Lecture Notes: Grit and Education by Petra Petrovic

Introduction

• Background of Speaker: Tanya Cushman left a management consulting job to teach seventh-grade math in NYC public schools.
• Observation: There was a notable difference in performance among students that wasn't solely attributed to IQ.

Key Insights

• IQ is Not Solely Indicative of Success:
  • Best students didn’t always have high IQs.
  • Some high IQ students were not performing well.
• Possibility of Learning:
  • Concepts like ratios, decimals, and parallelograms are challenging but not impossible.
  • Belief that all students can learn if they work hard enough.

Shift in Focus to Motivation and Psychology

• Need for Understanding: Emphasis on understanding students from motivational and psychological perspectives.
• Limitations of Traditional Metrics: IQ has been the primary measurement of potential in education.

Research Journey

• Graduate School Experience: Moved from teaching to studying psychology to explore success factors.
• Research Themes:
  • Examined success in various challenging environments (e.g., West Point Military Academy, National Spelling Bee).
  • Investigated predictors of success among cadets, teachers, and salespeople.

Emergence of Grit

• Definition of Grit:
  • Passion and perseverance for long-term goals.
  • Stamina and commitment over extended periods.
  • Living life as a marathon, not a sprint.
• Research Findings:
  • Grit was found to be a significant predictor of success across various contexts.
  • Students with higher grit were more likely to graduate from high school.
  • Grit demonstrated its importance even among students lacking skills or resources.

Challenges in Understanding Grit

• Lack of Knowledge: Despite the significance of grit, there is minimal scientific understanding of how to cultivate it.
• Common Questions: Parents and teachers frequently inquire about ways to build grit in children.
• Talent vs. Grit: Talent does not guarantee grit; many talented individuals fail to follow through.

Growth Mindset as a Tool

• Concept of Growth Mindset: Developed by Carol Dweck at Stanford University.
  • Belief that learning ability can improve with effort.
  • Understanding that failure is not permanent encourages perseverance.
• Effectiveness: Kids learn to embrace challenges and continue working towards goals.

Conclusion and Call to Action

• Need for Further Research: Emphasize the importance of testing and measuring strategies to build grit in children.
• Willingness to Fail: Encouragement to accept failures as part of the learning process in developing grit.
• Commitment to Grit: "We need to be gritty about getting our kids grittier."

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Thank You

• Speaker concluded with appreciation for the audience.