The new school year is a time of establishing routines and getting back to work. For many students, it can be a struggle to settle back down, exercise self-control, and get stuck into tricky topics.
They will need support to follow new routines around their learning. They will need help with self-regulation when they are struggling to think or concentrate.
Equally, when we set them homework or expect them to begin revising and learning independently, they’ll need reliable routines to help them to focus and succeed.
But as every teacher knows, self-regulation, effortful thinking and good habits can sometimes be in short supply. So we must seek out savvy strategies to promote learning and help our classes to fend off distractions.
Is the marshmallow test still relevant?
There is a famous psychological experiment around self-control and delayed gratification called the marshmallow test. This iconic study presented young children with a marshmallow and if they could delay their desire for a single sweet, they would gain two as a reward.
For decades, it was thought that the marshmallow test could actually predict self-control and success in adulthood.
Alas, more recent evidence has indicated that the sweet study does not neatly sum up the power of self-control. It is a bit more complicated than that.
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But we shouldn’t chuck out this famous experiment. Teachers and students (as well as parents) can still learn a lot from it.
For example, the researchers found that the children who trusted the person offering the marshmallow were more likely to delay - suggesting that if we want to help students build self-regulation and control, they need to trust us.
Also, strategies matter. In the test, the young children who waited successfully would stare at a mirror, cover their eyes or talk to themselves, rather than fixate on the tasty treat.
Self-control strategies for the classroom
So what can we take from this? Let’s start with the strategies used to promote self-regulation and control in the classroom. Teachers may consider how they can reduce classroom noise and consider how much visual stimulation is presented on wall displays.
And if students are taking on an extended task, such as writing a story, teachers can promote regular “editing stops” for when they feel themselves getting distracted or losing focus. They may be encouraged to use some self-talk to remind themselves of key things to remember for their writing.
And when it comes to homework, or any form of independent study, students will need explicit training in an array of practical strategies.
They’ll need to resist technology and have strategies to separate themselves from their phones. They can be encouraged to break down larger periods of time into smaller chunks, by using the Pomodoro method, for example.
And maybe then those fluffy marshmallows can offer us the secret to starting the school year successfully.
Alex Quigley is the author of Why Learning Fails (And What To Do About It)
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