‘Frazzled’ is a six-week course for those preparing for exams. Frazzled is defined as ‘showing the effects of exhaustion and strain’.  We know that for young people exams are important and can be stressful for a whole variety of reasons. This course is for those that feel overwhelmed by the process of preparation and the prospect of facing upcoming exams. Frazzled aims to put students in the driving seat, to empower them to find tools and strategies, space and time that works for them, so that they can feel in control in a time that may feel like they are out of control.

 

Structure:

• 5-6 young people
• 2 Course leaders
• 6 Week course
• 1 hour sessions

 

Course objectives:

• To work with students to understand their preparation process and to practice implementing it.
• To support students through the course and find ways for them to be supported afterward.
• To facilitate students to achieve and to recognise their achievements.

 

Course aims:

• To enable students to find healthy ways to manage the pressures they face.
• To enable students to gain a sense of perspective and to feel listened to.
• To empower students to make their own choices and to find a process that works for them.
• To enable students to perform to the best of their abilities under exam conditions.

 

Course Outline

 

Session 1 – Big Questions.

Each student is an individual and will have pressures and motivations that are unique to them.  In this session we aim to work with the young people to identify the pressures they face, and understand how these can manifest themselves under exam conditions eg: panic, freezing, losing track of time etc.

 

Session 2– What is Our Motivation?

Building on from last week’s session, we’ll aim to identify the students’ motivations for wanting to succeed in their exams. We will also help students to name the pressures and motivations they feel and begin to recognise how they can put them into perspective.

We hope that naming and thinking about motivations will empower students in working towards their goals.

 

Session 3 – What Does it Look Like for Me? Continuing the concept of each students’ journey, this session will aim to work with them to figure out what helps; both in terms of revising, but also in terms of resting. This session will be led by the student and aims to empower them to make their own choices and to give them an opportunity to put them into practice.

 

Session 4 – How do I keep perspective & what do I do when the wheels come off?

Recognising that students can feel overwhelmed by the pressure of exams and lose perspective, this session helps them to realign their perspective, so that they can work towards their motivation and gain a sense of achievement. We will also focus on understanding that not all things are straightforward and sometimes they won’t go to plan. We will work with students to build their resilience for when things go wrong and identify strategies and coping mechanisms that will help them to recover and move forward.

 

Session 5 – Keeping on Track.

Reflecting on, and celebrating, the progress the students have made and working with them to continue their progress going forward.

 

Session 6 – Looking after me, moving forward.

In the process of preparation, it is so easy to stop caring for oneself. This session aims to work with students to make sure they are kind to themselves as they get closer to their exams, to remind them of what they have learnt so far, and to identify sources of support going forward.