The Junction

Friday 20 January 2023

A Note From Mrs Sims

Is willpower overrated?

Every year, the third Monday of the year is dubbed ‘Blue Monday’ as the theory is the weather is bad, we’re riddled with guilt that our New Year's Resolutions have fallen by the wayside and have spent all of our money during the festive period. However I have to completely disagree with this. I do have to admit that my pledge to hit the gym 5 times a week and to not eat chocolate everyday may have only lasted the first week of January. Therefore is willpower actually overrated?

Between 60-80% of all New Year's resolutions fail. For a greater chance of success, we must focus on the process at least as much as the outcome.

Let's break it down.

First, we tend to overestimate the strength of our will, for example my willpower not to eat my children’s Christmas chocolates these past few weeks has been evidently poor. While it's certainly possible to bring willpower to bear, lapses in self-control are a standard feature of life for all of us.

This is perfectly normal.

Whether it’s eating that one biscuit left on its own in the tin or watching just one more episode, most people struggle to act in their own best interests in some way or other, particularly when we’re faced with more satisfying options. One reason behind this is our poor ability to forecast how we will feel in the future. We tell ourselves that we’ll make better decisions tomorrow, despite continually crumbling today.

The situation is compounded by our tendency to modify narratives to explain our past actions. No matter how tenuous, we nearly always have a reason for our responses (bad day at work, lack of sleep, a disagreement, the list is endless) which only makes it even harder to recognise and learn from poor prior decisions. In short, willpower is overrated. It's a poor tool for helping us achieve our goals. If we want a greater chance of success, we must focus on the process at least as much as the outcome.

We must engage in the term process architecture.

We can architect our process by:

1. Designing routines

2. Establishing habits

3. Securing success

4. Leveraging socials

Let's get actionable. Identify a goal you have. Now think about it through each of these:

Designing routines → You may have a big juicy goal in mind, but what exactly is it that you need to do, on a recurring basis, to achieve this goal? Translating your goal into a set of repeatable actions is the first step.

I want to improve my fitness and mental wellbeing so I will go to the gym after school every Wednesday, Thursday & Friday

Establishing habits → When something becomes a habit, it happens automatically, and with less effort. Turn your recurring action into a habit by showing up consistently, having a clear 'cue' (aka trigger), and doing it in the same time and place as much as possible.

I will go to the gym straight from school as my gym bag is in the car already.

Securing success → When we experience success, we are more likely to return to that action again. Make your habits ultra-achievable. Shrink them till you cannot fail, and gradually increase the challenge as your success rate becomes more secure.

I will be happy if I get to the gym twice during the working week.

Leveraging socials → Our attitudes and actions are influenced by those around us (way more than we think). Where possible, surround yourself with others with the same goal and habits. Commit publicly, and ask people to hold you to account.

When my friend messages to ask if I’m going to the gym on Sunday morning, I will make sure I’m there with her.

Not only is this a more successful approach to achieving our goals, but it also reduces the need for ongoing self-regulation and doing this frees us up to focus more on the moment. Process architecture supercharges both intention and attention.

Now go achieve your goals in 2023.

Have a wonderful and restful weekend.

Mrs Jen Sims

Assistant Headteacher - Teaching and Learning

Secondary Production

Oliver! 2023 - Week 14 in Rehearsals

The momentum is rapidly building for our secondary production this year as we move into the final stages of choreography and blocking. As well as this, the costume, set and prop preparations are taking shape and it’s looking to be another incredible spectacle for 2023!

DID YOU KNOW?

Last year, we had a total of 91 students involved in our production (including all cast, crew and band members). This year we have 139 students! We can’t wait to see our wonderful JAS Community supporting them in performance!

Additional Rehearsals

All Cast, Crew & Band members will be needed all day on the following:

Friday 10th March - Crew Only till 4pm*

Thursday 16th March (till 3.30pm)

Friday 17th March (till 4.30pm*)

Monday 20th March (DRESS REHEARSAL)

Please try to avoid booking appointments during the school day on these dates.

*Students attending Friday Prayer are able to leave but please notify us in advance.

Weekend Rehearsal dates:

Saturday 11th March - Band only

Sunday 12th March - All Cast and Crew

Sunday 19th March. - All Cast, Crew and Band (TECH/DRESS REHEARSAL)

*All weekend rehearsals will take place between 9.30am-4pm. Production T-shirts will need to be worn for ALL of the above dates. Students will need to bring a packed lunch, snacks and plenty of water. They will not be allowed off-site.

Attendance on the above dates is of high importance. If there is a reason as to why a cast/crew/band member is unable to make any of the above, please notify us as soon as possible via schoolproduction@jebelalischool.org

Cast List

Director - Ms. R Channon

Musical Director - Mr. A Laird

Assissant Director - Miss. K Hansford

Choreographer - Mr. S Sonsin

Stage Manager - Yasmina Habib (Year 11)

If you need to contact any of the Production Team please do so via schoolproduction@jebelalischool.org

Secondary Production Google Classroom: Aztar5o (students only)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOAN7c63VxWtrfERmudXEBtof80VIm_xHh6r0RgJHE_mQdbw/viewformRehearsal schedule is updated on GC every Friday afternoon for the following week. Please check this weekly to see when you are needed in rehearsal.

CAST Rehearsal Times

Monday 12.50pm-13.15pm

Wednesday 3.30pm-5.00pm

Thursday 06.50am-7.20am

Arabic

Arabic A

Y7 students were learning about Nagham al-Saada poem this week. They enjoyed singing it and memorized it with rhythm.

Living in the Online World

Article of Interest

TRICKS OF TONGUE

Top tips from experts to learn a language quickly

● Take risks and speak the language whenever you can.

● Read children's books and comic books in the foreign language.

● Consume foreign language media.

● Immerse yourself in the local culture.

● Make use of free foreign language podcasts and apps.

● Don't practice in isolation; get feedback from native speakers.

● Don't worry about making mistakes.

Picture this: You want to apply for a dream assignment abroad. There’s just one problem. You need foreign language skills that you don't have — and time is not on your side.

It might sound like an impossible task, but according to language experts, you can learn basic communication skills in weeks and master the basics of a foreign language in several months. While you might not quickly reach the fluency that allows you to understand great foreign literature classics, you can, though, quickly hone in on phrases and technical language specific to your needs whether you are working with the diplomatic service or a blue chip multinational.

It won’t take most people long to be well on their way to discussing current affairs with a native speaker in Rome or sharing a 'water cooler' moment with new French work colleagues in Paris.

Getting started

Sometimes travelling the globe for work will force you to come up with ways to master conversation in many languages. Benny Lewis, an engineer, learned enough of seven languages — including Spanish, French and German — to work easily and attained near fluency in several others, including Mandarin.

Learning Spanish, Lewis’s first non-native language, took over a year but subsequent languages, even the basics of conversational Mandarin, were quicker. His secret: when he first needs to learn a language, Lewis compiles a script of sorts for himself so that he can respond to simple queries from strangers. As Lewis mastered new languages, he was even able to do work as a translator of technical engineering texts.

Phrasebooks and online tutorials can prove useful in this early stage, experts say, as they can give you the vocabulary and the confidence to have basic conversations with native speakers, the crucial first step in learning a language.

“The biggest barrier in the beginning is the lack of confidence,” said Lewis. “That got better and better for me [as I spoke].”

Indeed, simply having the courage to speak is necessary if you are going to make progress in a foreign language, language experts said.

“A lot of people don't make progress if they don't open their mouths,” said Michael Geisler, the vice president for language schools at Middlebury College in Vermont in the US. “If you are not willing to put your identity on the line, progress will be slower.”

This means not being afraid to take risks or make mistakes. When he started learning Spanish, Lewis said he spoke a lot like Tarzan, the fictional man of the jungle.

“I would say 'me want go supermarket'. But I reached the advanced stage by starting as a beginner. My 'light bulb' moment was when —two weeks into learning Spanish — my toothbrush broke and I was able to ask for a replacement at the supermarket,” he said. “Wherever you go, people are very patient.”

Immerse yourself

Geisler believes that total immersion is key to mastering a foreign language quickly. The more you immerse yourself in the foreign language — such as reading, listening to the radio or speaking to people — the more rapid your progress will be.

Students at Middlebury College are required to conduct all extra-curricular activities, from sport to theatre, in the language they are learning. Middlebury, which also runs graduate programs, runs courses in 10 languages including French, German, Chinese and Hebrew.

Such immersion is also actively encouraged at the Foreign Service Institute in Washington, DC, which trains US diplomats and US foreign affairs personnel in foreign languages. With teaching expertise in more than 70 foreign languages, courses last up to 44 weeks, with the aim of taking students to 'level 3' in a language — essentially this means they can read and understand the equivalent of a magazine like Time and hold in-depth conversations.

Getting to basic conversational proficiency can be achieved in much less time, just several weeks according to experts, particularly if you can speak regularly. James North, associate director for instruction at the Foreign Service Institute, said students are encouraged to get to know native speakers.

“You need to invest not just the head but also the heart,” North said. You can, for instance, do volunteer work or engage with the local community at restaurants and neighbourhood functions.

More broadly, in major cities there are often regular — several times weekly — language-immersion Meet-Up groups that join together people practicing a language. There are also online alternatives. Lewis recommends italki.com, a language social network that connects native speakers and teachers with students. Others include lang-8.com and voxswap.com.

By conversing regularly with language experts or native speakers you also have someone to check – and correct — your progress.

“Practice makes perfect,” said North. “But practice without feedback just makes perfect whatever you are practicing. The naïve learner does not have a perspective on what they are doing. It is really vital to have someone saying yes you are on track.”

You’ll need to ask those you speak with for feedback and make sure they know it’s OK to correct your pronunciations and grammar, although experts say you need not worry too much about grammar in the early stages.

Use the language first and focus on the grammar later, Lewis said. When you are ready to pick up the grammar, he recommended using podcasts at sites such as radiolingua.com or languagepod101.com as particularly useful in picking up grammar and dissecting the language.

“By then you have so much context. I would see a rule and I would say, 'That's why they say it that way',” he said.

As you learn, be sure to consume media in the foreign language. If you are starting out, read illustrated children's books or watch familiar films in a foreign language, experts advise.

If you have specific goals to achieve, such as conversing with a partner or using a foreign language at work, that motivation can be all you need to begin to master conversations. But beware lofty ambitions. If you say you want to be fluent in two months, you will likely be disappointed. But if your goal is to reach some level of conversational proficiency, especially for a work assignment, that’s entirely possible.

Link to original article: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20150302-secrets-to-learning-a-language

Theodora Maldar

MFL Teacher