Description of the Lesson/Program

This book is a series of classroom guidance lessons used to cover areas of interpersonal communication, cross-cultural awareness and communication, academic survival skills, decision-making, personal assessment and awareness, and responsible behavior. The length of the different lessons vary and some lessons can be covered over a few sessions.

The lesson out of this book on the Johari Window is best appropriate for grades 6-12. The materials for this lesson would be an overhead of the window and a copy for each student of the window. The purpose of this lesson is to have students explore their values, personal characteristics and how the above relate to their communication style.

The first step in this lesson is to inform the students that their willingness to disclose and listen to feedback has a lot to do with understanding themselves and for other’s understanding of them. Let the student know that the Johari window is used as a framework for defining their self-concept. The Johari window is made up of four areas. Area one is a free area where one puts everything they know and understand about themselves and what other’s understand about them. This would include values, personality characteristic and perceptions. Area two is called the blind area. This is where a person would put all the things that others recognize about them, but they do not recognize it about themselves. Area three is titled the hidden area. This is where one recognizes something about them, but chooses not to share it with others. Area four is the last area and is called the unknown. This area represents all the things that the individual and others do not realize about the person. There are many aspects one does not know about themselves because he or she has not yet sat down and analyzed the who, what, why and where. These are things that often stay hidden and never rise to the conscious levels. After covering all the areas individually a request of examples from the students should be made.

The next activity of the lesson is to ask each student to list a personal characteristic of themselves in areas one and three or two and four. Then ask for volunteers to share what they wrote.

At the end of the sharing, processing of the lesson should occur. When doing this it is important to explain to students that it is all right if the panels of their window are not equally sized. Students should be able to determine which is their most dominant communication pattern and what pattern they are not dominant in. It is important for them to be honest when reflecting.

Connections to Related Standards, Competencies, and Domains

This book and lesson relates directly to Minnesota Graduation Standard numbers seven and eight (People and Cultures and Decision Making). Subparts four, six and seven under standard seven are how the lesson relates. Those focus on diverse perspectives, institutions and traditions in society, and community interactions. The subparts for standard eight are two and four. These related to individual and community health and career investigation.

The National Occupation Information Coordinating Committee Standards for High Schools is met by this lesson. It related to Self-Knowledge, Educational and Occupational, and Career Planning categories. Under the self-knowledge all aspects are met. For educational and occupational exploration it meets according to understanding the need for positive attitudes toward work and learning. Career planning relates to understanding the interrelationship of life roles.

The lesson meets all three domains of the Minnesota School Counselors’ Model of Developmental Guidance and Counseling. It meets personal/social though the parts of self-identity, understanding of self and others and personal responsibilities. Educational would relate to intellectual understanding, school and world understanding. Career meets awareness of skills and interests.

References and Resources

Wittmer, J. and Thompson, D.. (1995). Large Group Guidance Activities: A K-12 Sourcebook. Minneapolis, MN: Educational Media Corporation.