A Hopeful Plan

Instructions

Discuss: What is Hope?

• Today we’re going to talk about hope and learn how to strengthen our hope muscles.
• Ask one or more of the following questions: What is hope? When do you feel it? What helps you to experience hope at school?
• Validate student’s responses, and tell them: Hope isn’t just a feeling that comes and goes; it can grow stronger (like a muscle) when we make plans and think about HOW we can succeed—and how we can respond when we face challenges at school.

Introducing WOOP: A Hopeful Plan

• Today, each of us will create a simple, hopeful plan in four easy steps.
• We’re each going to make a WOOP. What’s a WOOP, you ask? Well, WOOP stands for a Wish, and Outcome, an Obstacle, and a Plan.

Discuss + Reflect: WOOP Handout*

WISH
Think about your most important wish or goal that’s related to school work and write it down (or draw it). [Examples: Maybe you want to work harder in math, or you want to learn how to read bigger words, or maybe you want to feel confident speaking up in class.]
The wish or goal should be something that is challenging, but that you can achieve within the next few weeks or months.

OUTCOME
Write down (or draw) the one best outcome, the one best thing of fulfilling your wish or reaching your goal. [For example, you complete all of your math homework this semester, or you learn to sound out 10-20 big words by the end of this month, or maybe you raise your hand to speak at least 5 times in the next two weeks–no matter how scared you feel.]
Take a few quiet minutes to think and imagine this best thing or outcome.

OBSTACLE
Write down (or draw) something that could prevent you from achieving your wish or goal, an obstacle that stands in the way of you achieving your wish. [For example, you might run out of time to do your math homework because you are spending time with friends. Or, you might feel discouraged if you can’t sound out a word at first. Or, you might feel really embarrassed after you raise your hand and speak, wondering if what you said didn’t sound very smart or thoughtful.]
Take a few quiet minutes to think and imagine the named obstacle.
Write down (or draw) when and where you will next encounter this obstacle. [In school? At home? In a specific class or subject area? Where does it occur next — in what place? When exactly, what day, what time?]

PLAN
What can you do to overcome your obstacle? What action of behavior could you do that would help to overcome the obstacle? [For example, could you create a schedule and reward system to help you prioritize your math homework? What about practicing reading big words at home with someone in your family? Or could you say something to encourage yourself when you are about to raise your hand, and your heart starts racing? “You can do this. You’ve got this. Who cares if I don’t sound smart?! I’m here to learn.”]
Write that behavior or action down or draw it].
Under “Plan” in your handout, write down (or draw) the obstacle in the “if…” part, and then describe (or draw) an action in the “then…” part. [For example, you might write, “If I really want to spend time with my friends after school instead of doing math homework, then I’ll schedule homework time immediately after school in the library for at least 30 minutes so that friend time will be my reward.]
Rehearse or imagine each step of the plan at least once or twice in your mind right now.

*Instructional note: If working with younger children, consider slowly working through the WOOP steps as a whole group, first. Ask a student to volunteer a wish, or you can share your own wish or goal. After creating one WOOP together as a group, invite students to work on their individual plans in pairs, if needed.

Closure

Consider the following options:
Ask students to share their WOOP handouts in pairs or small groups.
Invite them to post copies of their WOOP at school and at home.
Revisit the plans several times to encourage reflection on their progress: two weeks later, a month later, and even three months later (as relevant).

Source

This practice is drawn directly from a research intervention described in the following peer-reviewed article:

Duckworth, A. L., Kirby, T., Gollwitzer, A., & Oettingen, G. (2013). From fantasy to action: Mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII) improves academic performance in children. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4(6), 745–753. https://doi.org/10.1177/194855061347630

Evidence That It Works

Researchers found that economically disadvantaged fifth-grade students who participated in the WOOP (wish, outcome, obstacle, plan) exercise were more academically successful than their counterparts who participated in a different WOOP activity (i.e., outlining a wish, outcome, another outcome, and then imagining the positive feeling they would experience after they met their outcome).

More specifically, the group who created a plan for navigating obstacles significantly improved their grades, attendance, and behavior at school when compared with the positive thinking group. (Both groups, however, repeated their respective WOOP exercises two more times–during follow-up sessions two weeks and three months later.)

Why Does It Matter?

Hope is an action, and a muscle that we can grow to propel ourselves into better versions of ourselves as learners. Hope features two forms of thinking: pathway and agency. Pathway thinking focuses on picturing a way forward, along with alternative routes. Agency thinking involves believing in one’s capacity to meet goals through motivation and persistence.

This exercise guides students to imagine a successful outcome (agency thinking) along with a way to navigate potential obstacles (pathway thinking). However, a review of multiple studies shows that pathway thinking, this ability to think through and map out an implementation plan (i.e., “If this happens, then I’ll try this…”), supports students in meeting their goals most effectively.

Further research indicates that hope-based, goal-setting processes like these can potentially be powerful enough to positively influence grade point average, regardless of socio-economic status. When students experience hope through agency and pathway thinking, they are more likely to perceive obstacles and stressors as challenges rather than threats. In fact, students higher in hope also report greater motivation and engagement in school.