Introduction
Intelligence without passion is like faith without work. It is passion and grit that will drive a child to learn even in the face of all odds. For instance, a child that refused to use lantern to do his/her home work because there was power failure in his house lacks determination. I once heard a child saying to his music teacher in a revision class, "that it is normal to fail", and he was saying it with pleasure. That kind of child will not want to put any personal effort to achieve academic standard and goal.
In this present generation where nothing comes easy, teachers should not just teach the pupils with the aim to only expand or increase their I.Q. but to teach them how to stand on their own. It is sometimes needful to distinctively draw the line between fun and real learning. Don't forget that we are training these children to face the outside world. Especially for children in the upper primary.
In most cases pupils fail not because they don't know the subject but because they lack passion and determination. In order to stand the test of time you must be gritty.
Why is
Grit So Important?
Using the Grit Scale that Duckworth developed with Chris Peterson, they
found that grit is a better indicator of GPA and graduation rates. (IQ,
however, is very predictive of standardized test scores.)
Add to this the findings (from
Bowen, Chingos and McPherson's Crossing the Finish
Line) that high school grades have a
more predictive value of college success than standardized tests, and you may
just see a shift from standardized test scores to high school GPA by some
college admissions officers. As GPA becomes more important, grit will become
more recognized as a vital part of 21st century student success -- as well it
should be.
What is
Grit?
Some would argue that grit is inherent in Albert Bandura’s
research on self-efficacy, and that resilience is also part of it. But you can’t just
implement "character education" and think you're teaching grit. In
2008, the Character Education Partnership divided character into two categories: core
ethical values and performance values. In my opinion, grit
would be categorized as a performance value.
Can Grit
be Taught?
Here are 11 ways that I'm tackling grit in my classroom and
school.
1. Read
Books About Grit
Read books, hold book studies and discuss trends. Measuring
noncognitive factors like grit will be controversial, but just because we
struggle to measure it doesn't mean that we can stop trying.
·
Book
Reading List:
·
Trend
Reading:
·
Promoting Grit,
Tenacity, and Perseverance: Critical Factors for Success in the 21st Century (PDF) by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of
Educational Technology
2. Talk
About Grit
First, I give my students the grit scale test (PDF) and let them score it. Then we watch Angela Duckworth's TED
video together and talk about the
decisions we make that impact grit. Empower students to educate themselves --
they can't wait for educators to figure this out.
3.
Share Examples
In my ninth grade classroom, January starts with a video about John Foppe, born with no arms, who excelled as an honor student, drove
his own car, and became a successful psychologist and speaker while creatively
using his feet. We also talk to Westwood alum Scott Rigsby, the
first double amputee to complete an Ironman competition. These are gritty
people. Life is hard, and luck is an illusion.
4. Help
Students Develop a Growth Mindset
Carol Dweck from Stanford University teaches us that
students who have a growth mindset are more successful than those who think that
intelligence is fixed.
5.
Reframe Problems
Using stories and examples from Malcom Gladwell's book David
and Goliath, we talk about "desirable difficulties." Students
need perspective about problems to prevent them from giving up, quitting or
losing hope.
6. Find
a Framework
I use Angela Maiers' Classroom Habitudes as my framework. The KIPP framework specifically includes grit as one of its seven traits.
Find one that works for your school and includes clear performance values.
7. Live
Grittily
You teach with your life. Perhaps that is why Randy
Pausch's Last Lecture and David Menasche's Priority List resonate. These teachers used their own battle with
death itself as a way to teach. But you don't have to die to be an effective
teacher. Our own work ethic yells so loudly that kids know exactly what we
think about grit.
8.
Foster Safe Circumstances That Encourage Grit
Never mistake engaging, fun or even interesting for easy. We
don't jump up and down when we tear off a piece of tape because "I did
it." No one celebrates easy, but everyone celebrates championships and
winners because those take grit (and more). We need more circumstances to help
kids to develop grit before they can "have it."
Tough academic requirements, sports and outdoor
opportunities are all ways to provide opportunities for developing grit. Verena Roberts,
Chief Innovation Officer of CANeLearn says:
One
of the best ways to learn about grit is to focus on outdoor education and go
out into the wild. Grit is about not freaking out, taking a deep breath, and
moving on.
9. Help
Students Develop Intentional Habits
10.
Acknowledge the Sacrifice Grit Requires
Grit takes time, and many students aren't giving it. In
their 2010 paper "The Falling Time Cost
of College", Babcock and Marks
demonstrate that, in 1961, U.S. undergraduates studied 24 hours a week outside
of class. In 1981, that fell to 20 hours, and in 2003, it was 14 hours per
week. This is not to create a blame or generation gap discussion, but rather to
point out the cost of being well educated. We are what we do, and if we study
less and work less, then we will learn less.
11.
Discuss When You Need Grit and When You Need to Quit
Grit is not without controversy. Alfie Kohn has some valid
points in his criticism of grit. So read and discuss the opponents of grit in class.
In particular, I agree with the point that there is a time
for grit and a time to quit. There are times when it's OK to quit something
that just isn’t within your range of talents, or when trying something
different may enrich your life. Worthy tasks deserve persistence. But there are
tasks that would be worthier in a different season of your life. There are jobs
that should be left. Sometimes you have to let go of something good to grasp
something great. Students need discernment to know when they need grit and when
it may be a time to quit.
Educators Also Need Grit
Now we as teachers just need the grit to do whatever it
takes to turn education around, and that starts with hard work and our own
modern version of true grit. Teaching it and living it is now front and center
in the education conversation.
(Excerpt from an original work by VICKI
DAVIS)
Mr David Ovo is a professional in the field of arts and child psychology. With his many years of experience, he has helped many hitherto poorly academic children improve learning, using a novel approach that motivates school children get interested in classroom work. You can always reach him through his personal email: davidovo129 @gmail.com