Ability to follow instructions

The Psychology of Following Instructions and Its Implications

Am J Pharm Educ. 2020 Aug; 84(8): ajpe7779.

doi: 10.5688/ajpe7779

, PharmD,^a, BS,^a and , PhD^a,^b

Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer

The ability to follow instructions is an important aspect of everyday life. Depending on the setting and context, following instructions results in outcomes that have various degrees of impact. In a clinical setting, following instructions may affect life or death. Within the context of the academic setting, following instructions or failure to do so can impede general learning and development of desired proficiencies. Intuitively, one might think that following instructions requires simply reading instructional text or paying close attention to verbal directions and performing the intended action afterward. This commentary provides a brief overview of the cognitive architecture required for following instructions and will explore social behaviors and mode of instruction as factors further impacting this ability.

Keywords: following instructions, working memory, metacognition, social psychology, teach-back method

Following instructions is an important ability to practice in everyday life. Within an academic setting, following instructions can influence grades, learning subject matter, and correctly executing skills. In this commentary, we provide an overview of the primary factors that influence the ability of an individual to follow instructions. We translate these findings from the psychological literature into practical guidelines to follow in the educational setting.

Literature on following instructions first surfaced in the late 1970s.¹ Researchers observed a subset of housewives who demonstrated a preference to tinker with a new home appliance to get it started or watch a demonstration video on how to set it up rather than read the accompanying instruction manual. Since then, numerous factors that influence following instructions have been investigated including a person’s working memory capacity,^2-6 societal rules,^7-9 history effects,⁷ self-regulatory behavior,^10,11 and instruction format. ^3,6 Although not completely independent of each other, these factors warrant some individual attention to better understand their implications on following instructions.

Working Memory and Following Instructions

Working memory is the brain’s workbench, linking perception, attention, and long-term memory.^12,13 As an example, in the classroom setting, learners may receive information visually from slides and/or auditorily from instructor narration. However, only items that learners pay attention to within the environment enter their working memory. These items are then processed, resulting in the formation of a mental representation (ie, encoding) that effectively moves from working memory to long-term storage. Thus, working memory performance is an important intermediary between perception and learning. Because working memory capacity is limited,¹⁴ a person’s ability to follow instructions may be impacted if the instructional load is greater than that capacity, ultimately leading to information loss (for more information, explore cognitive load theory^15,16). This loss of information may be more pronounced when a task must be performed immediately and the presentation rate of instructions cannot be controlled by the user. Imagine a student named Dennis. During class, Dennis is nervous about an upcoming examination and this emotional state preoccupies his working memory, leading to, in that moment, a lower working memory performance. As a result, when the professor gives verbal instructions for an upcoming assignment, the amount of instructional load supersedes Dennis’ capacity to hold on to those instructions in his working memory. Because he cannot hold on to those instructions, he is less likely to store them in his long-term memory and will not be able to refer to them later when completing the task. To summarize, the ability to hold instructions within working memory is necessary to execute the desired function; thus low working memory performance can compromise a student’s ability to follow instructions.² If a student cannot process or hold instructions in working memory, they will probably fail to complete a given task correctly.

There are two potential strategies to assist the learner in this situation. One strategy is to have the learner immediately act on the received information.¹⁷ A common example of this is the teach-back method, which is a practice of enactment. The practice of enactment has demonstrated greater retention of new information.^4,5 This line of research has shown that the accuracy of recalling instructions was increased when immediately after instruction, actions were performed at both the initial learning phase (ie, encoding) and later during recall. The second strategy is to use different forms of instructions (eg, written and verbal), which allows the learner to control the rate of presentation. If the learner can control the rate, they can review the instructions as needed or go at a slower pace to fully encode the instructions.^18,19

Societal Rules and History Effects

Following instructions is a behavior, and most human behavior depends on social context. Part of the social context is the presence of another individual. The mere presence effect is the phenomenon that human behavior changes when another human is around.⁹ The presence of another person can make an individual more pliant. Being more or less pliant, or pliance, describes behavior that is controlled by a socially mediated consequence. As an example, if an instructor tells a student to write their name at the top of a test sheet and the student does so to gain the instructor’s approval, this is a ply and the student is being pliant. Imagine a student, Angela. She follows instructions because she feels it is a professional expectation that her mentors and peers have. Angela will be pliant because following instructions has a social consequence. For this to occur, however, the instructor must monitor the completion of the task, possess the ability to impose a consequence, and observe the effect of the consequence on the student. Donadeli and colleagues⁸ explored the effect of the magnitude of nonverbal consequences, monitoring, and social consequences on instruction following. They observed that the presence of an observer and social reprimand for not following instructions improved the rates at which people followed instructions. This suggests that societal constructs, such as following authority figures and the fear of reprimand, may be drivers in motivating people to follow directions.

There are two possible ways to address societal effects on following instructions. The first way is to establish an expectation of professionalism by explaining why instruction following is important. This would be consistent with aspects of social identity theory.^20,21 The second way is to create the fear of reprimand. In this case, faculty members hold students responsible for following the rules. This could be with respect to assignment formatting, assignment deadlines, or other aspects that might be tied to a penalty.

Following instructions is affected by the presence of another person even if there is no history of reinforcement for such behavior, suggesting that instructional control may be strengthened by social contingencies. ^7,8 However, societal rules can lead to history effects. If students never receive feedback on or consequences for their inability to follow instructions, history effects dictate they will continue that behavior. Now imagine a student named Amber. Amber wrote down the instructions during class but did not follow them because she generally does well on her assignments despite not completely following the instructions. As such, she abstained from following the rules because a consequence was not associated with not following them.

Metacognition and Self-regulation

Following instructions also depends on self-regulation, ie, a person’s awareness of their own behavior to act in a manner that optimizes their best long-term interests.²² To do so, an individual must be aware of their own thoughts and actions. This awareness plays a role in metacognitive monitoring, or a person’s monitoring of their own thoughts and behaviors.

Metacognition has been described as thinking about thinking. ²³ At its core, it is about planning, monitoring making progress, and evaluating the completion of a process. For instance, if a student is asked to conduct a journal club meeting, the planning stage would involve gaining an understanding of what is required to successfully complete a journal club meeting. This could include time needed for completion or where to look for an article. The monitoring phase is the awareness to review the article and pull out key information. The final part, evaluation, involves checking the work to determine whether goals were met.

Imagine a student named Craig. Craig wrote down instructions for an assignment, but after completing the assignment, he did not review the instructions to ensure he followed them correctly. He failed to monitor his progress. As such, the ability to be metacognitively aware can be a key piece in following instructions. In this case, individuals may not follow instructions because they are poor monitors of their learning. ^22,24-28 Students may not adequately plan before tackling their assignment, such as by reading instructions beforehand. Next, they may not monitor their progress during completion of the assignment. And finally, once students think they have completed the task, they may not go back and read the instructions to ensure they have fulfilled all expectations. To help them with this and other aspects of instruction, students may need to use accountability (societal rules) as a primary source of motivation. Without accountability, students may not follow instructions, thus perpetuating poor metacognitive skills, leading to unawareness of what they know, what they do not know, and the process to correct errors. A strategy may be the use of checklists to help students monitor their thoughts during a process (see Tanner²⁹ and Medina and colleagues³⁰ for a review of methods to develop metacognition).

Verbal vs Written Instructions

When examining best practices for conveying instructions to learners, the instructor should consider whether instructions are best retained and applied if received in a verbal versus a written format. To date, no published studies have examined whether one format offers greater benefit over another; however, one study explored both formats in relation to working memory.⁶

Written instructions are efficient because large amounts of detail can be provided that students can read rapidly. Thus, step-by-step manuals can be found for almost all electronic devices. While there is a large body of literature describing the mechanics of how we read, there are some important points to underscore.⁶ When reading and following instructions, a person will act in the same sequence in which action items are presented in the text. In the television show MASH (season 1, episode 20), one of the characters was instructed to “…cut wires leading to the clockwork fuse at the head, but first remove the fuse.” He proceeded to cut the wires before removing the fuses. He acted in the same sequence in which the instructions were presented but failed to follow the actual instructions. This raises an important point: individuals are more likely to remember instructions when the order is consistent with how events occur. ⁶ Writing instructions according to the sequence of actions the reader needs to take may lead to better results. For example, “do A before doing B’ is a superior form of wording instructions than stating, “before doing A, do B,” as illustrated in the above scenario.

Spoken instructions are advantageous in face-to-face interactions (eg, within the classroom). Spoken instructions are processed through the phonological loop, a component of working memory focused on verbal information, which is more flexible and convenient. Intrinsically, listening requires less effort than reading. Spoken words can also be paired with visual aids to guide action, such as in measuring blood pressure or administering an immunization.⁶ Remarkably, individuals cannot read and follow visual objects at the same time. Combining text with pictures can be more taxing to working memory than combining spoken words and visuals. A drawback associated with spoken words is the rate of presentation. While the speed at which text is read can be controlled by the end user, the instructor’s speed of speech cannot. The phonological loop mediates the ability to hold and process auditory information.^13,31 Items (bits of information) in the phonological store can rapidly decay, and because items are usually chained in such a way that an item primes the next item,³¹ one lost step can lead to the loss of all subsequent steps (eg, if a student cannot remember step 3, she is unlikely to recall any step after that). To prevent this loss, people tend to “rehearse” following instructions by repeating the instructions to themselves.³ Access to both written instructions and verbal instructions may prove beneficial, as written instructions can be referred to if any verbal instruction is missed.

Several factors can impact a student’s ability to follow instructions. Recommendations to increase the probability of learners following instructions are available within the literature (). While these modalities may not guarantee success, these recommendations should increase the probability that most students will follow instructions. Although we cannot extrapolate from current literature whether one mode of instruction delivery is preferred over another, we can apply some of these findings to pharmacy students in a learning environment where instructions are used to guide the completion of deliverables. The first thing the instructor can do is provide both written and verbal instructions. These instructions should be concise, written in student-friendly language, and given in order of operation (ie, step A then step B). Students can read (and reread the written instructions), which should minimize errors resulting from not paying attention or insufficient working memory. Although distracted when verbal instructions were given, a student can review written instructions in a self-paced manner, thus reducing cognitive load and increasing the probability of remembering them. The instructor could then employ metacognitive monitoring and assess the student’s understanding of the instructions by including a checklist within the assignment, ie, a strategy to help Craig monitor his learning and check his work (much like journals have checklists for authors). Finally, the instructor should penalize students for not following the instructions thereby using the social context to reinforce their need to follow instructions. Amber benefits by learning there are consequences for not following instructions. For Dennis and Craig, the threat of punishment in the form of lost points may motivate them to review the instructions to ensure they have done their work correctly, a process which can improve their attention (Dennis) and metacognitive monitoring (Craig).

Table 1.

Common Errors in Following Instructions and Recommendations to Enhance the Probability of Instruction Following

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How To Help Kids Develop This Important Skill

Does it sometimes feel like your child isn’t the greatest at following directions? Or the older they get, the more they want to do everything their way, regardless of the instructions given to them?

Before you start thinking you’re doing something wrong, it’s important to know that you’re not alone. The truth is sometimes our kids are not the most cooperative, and following our instructions isn’t always high on their priority list.

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of effective strategies you can try at home to help them follow directions. Let’s get started!

Why Is Following Directions Important?

The ability to follow directions is a basic life skill that will serve your child well both now and in the future.

When you look at the various aspects of our everyday lives and daily interactions with others (like following the user manual’s instructions for a new gadget), you realize how this skill actually allows us to accomplish so much.

For kids, in particular, there are a couple of key benefits to following directions.

Children Can Function In Different Environments

As much as we’d like to keep them all to ourselves, our children aren’t going to stay at home for the rest of their lives.

They are going to go to school, take tests, participate in sports, go to camps, visit a friend’s house, etc. Learning to follow directions will help them function effectively across these different environments.

It Keeps Kids Safe

You never know when an emergency can occur. Whether at home, school, or the local park, the skill of following directions may save your child’s life one day.

In addition to the above, helping your child learn how to follow directions can:

Maintain order at home
Impact their ability to complete tasks and reach the desired purpose
Learn new skills
Keep them calm and feeling secure as they know what comes next

With these examples, we hope you understand that following directions is a beneficial skill your child can use in various aspects of life.

The Age Factor

Before discussing the different strategies you can try at home, it’s important to mention the role age plays in our children’s ability to follow directions.

0 – 24 Months

Trying to get a newborn to follow directions is unrealistic. However, as you respond to their cues (like hungry and tired cries) and they respond to yours, it helps lay a solid foundation for cooperative interactions.

As children enter the toddler stage, they are usually able to begin following simple, one-step instructions, such as, “Wave bye-bye to Laura!” or, “Give mommy the book. ” Keep in mind that attention spans at this age are super short, so be clear and make eye contact with your child.

Children seek lots of adult approval at this stage, and making your tone of voice enthusiastic and appreciative can help influence how your toddler responds.

Giving positive feedback is also a great way to encourage them. So, if they don’t do as you say, instead of responding negatively, focus on what they should be doing.

2 – 4 Years

At the preschool level, most children can understand and follow two-step instructions. For example, “Put your toys in the box, then place the box in the corner.”

If your child hasn’t yet developed this ability, don’t worry. At this stage, kids are still learning the valuable skill of listening and paying attention to the details in the information given.

To help your child process information and instructions, you can continue to give them lots of positive reinforcement.

In addition, remember to also give them simple choices. For example, “Get your green shirt out of the bottom drawer” is more challenging than pointing to a visible shirt and asking them to get it.

4 – 6 Years

At this stage, your child’s vocabulary and listening skills have improved. This can make following directions a bit easier.

Most kindergarteners can follow three- or four-step instructions. They may also ask questions to seek clarification.

To help your child continue to improve this skill, you can:

Break complicated directions into smaller steps
Give instructions in context (for example, if your child is learning to draw, give instructions while they are busy with the activity)
Keep a fun and playful tone while giving directions to help motivate them

Following directions is a skill that your child will use for the rest of their life. So, here are seven strategies to help them improve.

Tips To Encourage Following Directions

1) Get Your Child’s Attention

Before giving your child directions, it’s essential that you have their full attention. Otherwise, the activity will feel impossible for both you and them.

You can gain their attention by simply asking for it — e.g., “Look toward me now. I need to tell you something.” Getting down to your child’s level can also help.

2) Be Clear

One of the key components for helping your child learn to follow directions is being clear on what you need them to do. To achieve this, be direct and use simple language.

For instance, “It’s time to jump into bed,” is much better than, “You need to sleep early. We have a long day ahead tomorrow, and it would be great for you to get enough rest.”

You might assume that the latter will help a child become more understanding. However, giving too many details may lead to a child getting “lost” in the information you’re giving them. It’s best to say what’s necessary and leave the rest out.

3) Focus On One Instruction At A Time

Going along with the previous point, we sometimes make the mistake of giving children too many instructions at one time.

For example, we might say, “Pick up your toys, place them in the toy box, wash your hands, and then tell your brother it’s time to eat.”

With this many instructions, it can be hard for your child to decipher what they’re actually supposed to do. That’s why, whenever possible, it’s best to give one instruction at a time or group them together in a way that makes sense.

Using the example above, you could hand your child a toy and ask them to put it in the toy box. Then hand them another one and do the same. When this is easy for your child, you can then group instructions together by saying, “Pick up your stuffed lion and put it in the toy box.”

Then you may want to move on to even more complicated directions. For example, you may have them pick up all the toys on the floor and put them in the toy box. Finally, once they’ve completed that, ask them to wash their hands and tell their brother that it’s time to eat.

4) Number Your Instructions

This tip is very effective if you’re going to be grouping your instructions into manageable tasks.
Simply number the directions you’re giving your child.

For example, start with, “I need you to do three things right now,” or “Pay attention. There are four things I need you to do.” You can also use ordinal numbers such as “first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth to label each task.

By using this technique and verbiage, you can help your child become aware that there is more than one thing being asked, and they can distinguish between and keep track of to-dos on their list.

While numbering your instructions helps make things clear, it’s still important to keep the list relatively short. Because people can typically only hold up to four different things in their working memory, we recommend giving no more than four instructions at a time.

5) Help Your Child Visualize The Instructions

Giving visual cues can be very effective in helping your child understand what you need them to do. To use this tactic, demonstrate a task and then ask them to follow your example.

For example, “Watch me carefully. See how I’m arranging this plate, fork, and spoon? I need you to set the rest of the table just like this.”

This “me first, now you” approach allows your child to visualize exactly what you want them to do before giving it a go. It can also be a very effective strategy to use with children who have language processing challenges.

6) Allow Your Child To Process The Information

Do you know how you sometimes have to pause and think through information you’ve just read or heard? Kids need that, too, especially when they’re learning to follow directions.

After giving them instructions, allow a few seconds to pass, which may help the information sink in.

Doing this may also help your child learn to listen the first time, rather than requiring you to repeat yourself. However, if they don’t do as you say or seem confused, it’s OK to repeat the instructions.

7) Minimize Distractions

Children have short attention spans. That’s why it’s essential to keep their attention when you have it.

If the TV is on in the background or they’re busy playing games, it’s going to be challenging for them to follow through on any of your instructions. Turn the TV off. Have them put their game or anything else they’re busy with down and give you their full attention.

Another essential component is to give your child your full attention as well. This may help them realize that the information is important.

8) Focus On Tone Of Voice

You know the phrase, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it”? Different people can recite the same words, but the differences in tone, volume, pace, and pitch can completely change the message.

When it comes to helping children follow directions, it’s much more effective to speak in a calm, clear, and even tone. Remember that you want your child to focus only on the instructions and not the volume or tone.

9) Don’t Ask, Tell

Sometimes children are in the mood for a power struggle and phrasing the directions in a way that it seems like there’s room for negotiation will not help you.

If you give directions such as, “Would you pick up your toys, please?” It may give your child the impression that they don’t have to do it.

Instead, change the wording to, “It’s time to pick up your toys,” as this makes it clear that they don’t have a choice.

10) Offer Praise

Positive reinforcement is a great way to help your child feel good about following your instructions. So, clap your hands, cheer them on, give them a high five, or pat them on the back to show that you’re happy about what they’ve just done.

The more they realize how happy you are, the better they’ll feel about listening to your instructions, and the easier it will be for them to continue following your directions in the future.

Activities To Help With Following Directions

Plenty of games and activities can help you encourage your child to get into the habit of following directions. These include:

Follow The Leader
Simon Says
I Spy

One of our favorite activities to help develop this skill is what we call the “playful instructions game. ” This is where you give children instructions by adding playful elements.

For example, ask your child to jump as high as possible and then make a silly face. For older kids, you can even add more playful instructions (stick your tongue out, wiggle your nose, etc.).

This game can be incorporated into your regular routines — jump out of bed, tiptoe to the bathroom, and grab a toothbrush. Adding a playful element can make mundane routines much more fun.

In addition to the well-known games above, we’ve included a few more activities to help your child learn to follow instructions.

1) Red Light, Green Light

To prepare for this game, clearly define the playing area and mark the start and finish lines with a strip of tape on the floor (or ground if you’re outside). Safety comes first, so feel free to push things out of the way if you need a little more room to move around.

To begin, have all players stand on the starting line. Then, when you say “Green Light,” everyone moves toward the finish line. But, as soon as you say “Red Light,” everyone needs to immediately stop.

Anyone who is caught moving when “Red Light” is called out has to go back to the starting line. The first person to make it across the finish line wins the game!

This listening and moving game uses simple instructions to encourage children to follow directions — and have some fun while doing so!

2) Grid Game

The goal of this activity is simple: Make your way through a grid by following instructions.

Start by creating a numbered grid on your floor. The size of grid you create will depend on the space you have available. But whether you create a 4×4, 5×5, or 6×6 grid, make sure all the squares are the same size.

(You can either use your feet — one foot in front of the other — to measure each square, or you can use an actual ruler. It’s totally up to you!)

The type of floor you have will also dictate the type of tape you can use to create your grid, but masking tape usually works well for most floors because it easily comes off without causing damage.

To play this game, have your child stand in the first square and then follow your instructions to move throughout the grid.

Your instructions could look something like this:

Take two steps forward.
Take one step backward.
Take two steps to your right.
Take three steps to the left.

As they move this way and that within the defined space, it’s great practice because they have to switch gears quickly and listen carefully to the directions you’re giving.

3) Visual Directions

For this activity, simply make cards using your child’s routine. For example, let’s say your child’s bedtime routine is the following:

Take a bath
Put on pajamas
Brush teeth
Get into bed
Read a book
Sleep

Print out images of a bathtub, a toothbrush, pajamas, a bed, a book, and a child sleeping to represent each part of the routine.

Next, stick each of these pictures on a numbered index card. Then, whenever it’s time for bed, your child can just grab their card stack and follow the instructions.

This can work for any routine, so feel free to adapt it as necessary. It’s also a helpful tactic if you have a nonverbal child.

Using cards as a method of explaining instructions can eliminate unnecessary confusion, promote confidence in daily activities, and increase cooperation between a parent and a child.

Things To Consider When Giving Directions

1) Avoid Empty Threats

Sometimes parenting little humans can get overwhelming, especially when they are in the mood to be defiant.

This may lead to making impulsive threats, like, “If you don’t set the table right now, you’re going to be sorry!” Or, “I’m giving you two minutes to clean up. If this isn’t done by the time I get back, you’re going to be in big trouble!”

The problem with making such statements is that they tend to shut down communication and lead to power struggles. While threats may give you short-term gains (i. e., your child performing the tasks you want them to), they’re not ideal for the long haul.

It’s important to teach children to communicate their needs and wants clearly and, if there is a disagreement, how to get their point across calmly and respectfully.

So, remember to stay calm when addressing your child. If you notice that they are being extra defiant and their behavior is making you lose your patience, consider taking a moment to calm down before conversing with them.

2) Sometimes Reasoning Doesn’t Help

As adults, we often want to understand why things need to be done because this can help motivate us to perform a specific action. But explanations don’t always work for children, especially those under six years of age.

For example, “If you don’t pick up your toys after using them, you might end up stepping on them and hurting yourself. I want you to tidy up because it’s best to have a clean space so you can move around freely.”

While such a statement might work for older kids, younger children aren’t able to relate to future consequences, so they may not get motivated to perform a task. This is another reason it’s best to keep directions short and to the point.

3) Empower, Don’t Overpower

We’ve discussed how important it is to give clear instructions, and in some instances, this means not asking your child but telling them what to do. This approach works perfectly for young children who cannot grasp explanations and extra information from your directions.

But as children get older, they may start to respond to different situations independently.

For example, if you’ve always told them to pick up their toys because they may hurt themselves, they may decide that leaving toys lying around on one side of the room, where they are out of the way, works better than actually having to tidy up.

Sometimes parents view this as disrespectful behavior and resort to overpowering their children. Unfortunately, this can make children feel powerless and encourage defiance as they fight to “take back their power.”

A great solution may be to allow children, as they get older, some freedom to make their own decisions. For example, if they complain about their bedtime routine, encourage them to find what may be a better solution.

This is not to say that children should do as they please. You’re still the parent! However, as children get older and start thinking independently, it’s perfectly fine to allow them room to make some decisions (at your discretion, of course).

Practice Makes Progress

With the strategies above, we hope you realize that, while it can be challenging to get children to follow our instructions, it’s not impossible. Sometimes simplicity, clarity, and a little fun are all you need.

Check out HOMER Learn & Play app for more playful and interactive ways to give your growing child the skills they need to thrive in life!

Author

Exercise "Three-minute test". A fun test of attentiveness and conformity, the ability to follow the rules A three-minute test of attentiveness

The students' computational skill is worked out by solving a large number of monotonous examples. To diversify this process, it is important to interest students in obtaining the final result. Nothing intrigues like a riddle!

The purpose of entertaining tasks is to instill interest in mathematics, develop intuition, erudition, horizons, ingenuity, logical thinking, awaken mathematical curiosity and initiative, cultivate a culture of mathematical thinking, deepen students' knowledge.

It is useful for students to tell some of the creative biographies of famous scientists: how they came to formulate their research questions, how they found the research method, how they formulated the final result. This is what forms the creative atmosphere, helps to understand that in the process of creativity there is nothing unusual, supernatural. The communication of information from the history of science is also useful in cognitive terms, because it contributes to the formation of the worldview of students.

I offer several types of encrypted tasks using historical facts.

"3 MINUTE EXERCISE"

Can you follow all these instructions?

1. Read this text to the end.

2. Write your name in the right corner of this page.

3. Circle the word “Name” in the second sentence.

4. Draw 5 small squares in the upper left corner.

5. Write a cross in each square.

6. Circle each square.

7. Write your name below the title.

8. Write the word “yes” 3 times under the heading.

9. Underline the 7th sentence.

10. Draw a cross in the bottom left corner.

11. Draw a triangle around this cross.

12. On the reverse side, multiply 703 by 66.

13. Draw a rectangle after the word heading in sentence 7.

14. Now say your name out loud.

15. If you think you did everything right, say: "I did everything right."

16. On the reverse side, add 895 to 9726.

17. Circle your result.

18. Count aloud from 10 to 1.

19. Using a pencil, make 3 holes at the top of this page.

20. If you are the first to reach this point, say out loud: "I was the first to follow all the previous instructions, and I'm the best at it."

21. Underline all odd numbers on this page.

22. Say out loud: "I'm almost done."

23. Now that you have read carefully, follow only the first and second instructions.

Workshop for teachers on the topic:

"Psychological support for students in preparation for the exam"

Purpose: integration of the efforts of teachers to provide psychological support to students during the period of preparation for exams in the final grades.

Tasks : assessment of the significance and effectiveness of support for students in preparing for the exam on the part of teachers;

familiarize teachers with the main ways to reduce anxiety among students in a stressful situation, develop their self-control skills based on internal reserves;

playing exercises with teachers aimed at prevention of violations of the psycho-emotional state of students when preparing for exams.

Seminar progress

Slide #1

Association exercise Dear colleagues, please name the association that you have in connection with the word "USE". (I analyze the statements, there are positive and negative). I summarize:

Examinations have always been, are and will be. If we look at the situation of the USE without perceiving it as a catastrophe, a tragedy, but treat it adequately and consider it as an important stage in a person’s life that opens up opportunities for further development, then such a perception of the exam will effectively overcome all the difficulties that arise on the way to goals while maintaining our own health and the health of our children.

I want to tell you about how it is necessary to provide psychological support to children in preparation for the exam, how to help students in such a responsible period of time for them.

Your correct actions will largely determine the success of the graduate's mental attitude. At the same time, it is important to remember that you can support it only if you yourself emit positive messages, you are calm and confident. Those. first you need to pay attention to your mood and only then help the children.

Slide #2 Factors that determine exam success

1.Intellectual factor - knowledge of the subject, due to the peculiarities of the mental development of students, the level of development of memory, logical thinking. This is one of the most powerful factors influencing the result of passing the exam.

2.Motivational – focus on fulfilling educational tasks and overcoming possible difficulties. This is an individual, personal factor, determined by volitional maturity, diligence and diligence. Psychologists have proven that both excessively low motivation and excessively high motivation are harmful. In this regard, the rule of the "golden mean" applies here.

3. Familiarity with the examination procedure. This problem is solved by trial exams, classes on the texts of the exam.

4. Exam preparation strategy . Important to acquaint graduates with techniques, techniques for preparing for the exam, so that they can develop their own individual style of preparation.

5. Emotional factor - this is the level of anxiety, the ability not to lose self-control in stressful situations. Depends on the individual characteristics of the nervous system.

- At what points in the preparation stage for exams do we - Teachers, first of all, should pay attention to students? We will find the answer to this question in the process of doing exercises that you can use to support graduates in preparing for the exam.

1. Three-minute test exercise

Purpose: to bring teachers to an understanding of the important role of attention of students in the exam.

Performed strictly with a stopwatch. Forms are handed out white side up. Flip only on command.

Instructions: Now I will announce the conditions for the test, and after that, on command, you will all turn over the forms and proceed to the test. The test lasts exactly three minutes and must be terminated when the time has elapsed. You carefully read the task and complete it. All tasks are performed in silence. Please do not interfere with other group members. Each of us has a different pace of work. Those who finish earlier than others SILENTLY wait for the end of the test of the entire group. So, the time has come! (The test is presented in Appendix 1.)

Analysis of test execution.

Raise your hand, who managed to complete 15 tasks? 10 to 15? Who completed 2 tasks? Did you have to complete other tasks?

(No, only the first two need to be completed).

Conclusion after the exercise: as well as in the exam: it is important to adhere to certain rules, be attentive, think and only then act!

2. Exercise: “Put your hands in a lock” .

Purpose: to teach teachers kinesiology exercises that positively affect the development of mental processes.

- Make hands in the "castle" . Now look closely at the thumbs. Which finger is on top of your hand? You did it automatically - in the way that is convenient for you, familiar. Now fold your hands the other way around: if the finger of the right hand was on top, now let it be the left.

If you have a feeling of inconvenience and discomfort, then this indicates that one of the hemispheres is slightly more developed than the other. Each hand is connected to its own hemisphere of the brain and is an indicator of its activity. It is possible to develop the functions of the "lagging" hemisphere with simple kinesiology exercises that help stimulation of cognitive abilities.

For example, with the thumb and forefinger of one hand, we forcefully squeeze the phalanx of each finger of the other hand, starting from the nail phalanx, first in the dorsal-palmar, then in the interdigital plane. Then we change hands.

A the following exercises for coordination of movements, strengthening the interaction of the two hemispheres, which also favorably affects mental activity.
1. Put your hands on your knees crosswise, on command, clap your hands 2 times and change hands.

2.Rotate your arm from right to left and simultaneously your leg in the opposite direction. Then the other arm and leg.
3. Salute with the right hand, and at the same time extend the left hand forward with protruding thumb, while saying: "IN". Then clap your hands and do the same, but quickly changing hands.

4. Hold the tip of the nose with one hand and the opposite ear with the other. Quickly change hands.

5. With two hands at the same time draw a square, a flower, letters, as if the hands “mirror” each other.

6. Draw a “cross” on paper diagonally and trace with your eyes the trajectory of writing this sign (you can also use it in the exam).

3. Exercise "Experiment"

Purpose: enable students to understand the meaning and necessity of self-mastery.

Each participant is given cards on which a text with a seemingly chaotic set of letters is written, and is given the task of reading it.

Instruction: You need to read three consecutive passages in 30 seconds:

CHARLE LIFTED THE LUSIN ON THE BACK AND SAID THE NECK;

BUT HOW TO GO BACK TO THE STAGE OF KADOUK now to move THIS TERRIBLY Frightened CHILD TO A SAFE PLACE;

FINALLY HEARD Xia Top of running feet.

Analysis:

Did you complete the task right away?

What did you need to complete it quickly? (Abstract, i.e. distract from external stimuli in the form of a non-standard font for writing text)

What quality helped you to complete the task? (Self-control, not at a loss, looking for a way to solve the problem assigned to you)

Self-control - stability in any situation, the ability to make decisions in extreme situations, the ability to control oneself, one's actions, experiences and feelings.

Using this exercise as an example, we give students the opportunity to understand the meaning and necessity of self-control and talk about methods for developing self-control.

Slide #3

Of course, an exam is stressful even for the most prepared student. But stress levels vary. If stress is optimal stimulus , i.e. the golden mean, to which it is necessary to strive, because the necessary and sufficient amount of anxiety during trials still contributes to the mobilization of forces, the ability to organize oneself, set oneself up in a businesslike way, then this is a normal working condition. If the psycho-emotional state during preparation and during the exam reaches extreme points: such as complete indifference, or excessive stress, then such a state can interfere with passing the exam.

What thoughts might a child have when excessive stress ? I don’t remember anything, I won’t have time to prepare, I will disappoint my parents, I will let the school down, i. e. many fears and fears. The following behavioral reactions are present: manifestation of anger, or a decline in strength and mood, lack of appetite, or vice versa, its exacerbation, trembling, numbness of certain parts of the body. In this state, you have to prepare, and this not working condition.

What needs to be done to prevent the violation of the psycho-emotional state of students?

1. It is necessary to form the skills of confident behavior, as well as to identify the resources of students, on which each of them can rely on in a stressful situation.

(Teachers perform exercises that they can later play with students).

Exercise "My Resources"

Purpose: to help students find in themselves those qualities that will help them feel confident in the exam.

Instruction: “Divide a sheet of paper into two parts. In one part, write: “What qualities of my personality can I be proud of?” Here you should write down those qualities and characteristics that you can be proud of, which you consider to be your strengths.

Do it!

Now title the second part of the sheet: How can this help me in the exam. Next to each of your strengths, you should write how it can help you during your preparation or exam. (The results of the exercise are announced).

Exercise "Image of confidence"

Purpose: show students how they can further increase their sense of confidence.

Instructions: “Close your eyes and imagine what image could symbolize a state of confidence for you. Represented? Now draw this image or symbol."

At the end of the activity, participants should be asked to show the drawings and briefly talk about them.

Analysis:

- What was easy?

- Where did you experience difficulty?

- How can this symbol help? (Imagining this symbol in a difficult situation can increase your sense of confidence.)

Slide #4

2. It is important for a modern person to have stress resistance, psychologists recommend mastering self-regulation methods behavior in a stressful situation. It is important to teach graduates to relieve stress in simple psychological ways.

One of techniques for relieving psychological stress is relaxation, which will reduce inner restlessness.

The most popular of them are: breathing method, self-hypnosis method, i.e. persuasion in a word, ways of self-regulation using images. Techniques need to be tested in advance, because they are individual for everyone, one is suitable for someone, another is important for someone and practice is important.

1) Breathing . By changing the frequency and depth of breathing, we affect muscle tone and brain activity. Slow and deep breathing promotes relaxation and calm.

Exercise "Melt patterns on glass"

Inhale deeply without raising your shoulders. Draw air into your belly. When exhaling, the lips are slightly parted. Your breath is streaming, as if you are about to melt the frosty patterns on the glass. You feel your warm breath flow through your lips. Repeat the exercise several times.

Blow out the candle exercise

1. Blow out one large candle. Take a deep breath and exhale all the air at once.

2. Imagine that there are three candles on your hand. Take a deep breath and exhale in three breaths. Blow out each candle.

If we feel that we are calming down, then this exercise suits us.

2) Self-hypnosis. A verbal formula is selected (a simple statement without prefixes “not”), which is pronounced to oneself or out loud. It is worth paying attention to the text. Like the formula or not. If you feel more confident, calm down, then the formula is chosen correctly. For example:

I can handle this situation. I am full of strength. I'm ready for the exam!

I know that my family supports me!

My parents love me no matter what happens!

I'm lucky!

All is well!

Good luck follows me!

3) Use of images. Imagine that you are holding a lemon in your hands, cut off a slice and start eating. What did you feel? (What increased salivation).

In the same way, to calm down during the exam, you can close your eyes, remember your favorite place ( a room with a cozy armchair, or a beach with palm trees and gentle surf, or an autumn park strewn with yellow leaves - everything that will bring you to a state of peace and create comfort ) with all the details. When you open your eyes, you will return with the resources rested.

As a result of applying these techniques, it is possible to switch attention from severe stress, a negative state when a person is ineffective, to something that will lead to the mobilization of forces and the removal of psycho-emotional stress.

After the exam:

Recover. To restore the nervous system is to switch: to relax, get enough sleep, visit the fresh air, go to relatives, friends.

In fact, children do not just take exams in academic subjects, they learn to overcome difficulties, they test character, willpower, the ability not to get lost, to cope with excitement.

To relieve personal anxiety of teachers:

1. Try to be more calm about the requirements of the leadership regarding the preparation and conduct of the USE procedure. Your sufficient experience of working at a school with various categories of students is the key to your successful work in preparing students for the Unified State Examination .

2. Regularly share positive experiences with colleagues to prepare your students for the exam.

Slide #5

Good luck to you and your students!

Application1.

Three-minute test.

Last name________________________ First name___________________

Read all points before doing anything.

Write your name in the upper right corner of the sheet after the word "NAME".

Circle the word "NAME" in the second paragraph.

Draw FIVE SMALL SQUARE in the upper left corner of the sheet.

Place a cross in each square described in point 4.

Circle each square with three concentric circles.

Write your SURNAME under the title of this text on the appropriate line.

To the right of the heading, write the word YES in three different languages once each or in your native language five times.

Circle items 7 and 8.

Place a CROSS in the lower left corner of the sheet.

Draw an ISOSHELES TRIANGLE above this cross.

Circle the word TOP in the fourth paragraph.

Fold the numbers 896 and 472 in a column on the back of the sheet.

If you have already reached this point, say your full NAME clearly.

If you are sure that you have followed all the previous instructions correctly, then say clearly aloud: "I DID ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY."

On the reverse side of the sheet, divide the amount received in paragraph 13 by 12.

Circle the result of the calculation in step 16 and multiply it on the back of the sheet by 17.

Count out loud to TEN at normal speed.

Use a pen to make THREE HOLES in the lower right corner of the paper.

If you completed the exercise before the others, say out loud "I'm FIRST!". If the second, then - "I'm the SECOND!" etc.

Now that you have carefully read the entire text according to paragraph 1, do only what is written in paragraphs 1 and 2.

business games, exercises:

The facilitator reads out this text: Exactly three minutes are given to complete this test. If you manage to follow all the instructions below and do it right, then you did it.

You need to print this test or take a blank sheet on which you will perform the test.

So, are you ready? Go!

Read all points before doing anything.
Write your name in the upper right corner of the sheet after the word "NAME".
Circle the word "NAME" in the second paragraph.
Draw FIVE SMALL SQUARE in the upper left corner of the paper.
Put a cross in each square described in point 4.
Outline each square with three concentric circles.
Write your SURNAME under the title of this text on the appropriate line.
To the right of the heading, write the word YES in three different languages once each or in your own language five times.
Circle items 7 and 8.
Place a CROSS in the lower left corner of the sheet.
Draw an ISOSHELES TRIANGLE above this cross.
Circle the word TOP in the fourth paragraph.
Fold the numbers 896 and 472 in a column on the back of the sheet.
If you have already reached this point, say your full NAME clearly.
If you are sure that you have correctly followed all the previous instructions, then say clearly aloud: "I EXACTLY FOLLOWED ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS."
On the reverse side of the sheet, divide the amount received in paragraph 13 by 12.
Circle the result of the calculation in step 16 and multiply it on the back of the sheet by 17.
Count aloud to TEN at normal speed.
Use a pen to punch THREE HOLES in the lower right corner of the paper.
If you completed the exercise before the rest, say aloud aloud "I'm FIRST!". If the second, then - "I'm the SECOND!" etc.
Now that you have carefully read the entire text in accordance with paragraph 1, do only what is written in paragraphs 1 and 2.

10/06/2010

Nata

what's the catch? what is the meaning of exercise? the fact that you mentally run the instruction in your head, but in reality you only need to write your name?
10/06/2010

cloud

Oh! This is a very good exercise to do in a group! Trust my experience. We were 18 psychologists. Like fools, we followed all the instructions in a row, not taking into account the very first point. Maybe, personally, not seeing how the crowd did everything quickly and not being infected by such an effect, I would have read the first point more carefully and would have done everything as it should, without completing the other points, provided that they would give a piece of paper where all this is written. But no! Perhaps this is due to the fact that the trainer read the text, she did it loudly and very quickly, thereby hurrying us. In general, out of 18 people, two heard the first paragraph !!! Only two! Imagine. Good exercise. Can be used to develop active listening skills. Suitable for psychologists and educators as well as possible. Reflection will be what you need. Can we listen carefully to others? That's the point of the exercise.
10/06/2010

Passer-by

This may also be due to the fact that people are different, some are visual and some are auditory. Audials probably heard it right, and visuals needed to see the text. Cloud, you are probably a visual :)
10/26/2010

Swallow

I liked the exercise. Its meaning is that people often do not follow the instructions, but "headlong" go into the jungle, but there is nothing complicated, the way out is simple.
11/14/2010

Lily of the valley

9I also liked 0500) and I have a habit of reading everything from the end, magazines for example) it helped me) I immediately looked at the last paragraph))))
12/09/2010

Natasha

oh, super exercise))) I also immediately looked at the last point and understood everything. Be sure to drive my teachers at the seminar)))
12/14/2010

Andrey

We did this at a seminar on the prevention of drug and alcohol addictions. Only, there was in the first paragraph "Read all the paragraphs and ASAP perform ...". In general, each exercise can be used for various purposes. In our case, these were the Factors that make us "lead" to something (the authority of the leader; unwillingness to be a "brake" and do everything quickly and not be the last one, etc.). In general, it was cool to realize that out of 50 psychologists and psychotherapists, 42 shouted something out loud, performed some awkward movements (and it was in the instructions !!!) and you were "on horseback". But, I assure you, this feeling of superiority appeared only after reading the very last paragraph !!! Before that, there were other feelings: confusion (that many are already doing something there, but I’m still just reading!), anxiety, and a desire to start doing it without reading it to the end, in order to be like everyone else . .. !!! In short, like this.
02/16/2011

Svetlana

what is more effective? when the presenter reads or when everyone has the text in front of their eyes?
04/13/2011

samoyls

is it suitable as a warm-up at a business training?
07/01/2011

yes, a good warm-up for training, you can also give it to managers under the sauce that your subordinates to whom you give instructions immediately go to do it. And by giving such complex instructions, you yourself simply deprive your subordinates of the opportunity to THINK, and they become puppets.
05.10.2011

anya

I gave this exercise to cashiers, proving to them that not only mindfulness is important in work
11/05/2011

An excellent test, I have repeatedly offered it to sellers and managers. Works well in time management training.
11/25/2011

Great!
02/03/2012

Tatyana

I have been using this test in various trainings for a long time, both as a warm-up and as an exercise (with reflection). I consider it especially useful in working with teenagers: both in terms of diagnostics (comments above), and in terms of early correction.
02/14/2012

Used as an update of the "Analysis" block in the training. Works amazing)
10/24/2012

tatka

perfect as an illustration of the importance of norms and instructions and the ability to follow them!
01/25/2013

Olesya used

as a warm-up for the Time Management training. Oh, the topic is gone!
02/17/2013

iCrazy

Thanks for the exercise! Very cool!
Tomorrow I will spend with 20 sales managers, I will write down the result =)
By the way, for those of you who didn't understand, the exercise requires test takers to work with text, so print it out!
12/19/2014

Damesh

Many at the trainings ask for a warm-up for quick thinking, not necessarily with logic. This is how I use this exercise. Like everyone. of course, in the discussion it is necessary to explain that each task of the leader must be listened to carefully, not all of them are subject to execution. Here is a prime example for you. Rahmet to the author
04/30/2016

the funny thing is that we do not know how to clearly understand and follow the instructions, and this task helps to teach us to strictly follow the instructions

You can Do you exactly follow below listed instructions for three minutes?

1. Read all points before doing anything.

2. Write your name in the upper right corner of the sheet.

3. Circle circle the word NAME in the second paragraph.

4. draw FIVE SMALL SQUARE at the top corner of the sheet.

5. Put A CROSS in each of the squares described in paragraph 4.

6. Circle each square circle.

7. Write your SURNAME under the heading of this sheet.

8. On right write the word YES from the title.

9. Circle circle points 7 and 8.

10. Put CROSS in the lower left corner of the sheet.

11. Draw a TRIANGLE over this cross.

12. Fold into a column on the back sheets 738 and 564.

13. Circle the word SHEETS in fourth paragraph,

14. If you have already reached this point, loudly say your NAME.

15. If you are sure that you have done exactly all previous instructions, then say aloud: "I followed all the instructions exactly."

16. Multiply on the reverse side of the sheet 28 at 34.

17. Circle the result of this calculations.

18. Count at normal speed up to TEN.

19. Make THREE HOLES with a pen in these points

20. If you have completed the exercise before others, speak out loud "I am the first!".

21. Now, after reading all the instructions, do only what is written in paragraphs 1 and set the end time for the task.

Purpose: awareness and understanding human trafficking issues, awareness and understanding the needs of victims.

Duration: execution time - 15 - 20 minutes, time discussions - 15 minutes.

Required materials: labels with inscriptions.

Stroke work.

From groups 3 volunteers are selected ("victim", "recruiter" and "buyer").

All other members of the group receive plates with inscriptions:

1) unemployment,

2) lack of means of subsistence,

3) small child/ elderly parents,

4) high paying job,

5) passport, visa,

6) customs,

7) destination, etc.

At on the back of plates 4) -- 7) you can specify, For example, factors preventing reverse course of the "injured" (expired visa, lack of money, ignorance of the language, ignorance of the laws of a given countries, etc.).

First three members of the group surround the "victim" from all sides, while holding on to arms. The task of the "recruiter" is to show "injured" tunnel, consisting of other members of the group, and then hold through this tunnel of the "victim" to "buyer" standing at the end of the tunnel. Moreover, when the “victim” tries go back, he discovers the passage completely closed (with the help of connected group members' hands).

Analysis exercises.

1) "victim" unhindered passes through the tunnel in only one direction to the "buyer", reverse there is no move; awareness of the feelings of the "victim" while moving in one direction, so in the other;

2) group members perform in "roles" of socio-economic factors involved in the system human trafficking, which allows immediately visually see the mechanism of trade;

3) you can try to explore the sensations and feelings of "recruiter" and "buyer", which can also provide additional material for analysis.

SURNAME____________________

NAME______________

for three minutes below

listed instructions?

Read all points before whatever do.

Write your name in the upper right corner of the sheet after the word "NAME"

Circle the word "NAME" in the second paragraph.

Draw FIVE SMALL SQUARE top left corner of the sheet.

Put a cross in each square described in paragraph 4.

Circle each square three concentric circles.

Enter your SURNAME under the heading of this test to the relevant ruler.

Right from the title, write the word YES on three different languages at the same time or in your native language five times.

Circle paragraphs 7 and 8.

10. Put a CROSS in the lower left corner sheet.

12. Circle the word TOP in fourth point.

13. Fold into a column on the back sheet numbers 896 and 472.

14. If you have already reached this point clearly pronounce your full

15. If you are sure that you have done the right all previous

instructions, then say clearly aloud: “I DEFINITELY COMPLETE

ALL INSTRUCTIONS".

17. Circle the result of the calculation in paragraph 16 and multiply it by the reciprocal side of the sheet at 17.

18. Count out loud at normal speed to ten.

Do handle THREE HOLES at these points (try not to damage the results your calculations): o o o

EXERCISE: "THREE-MINUTE TEST"

SURNAME____________________

NAME______________

Do you exactly complete the entire for three minutes below

listed instructions?

1. Read all paragraphs before whatever to do.

2. Write your name in the top right corner sheet after the word "NAME"

3. Circle the word "NAME" in the second paragraph.

4. Draw FIVE SMALL SQUARE in top left corner of the sheet.

5. Put a cross in each square described in paragraph 4.

6. Circle each square with three concentric circles.

7. Enter your LAST NAME under the heading this test for the corresponding ruler.

8. To the right of the title, write the word YES in three different languages one time or in your native language five times.

9. Circle items 7 and 8.

10. Place a CROSS in the lower left corner of the sheet.

11. Draw over with this cross is an ISOSHELESS TREE.

12. Circle the word TOP in the fourth paragraph.

13. Stack up on the reverse side of the sheet number 896 and 472.

14. If you have already reached up to this point, speak clearly your full

15. If you are sure that all the previous

instructions were correctly executed, then say clearly aloud: “I DEFINITELY COMPLETED

ALL INSTRUCTIONS.

16. Divide on the back of the sheet the amount received in paragraph 13 by 12.

17. Circle the result of the calculation in paragraph 16 and multiply it on the back of the sheet for 17.

18. With normal Count out loud to TEN.

Do it with a pen THREE HOLES at these points (try not damage the results of your calculations): o o o

If You completed the exercise before the rest, say out loud: "I AM THE FIRST!". If - the second, then - "I SECOND!" etc.

21. Now that you, in accordance with paragraph 1, carefully read the entire text only what is written in paragraphs 1 and 2.

Exercises 3 minute test with instructions. Exercise "Three-minute test". A fun test for attentiveness and conformity, the ability to follow the rules three

minutes below

listed instructions?

Read all points before whatever do.

Write your name in the upper right corner of the sheet after the word "NAME"

Circle the word "NAME" in the second paragraph.

Draw FIVE SMALL SQUARE top left corner of the sheet.

Put a cross in each square described in paragraph 4.

Circle each square three concentric circles.

Fill in your SURNAME under the heading of this test to the relevant ruler.

Right from the title, write the word YES on three different languages at the same time or in your native language five times.

Circle paragraphs 7 and 8.

10. Put a CROSS in the lower left corner sheet.

12. Circle the word TOP in fourth point.

13. Fold into a column on the back sheet numbers 896 and 472.

14. If you have already reached this point clearly pronounce your full

15. If you are sure that you have done the right all previous

instructions, then say clearly aloud: “I DEFINITELY COMPLETE

ALL INSTRUCTIONS".

17. Circle the result of the calculation in paragraph 16 and multiply it by the reciprocal side of the sheet at 17.

18. Count out loud at normal speed to ten.

Do handle THREE HOLES at these points (try not to damage the results your calculations): o o o

EXERCISE: "THREE-MINUTE TEST"

SURNAME____________________

NAME______________

You can Do you exactly complete the entire for three minutes below

listed instructions?

1. Read all paragraphs before whatever to do.

2. Write your name in the top right corner sheet after the word "NAME"

3. Circle the word "NAME" in the second paragraph.

4. Draw FIVE SMALL SQUARE in top left corner of the sheet.

5. Put a cross in each square described in paragraph 4.

6. Circle each square with three concentric circles.

7. Enter your LAST NAME under the heading this test for the corresponding ruler.

8. To the right of the title, write the word YES in three different languages one time or in your native language five times.

9. Circle items 7 and 8.

10. Place a CROSS in the lower left corner of the sheet.

11. Draw over with this cross is an ISOSHELESS TREE.

12. Circle the word TOP in the fourth paragraph.

13. Stack up on the reverse side of the sheet number 896 and 472.

14. If you have already reached up to this point, speak clearly your full

15. If you are sure that all the previous

instructions were correctly executed, then say clearly aloud: “I DEFINITELY COMPLETE

ALL INSTRUCTIONS.

16. Divide on the back of the sheet the amount received in paragraph 13 to 12.

17. Circle the result of the calculation in paragraph 16 and multiply it on the back of the sheet for 17.

18. With normal Count out loud to TEN.

Do it with a pen THREE HOLES at these points (try not damage the results of your calculations): o o o

If You completed the exercise before the rest, say out loud: "I AM THE FIRST!". If - the second, then - "I SECOND!" etc.

21. Now that you, in accordance with paragraph 1, carefully read the entire text only what is written in paragraphs 1 and 2.

The computational skill of students is practiced by solving a large number of monotonous examples. To diversify this process, it is important to interest students in obtaining the final result. Nothing intrigues like a riddle!

I offer several types of encrypted tasks using historical facts.

"3 MINUTE EXERCISE"

Can you follow all these instructions?

1. Read this text to the end.

2. Write your name in the right corner of this page.

3. Circle the word “Name” in the second sentence.

4. Draw 5 small squares in the upper left corner.

5. Write a cross in each square.

6. Circle each square.

7. Write your name below the title.

8. Write the word “yes” 3 times under the heading.

9. Underline the 7th sentence.

10. Draw a cross in the bottom left corner.

11. Draw a triangle around this cross.

12. On the reverse side, multiply 703 by 66.

13. Draw a rectangle after the word heading in sentence 7.

14. Now say your name out loud.

15. If you think you did everything right, say: "I did everything right."

16. On the reverse side, add 895 to 9726.

17. Circle your result.

18. Count aloud from 10 to 1.

19. Using a pencil, make 3 holes at the top of this page.

20. If you are the first to reach this point, say out loud: "I was the first to follow all the previous instructions, and I'm the best at it. "

21. Underline all odd numbers on this page.

22. Say out loud: "I'm almost done."

23. Now that you have read carefully, follow only the first and second instructions.

U exercise "Three-minute test"

Oh, what an exercise! This is a great incentive for Sabbath teachers schools. After you spend it with the team, the teachers will to prepare more seriously for the lessons of Sabbath school. Exercise Helps rethink...
Yes, what am I telling you! Try to do it yourself. And then be sure to come back to this page.

Exercise text

test".

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Explanation for test

please, the last item of the assignment. It sounds like this: "Now, when you, according to paragraph 1, carefully read the entire text, do only what is written in paragraphs 2 and 7" (...pause).

How do you feel about this?
How many items did you read before you started tasks?

When I did this exercise, I read almost to the end. There was only one paragraph left for me to read, only one. And this one influenced the entire course of the task.

When you do the "Three Minute Test" in a group, be sure to let the participants speak after the task.

Ask yourself or a group of teachers with whom you will this exercise, is it possible to draw a parallel between doing a three-minute test and Bible reading, including preparation for the Sabbath School lesson? This is a key issue and should be given sufficient attention.

Is it possible to draw a parallel between doing a three-minute test and Bible reading,
How about preparing for the Sabbath School lesson? Is there anything in common?

Consider what lessons can be learned from the three-minute test".

Parallels between the test and the preparation for the SS lesson

For example:

Mindfulness. so as not to miss the important thing that the Lord has prepared for us.

Patience.

Some important ideas and thoughts we miss just because they located below the rest - in the final part of the text. Lessons Sabbath School (and comments to them!) should be read to the end.

Planning.

Before rushing to do a task, before starting to the point, it must be comprehended, sometimes even felt. When you turn to God in prayer, asking Him for wisdom and blessings above to prepare for the Sabbath School discourse, pray to Him that so that you have a complete picture of the whole topic in your head . Ask Him that you can easily comprehend the entire lesson and highlight its logical parts, find relationships between them .

Slowness.

Rush is when I can't make special time to study Bible and lesson preparation. When we hurriedly performed "Three Minute test", we seemed to be chasing time, and in this hurry we could not allow yourself even a few seconds to familiarize yourself with it.

Complete "immersion" in the Word.

Teachers, do not allow yourself to be superficial in your study. Get into the meaning of what you read, get to the bottom to gems truth.

This is just the beginning. From the exercise "Three-minute test" there are other useful lessons to be learned.

Let's see what Ellen White tells us how to study the Scriptures, to properly present the truth in my class. you can use these quotes during the discussion of the "Three Minute Test" in the team teachers.

We are obligated to study the scriptures, not just by skimming lines, repeating chapter after chapter, without the desire to penetrate the meaning of the read, but dig to the gems of truth , which will enrich our mind and strengthen our soul against wiles and temptations Chief Deceiver (The Review and Herald, November 28, 1878)
Sabbath school student [and I would add to the teacher in particular - my note] one must take classes seriously, deeply to dig and look for precious pearls with great care truth hidden in the weekly lessons (ibid. ).
When we search the Word of God, angels are near s us and direct bright beams of light on its sacred pages (Review and Herald, March 4, 1884).
He wants you to develop in yourselves industriousness, the habit of to study Making the most of the talents He has entrusted to you (Counsels for Sabbath School Work).
Seeking Truth in the Holy Scriptures Requires Great Humility mind and heart , as well as a serious desire to God. The humble spirit will be assisted in their search by the angels of God (Advice on Sabbath School Work, p. 22).
But in order to fully benefit from Sabbath School, both parents and children should devote their time to working on Bible lessons , trying to grasp the facts well, as well as spiritual truths, which these facts are intended to teach (Tips on the Work sabbath school, p. 10, 11).
It is impossible to estimate the good fruits that bring in total one hour or half a day dedicated to the study of the Bible in atmosphere of joyful, relaxed communication (Ibid. ).

If you want to do the Three Minute Test Exercise in your church with Sabbath School teachers or another group, where it is necessary to pay attention to a thorough study of the Bible, use the recommendations. Here they are:

Do not distribute or show the text of the exercise until until you explain all the terms.
Strictly warn the group that during the task it is forbidden to consult, interfere with other participants, to talk and shout out. Those who are already familiar with the three-minute test should sit silently.
Distribute worksheets to all participants, and immediately spot time. During the exercise, follow the order.
The exercise is called the "Three Minute Test", but this does not mean that it should last exactly 3 minutes. If you see that the group is "ripe", stop immediately exercise. Say the time is up.
As soon as the time runs out, start the discussion from the last test item.
During the debriefing, you can use the materials suggested above: questions for discussion and quotes from books Ellen White.

You can Do you exactly follow below listed instructions for three minutes?

1. Read all points before doing anything.

2. Write your name in the upper right corner of the sheet.

3. Circle circle the word NAME in the second paragraph.

4. draw FIVE SMALL SQUARE at the top corner of the sheet.

5. Put A CROSS in each of the squares described in paragraph 4.

6. Circle each square circle.

7. Write your SURNAME under the heading of this sheet.

8. On right write the word YES from the title.

9. Circle circle points 7 and 8.

10. Put CROSS in the lower left corner of the sheet.

11. Draw a TRIANGLE over this cross.

12. Fold into a column on the back sheets 738 and 564.

13. Circle the word SHEETS in fourth paragraph,

14. If you have already reached this point, loudly say your NAME.

15. If you are sure that you have done exactly all previous instructions, then say aloud: "I followed all the instructions exactly."

16. Multiply on the reverse side of the sheet 28 at 34.

17. Circle the result of this calculations.

18. Count at normal speed up to TEN.

19. Make THREE HOLES with a pen in these points

20. If you have completed the exercise before others, speak out loud "I am the first!".

21. Now, after reading all the instructions, do only what is written in paragraphs 1 and set the end time for the task.

Purpose: awareness and understanding human trafficking issues, awareness and understanding the needs of victims.

Duration: execution time - 15 - 20 minutes, time discussions - 15 minutes.

Required materials: labels with inscriptions.

Stroke work.

From groups 3 volunteers are selected ("victim", "recruiter" and "buyer").

All other members of the group receive plates with inscriptions:

1) unemployment,

2) lack of means of subsistence,

3) small child/ elderly parents,

4) high paying job,

5) passport, visa,

6) customs,

7) destination, etc.

Analysis exercises.

2) group members perform in "roles" of socio-economic factors involved in the system human trafficking, which allows immediately visually see the mechanism of trade;

3) you can try to explore the sensations and feelings of "recruiter" and "buyer", which can also provide additional material for analysis.

Dmitry Dimitriev October 3, 2017 Executive coach, business coach, consultant. IP Dimitriev D.V.

I mainly use this test in group warm-up trainings.
But sometimes it can be used when working with candidates, for example, in order to reduce their level of anxiety (during the discussion of the results) or to actually see what their level of attention is, how they are able to break out of the routine and look at the situation from the side .

EXERCISE: “THREE MINUTE TEST”

LAST NAME ________________ NAME _____________________

minutes below listed instructions?

Read all points before doing anything.
Write your name in the upper right corner of the sheet after the word “NAME”.
Circle the word “EXERCISE” and PUT ACCENT IN IT.
Draw SEVEN SMALL CROSS in the upper left corner of the paper.
Divide each cross from step 4 into an oval.
Circle each oval with three concentric diamonds.
Write your LAST NAME under the heading of this test on the appropriate ruler.
To the right of the heading, write the word NO in three different languages once each or in your own language five times.
Circle items 11 and 4 with a DIAMOND.

10. Put a Tick in the lower left corner of the sheet.

11. Draw a RECTANGULAR TRIANGLE above this checkbox.

12. Circle the word SURNAME in the seventh paragraph.

Ability to follow instructions

The Psychology of Following Instructions and Its Implications

Working Memory and Following Instructions

Societal Rules and History Effects

Metacognition and Self-regulation

Verbal vs Written Instructions

Table 1.

How To Help Kids Develop This Important Skill

Why Is Following Directions Important?

Children Can Function In Different Environments

It Keeps Kids Safe

The Age Factor

0 – 24 Months

2 – 4 Years

4 – 6 Years

Tips To Encourage Following Directions

1) Get Your Child’s Attention

2) Be Clear

3) Focus On One Instruction At A Time

4) Number Your Instructions

5) Help Your Child Visualize The Instructions

6) Allow Your Child To Process The Information

7) Minimize Distractions

8) Focus On Tone Of Voice

9) Don’t Ask, Tell

10) Offer Praise

Activities To Help With Following Directions

1) Red Light, Green Light

2) Grid Game

3) Visual Directions

Things To Consider When Giving Directions

1) Avoid Empty Threats

2) Sometimes Reasoning Doesn’t Help

3) Empower, Don’t Overpower

Practice Makes Progress

Author

Exercise "Three-minute test". A fun test of attentiveness and conformity, the ability to follow the rules A three-minute test of attentiveness

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Exercises 3 minute test with instructions. Exercise "Three-minute test". A fun test for attentiveness and conformity, the ability to follow the rules three

Exercise text

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Explanation for test

Parallels between the test and the preparation for the SS lesson

Mindfulness. so as not to miss the important thing that the Lord has prepared for us.

Patience.

Planning.

Slowness.

Complete "immersion" in the Word.

Learn more