ABSTRACT
Academic study is challenging and, as such, it provides an ideal arena for working on confidence, independence and resilience. Daniel Willingham describes the simple way that these distinct outcomes reinforce one another, stating that self-control, for example, 'predicts academic success because it makes you more likely to do the work to develop cognitive skills'. The process of developing intangible-sounding skills and mindsets is sometimes viewed as challenging, elusive, even mysterious. The nineteenth century philosopher and psychologist, William James, was a passionate advocate for the power of habit in education. In The Nicomachean Ethics he argues that habits determine how we respond to situations and, ultimately, shape who we are. By 'being habituated to feel fear or confidence', he says, 'we become brave or cowardly. In classrooms teachers supporting pupils to break the ingrained patterns of behaviour and build the 'assortment of habits that shall be most useful throughout the life'.
