenarios around
decisions which are important to them in Year 10.
Thinking, Problem
Solving, Decision
Making
Make links between
cause and effect
What influences the decisions they make, for
example, subject choices, relationships etc. Divide
the influences into two groups as feedback is given:
o External - friends, parents, teachers.
o Internal - self-esteem, motivation, ambition,
desires, values and beliefs.
As a class, discuss how we can become more aware
of what drives our behaviours and how much control
we have over this.

to understand the impact

Provide groups with a number of magazines
Working with
Others
Listen actively and
share opinions
Managing
Information
THEME: Managing Influences and Making Decisions
AIM: To explore and understand the impact of internal and external influences on our behaviour and decision making process.
Year Sub-theme
Suggested Learning Intentions Possible Activities/Resources
Development of
Pupils are learning:
Thinking Skills and
Personal Capabilities
of societal norms on
/newspapers. Each group are given an issue
Select most
decision making
(substance abuse, relationships, physical appearance). appropriate info. for
They then create a collage and give a talk on the role task
of society and media in the decisions we make.
Communicate with a
Pupils could use digital imaging software to present
sense of audience and
their collage.
purpose
 Whole class discussion on what shapes societal
norms, eg, government policies, advertising
campaigns (health promotion), media etc.