VIII The Laws of Habit

James (1899/1962) touches upon habit and how our behaviors are composed of systems of habit.  We should aim to gain as many beneficial habits as early as possible so that they may leave our mind open for higher levels of thinking.  He posits five maxims about habit, which in short are: 1. Make useful actions a habit early on; 2. Never allow an exception to occur; 3. Seize all opportunities to practice; 4. Act on habits at the proper time to students, rather than preaching beforehand; 5.Perform a little bit of mental exercise every day to keep yourself prepared for anything.

There are so many habits that were ingrained into me while I was younger, and I am so grateful for this (no matter how irritating it was while it was occurring), because so many things come completely naturally to me now.  One great example that will forever stand out is my mind is how my middle-school English teacher constantly insisted that we say we are “finished” rather than “done,” because “a turkey is done, a person is finished.”  Now, more than 10 years later, I rarely ever slip up and say “I am done.”  If only more instructors had so ingrained into me such simple, affective habits! James (1899/1962) understands this feeling as well, as he wishes that “could the young but realize how soon they will become mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct while in the plastic state” (p. 39).  If I had to consciously consider many of the things that have become habit while reading, writing, or working on projects, I would not be able to concentrate at all.  It is important that teachers work to instill good habits in their students, and I think my previous comments about grading tie into this.  Providing graded work can be a great way to train students to learn new habits.  Seeing a mistake you made, and seeing how you could have corrected it, seems much more effective than trying to teach the habit out of context.  James (1899/1962) comments on a related point, when he affirms that teachers should not “preach too much to your pupils or abound in good talk in the abstract” (p. 36).  What are some other unique methods that teachers can employ to help students remember a habit, without preaching about it out of context?