Concocting Rituals

Hey 👋

This is my last full snack before I sign off for the summer hols. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to being back in your inbox in September.

Big idea 🍉

Rituals—routines imbued with meaning—can often feel mysterious… but they’re more within our grasp than we think. When we understand the ingredients, we can concoct rituals that reliably influence the emotional state, mental focus, and sense of belonging of students (and staff).

Whether it's calming nerves before a test or uniting a group through shared values, a well-designed ritual can create lasting impact. Here’s a step-by-step formula for crafting one with intention:

1. Identify the need: Start by asking, what emotional or social challenge are we addressing? Are students feeling anxious, distracted, or disconnected? This end goal will guide the form our ritual takes.

2. Build the structure: Effective rituals blend physical structure with symbolic meaning. First, define a clear sequence of actions, ideally formal, repetitive, and precise. Then, assign emotional or symbolic value. Link it to something bigger than ourselves… a shared belief, a cultural tradition, or a group identity.

3. Choose the format: Solo rituals (like silent breathing or affirmations) are great at helping students regulate their internal state. Group rituals (like lunchtime chants or graduation ceremonies) are good for fostering collective identity, community, and school spirit.

4. Embrace causal opacity: Importantly, rituals don’t try to cause outcomes but rather just symbolically represent them. Their strength lies in being ‘causally opaque’ (focused on meaning, not mechanics). For example, a pre-test mantra doesn’t directly affect results, but it can boost confidence and focus.

5. Avoid Common Pitfalls: Don’t use rituals as disguised behaviour control—they work to foster connection, not compliance. And finally, use sparingly... no-one wants ritual fatigue.

Remember, rituals aren’t just for students. We (staff) can benefit just as much from meaningful routines that promote confidence, focus, and connection. When crafted with care—and a bit of intention—rituals can bring rhythm, meaning, and belonging to the school day… for everyone. No magic required.

🎓 For more, check out this paper on how rituals can support the success of groups of humans (such as schools).

Summary

• Designed well, rituals can build focus, confidence & connection for both students and staff.

• Effective rituals are designed around need, contain both physical and psychological components, and are ‘causally opaque’.

• Rituals should be used sparingly, and not for behavioural compliance.

Little updates 🥕

• Study testing how much prior knowledge students should activate before a lesson → finds that recalling a few key ideas boosts learning for all.

• Paper on how well teachers judge student wellbeing → finds we’re often inaccurate, but can do better when we’re close to students and see clear signs.

• New framework for teaching writing → based on evidence and existing good practice (from England’s Department for Education).

• Study tracking reading and spelling in 1,000+ students → finds the two skills are pretty much the same, and so makes sense to teach them together.

If you (or your colleagues) have benefited from these emails over the last year then feel free to support the cause and → Ask your school to sign up to Snacks PRO