The Learning Curve

'We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.'

Over the past two weeks, the topic of creating new, or returning to old, habits has arisen a great deal.

Be it the challenges of getting into school on time (by 8.30am), remembering to check equipment for the day ahead (laptop chargers especially!), or removing chewing gum before arriving on campus, the long summer holidays can undo a lot of the routines we need for the rest of the year.

How well our students develop can often be traced back to early habit formation. Naturally, as a school, our teachers and pastoral programmes specifically focus on how to develop stronger and stronger habits of mind. Coster and Kallick began good work in this area over twenty years ago and their baton continues to be passed onto contemporary studies into good habit formation.

For instance, are the Sixth Formers more and more autonomously going to their Study Center in their independent study periods or becoming too tempted to take too long a rest in the common room? Do our students have the tools to build a healthy relationship with challenge? And to use a term that has come back into fashion recently, how is our students’ ‘sleep hygiene’ and how might subtle changes in such routines enhance their enjoyment of, and attainment in, school?

At Mougins School, we are committed to supporting our students in making such personal progress. From our LifeMatters programme in the Sixth Form, to our through-school programme of Positive Education in Key Stage 3 and 4, there is a consistent focus on supporting individual students to find their own ways to both flourish and relish the opportunities they have with us.