Fun with Character: A Habit of Self-Control
This exercise will demonstrate the strength of habits. Ask students to fold their arms across their chests. Ask them to identify which arm is on top and take a poll. It will vary, and it has no relationship to being left-handed or right-handed. Now, ask them to fold their arms with their other arm on top. It should be awkward or at least something that they have to think about to accomplish. The first time they folded their arms, it was easy – it came from habit. If you made a rule that everyone now had to fold their arms opposite, it would take a while to unlearn the old habit and develop the new habit. Research shows that it takes doing something new about 12 times (some research says 21) before the habit begins to form – longer if you are unlearning an old behavior. Find a habit /behavior that you want to change in the classroom – something small such as quieting themselves down when the bell rings in the morning. Count how many days it takes them to remember to do it on their own. After twelve school days, evaluate the progress. If it isn’t working, give them some hints of how they can remember – a note taped to the desk, etc. and then keep working on changing. Just because it doesn’t change in 12 days doesn’t mean to give up. Reflect on progress actually made – is it getting easier? Once this challenge is over, reward them for achieving success. Now, leverage this success to challenge the students to identify a bad habit they want to break or a good habit that they want to start in their personal life. You can ask them to write it down in a planner or agenda or give them a special paper to write it on. You can also partner them up to share their habits, but make sure they know they will partner before they pick their habit. (You can relate this to math class by graphing the results of what day each student remembers the new habit without having to think about it.)
To process this activity, ask these or similar questions:
Did you expect it to be awkward to fold your arms the opposite way?
Do you think it would be easy to learn to always do it the other way?
Can you think of other habits that you aren’t really aware of?
Which do you think is harder – breaking a bad habit or starting a new one?
The next time you see a bad habit forming, do you think you might try to break it before its too hard?