The Power Of Rituals

Hey 👋

Hope your July is going okay. This week, a dip into something I’ve been wanting to write about for ages… school rituals.

Big idea 🍉

One of the most powerful ways to nudge social norms in school is via ritual. Rituals are more than just routines—they're routines imbued with meaning, profoundly influencing our beliefs and emotions. While routines work largely by directing our attention, rituals tap into something deeper, shaping how we feel about school (and life).

Consider the significant role rituals play across human society: from the solemn 21-gun salute at military funerals to the shared prayers and worship in religious ceremonies, or even a sports team's pre-game kit-up and chant. These aren't just random actions—they're carefully orchestrated sequences of activity designed to shape various aspects of our psychology.

When implemented effectively, rituals can have a significant impact on our:

• Emotions: They can reduce anxiety and cultivate a greater sense of control.

• Performance: They can get us into the optimal state of mind for challenging situations like competitions or exams.

• Belonging: They foster shared values and clearly signal affiliation to a group, strengthening social bonds.

These mechanisms make rituals potentially powerful tools for shaping school culture. However, over recent decades, it feels like we have undervalued their role, and sometimes even jettisoned them to the detriment of our students (and maybe even staff). For instance, many fewer schools now engage in whole-school singing compared to a generation ago 😢

Maybe it's time to re-embrace and strategically re-introduce rituals in schools. Examples of opportunities to do this include:

1. Daily & weekly rhythms: Collective singing/chanting (poems or anthems) or positive class entry routines, such as a ‘fist bump’ greetings.

2. Transitional milestones: ‘Passing the torch’ ceremonies where older students formally hand over responsibilities to younger, or celebratory ‘walks of honour’ where peers line up and clap graduating students.

3. Community vibes: ‘Family lunch’ where students serve each other and discuss a dedicated topic, or weekly student/staff shout-outs for recognition and inclusion.

Rituals have the potential to be powerful, BUT… they can also easily be cringe. In next week’s snack, we’ll look at some practical strategies for designing rituals in ways that work (and minimise backfire).

🎓 For more, check out this top notch paper on the psychology of rituals.

Summary

• Rituals have the potential to be powerful tools for shaping school culture.

• These ‘routines imbued with meaning’ can influence our emotions, mental state, and sense of belonging.

• It feels like school rituals have been neglected over the last few decades—perhaps it’s time to revisit them.

Little updates 🥕

• Study comparing subtitling vs dubbing in learning → finds that subtitling greatly boosts language skills, especially listening and speaking.

• Pre-print tracking student exposure to conflict resolution → finds it boosts learning and wellbeing while reducing suspensions and disparities.

• Paper exploring how creativity works in school → suggests that making novel connections helps explain creativity’s effect on memory and retention.

• Report outlining how to design & implement effective school work experience (HT Sean Harris).

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