Routines can be defined as patterns of action or simple structures that are repeated, so that they become a natural part of the pupil’s learning process. Over the years, pupils develop a number of different routines, some of which are beneficial to learning, some of which are less so. Our aim is to help pupils to develop a range of different learning routines, driven by their learning approaches and governed by their learning attitude. These routines will change as their learning challenges change.
Once pupils have established a positive attitude to learning, they need to establish routines to ensure that they can make tangible progress towards becoming a ‘self-solver’. Some routines will depend on the pupil having the right approaches, as inherent frustrations or ‘bumps in the road’ will rely on the pupil being able to demonstrate emotional, behavioural and even metacognitive self-regulation. The challenge to turn a series of actions into a routine, especially when that routine means ‘doing the worst things first’, or forgoing easy wins for difficult challenges are examples of situations when self-regulation is vital.
At the heart of successful routines are what Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit) refers to as the ‘3 Rs of Habit’:
· Reminder: a regular slot, at the same time, prompted perhaps by a phone/Outlook reminder;
· Routine: the series of actions;
· Reward: to begin with, it might be extrinsic (chocolate or watching Netflix!) but it might become intrinsic (the good feeling that comes from doing it and knowing it’s making a difference).
Each individual pupil needs to work out their own routines, based on their own particular needs. It may be to practise a skill, or to review content from the previous week’s lessons. It might be to read ahead, or to review and learn from feedback on a piece of PREP. It might have a more general aim, such as setting aside 15 minutes at the end/beginning of each PREP time to review learning, or to complete half-finished worksheets. It should include completing PREP on the night it is set.
If the routine is linked to PREP, it is always important to do the ‘worst things first’: start with the hardest piece and work on to the one that requires the least brain power. Similarly, when motivation is low, the ten-minute rule (tell yourself just to do ten minutes…and you’ll find you will keep going!)
If the routine is linked to learning or reviewing, then it is important to ensure that any specific review of knowledge or skills is both spaced and interleaved. Spaced practice is the opposite of cramming: it means focusing on something for a defined period (ideally 50 minutes) and then leaving it for a day before returning to it. The benefits of forcing the brain to recall skills or knowledge from long-term memory are clear. In the same way, pupils need to interleave their practice, moving on to a different subject once they have realised that they have ‘mastered’ the skill/knowledge they were practising. Once something starts to come easily, it is important to stop and make the brain do something different. Coming back to the skill or knowledge at a later time is more powerful than simply carrying on with it when the mind has spent time practising. The link to exam-based memory retrieval is obvious: the brain has to jump from one question type to another, and from one area of knowledge to another, all under time pressure. The more practice the brain has at doing this the better.
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