BUILDING GRIT- LESSON 5-
HABIT FORMATION
o ONCE THEY GET THIS, WE REPLACE THE ’ONE’ WITH A ’SNAP’ (CLICK YOUR FINGERS).
o ONCE EVERYONE IS INTO THAT, WE REPLACE THE ’TWO’ AS WELL, WITH A HAND-CLAP.
o FINALLY, WE REPLACE THE ’THREE’ AS WELL, WITH A STAMP OF THE RIGHT FOOT. PLAY AT HIGH SPEED!
PURPOSE: STRETCHING THE BRAIN, ENCOURAGING A HIGH LEVEL OF FOCUS AND CONCENTRATION.
DEBRIEF: THIS ACTIVITY IS ABOUT FAILING FORWARD- “IF YOU DON’T MAKE MISTAKES, YOU’RE NOT WORKING ON HARD ENOUGH PROBLEMS. AND THAT’S A BIG MISTAKE.” FRANK WILCZEK.
STUDENTS CAN THINK OF ONE MISTAKE THEY HAVE MADE THIS WEEK (AND WHAT IT TAUGHT THEM) AND SHARE IT WITH THEIR PARTNER. USE THIS SENTENCE STRUCTURE (MY FAVOURITE MISTAKE THIS WEEK IS………..BECAUSE I LEARNED……………)
PART 1- (5 MINUTES)
Rationale
approximately 45% of our everyday actions are habits, in the sense that they are performed almost daily, usually in the same location and are somewhat automatic behaviours (Wood, Quinn & Kashy, 2002).
when a habit emerges, our brain stops fully participating in the decision making (Duhigg, 2013). However, our brain can't tell the difference between good ones and bad ones- which means our habits can work for us, or against us. For this reason, if we want to create positive results in our lives, "we should make our nervous system our ally, instead of our enemy" (James, 1984).
the habit loop breaks down these somewhat automatic behaviours into three related parts. Once we understand the three parts of a habit, it is possible to make changes (Duhigg, 2013).
Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson, learners should:
- understand the habit loop
- list the three parts of the habit loop
- create a habit loop for a habit they would like to eliminate, reduce, or do more often
PART 2- WATCH AND DISCUSS- (10-15 MINUTES)
As a class, DISCUSS: Habits- what are they?
The Power of Habit author, Charles Duhigg, shows that all habits form in our brains. And by grabbing hold of the three-step "loop" -- cue, routine, reward -- we can change them (by understanding the process, and through sustained effort).
For class discussion:
How many things do we do each day without really thinking about them? Brainstorm as a class.
PART 3- WATCH CLIP- (5 MINUTES)
PART 4- CREATING A HABIT LOOP- (20 minutes)
Students are to complete "THE HABIT LOOP" section of workbooks.
- In doing so, it would be wise to keep in mind the four big areas identified in our previous lesson on setting targets- learning, health, relationships, extracurricular. Find a habit that would enhance your performance in one of these areas and apply it.
- Share your newly created habit loop with a friend- this person will be your "accountability partner". At the end of the next week, check in with your partner to see how they are going with their new habit loop. Suggest changes for each other that might help lead to more success.
- Be sure to begin to implement your newly created habit loop as soon as possible.
CONCLUDING REMARKS FOR TEACHERS TO SHARE...
Grit is perseverance and passion for long-term goals. We understand from the literature that grit is linked to achievement. Grit involves sticking with our passions, even when things get tricky. In this unit, we have investigated gritty people, considered that failure (or making mistakes and learning from them) is part of life, set some S.M.A.R.T. targets and identified likely Obstacles we might face and ways we can Plan to continue to move forward. We have sought to change a habit, so that we can create some helpful behaviours and begin to make them somewhat automatic over a period of time. This can happen, but requires grit- as habits are difficult to change. The good news is, our brain is malleable, and is is possible to make a change. Creating healthy habits, means that we require less effort and energy to perform the behaviours we should do. Understanding grit, setting targets and creating habits is only part of the story- now it's up to each of us to apply a little bit of what we have learned in our lives!