Study Notes on Grit and Education

Introduction to Personal Experience

  • At the age of 27, transitioned from a demanding job in industry consulting to an even more demanding role in education as a seventh-grade math teacher in New York City public schools.

Teaching Experiences

  • Tasks of a Teacher:

    • Created quizzes and tests.

    • Assigned homework to students.

    • Calculated and recorded students' grades.

  • Observed that students were not performing well academically.

Reflection on Student Learning

  • Recognized that key concepts in seventh-grade math, such as:

    • Ratios

    • Decimals

    • Area of a parallelogram

  • While these concepts were challenging, they were not insurmountable.

  • Confidence in the belief that all students could learn the material with hard work and persistence.

Transition to Graduate Studies

  • Pursued graduate studies to become a psychologist.

  • Focused on researching factors contributing to success in various challenging environments.

Research Studies Conducted

  • Investigated success predictors in varied settings:

    • West Point Military Academy:

    • Aim: Predict retention of cadets in military training versus dropout rates.

    • National Spelling Bee:

    • Aim: Identify which participants would enhance learning outcomes by the end of the school year.

    • Corporate Sales:

    • Collaborated with private companies to assess which salespeople would retain their jobs and attain higher earnings.

Findings on Grit

  • A distinctive characteristic emerged across all studies as a predictor of success: Grit.

    • Definition of Grit:

    • Grit is defined as the passion and perseverance required for long-term goals.

    • It incorporates stamina and consistency in working towards a future commitment over an extended period.

    • Grit exemplifies the approach of treating life as a marathon rather than a sprint.

Grit in Education

  • Conducted further studies on grit within the Chicago Public Schools:

    • Involved thousands of high school juniors who completed grit questionnaires.

    • Followed up more than a year later to ascertain graduation rates.

    • Findings indicated:

    • Students exhibiting higher levels of grit were significantly more likely to graduate, even when factors like family income, standardized test scores, and feelings of safety were controlled.

Implications of Grit in Education

  • Grit's importance extends beyond elite environments like West Point and competitions like the National Spelling Bee; it is crucial in educational settings, particularly for at-risk students.

Knowledge Gaps about Grit

  • Expressed concern about the limited scientific understanding surrounding the development of grit.

  • Faced inquiries from parents and teachers seeking to:

    • Foster grit in children.

    • Instill a solid work ethic.

    • Maintain long-term motivation for their students.

Talent vs. Grit

  • Clarified that mere talent does not guarantee grit.

    • Data shows many talented individuals fail to follow through on commitments.

    • Often, grit shows no correlation or can even inversely relate with talent.

Growth Mindset Concept

  • Introduced the concept of Growth Mindset, developed by Carol Dweck at Stanford University:

    • Defined as the belief that ability to learn is not fixed and that it can evolve with effort.

    • Research indicates that:

    • Educating children about brain growth and adaptability in response to challenges increases their resilience and willingness to persevere through failure.

    • This perspective empowers students by reframing failure as a temporary state rather than a permanent condition.

Closing Remarks on Future Work

  • Acknowledged the need for advancement in the understanding of grit and its development.

    • Urged the educational community to:

    • Experiment with and evaluate innovative ideas and approaches to cultivate grit among students.

    • Embrace failure as a valuable component of the learning process and be prepared to iterate based on lessons learned.

  • Concluded with the call to action: To be gritty about fostering grit in students, indicating a dedicated commitment towards enhancing educational outcomes.

Questions for Reflection

  • What constitutes grit?

  • Is grit the sole requirement for achieving success?

  • How has the information challenged or reinforced previous beliefs about talent and perseverance in learning?