Lecture Notes on Grit and Education

Introduction

• Presenter: Joseph Geni
• Reviewer: Morton Bast
• Transition from a demanding job in management consulting to teaching seventh graders math in NYC public schools.
• Observed that IQ was not the sole determinant of student performance.

Initial Observations in Teaching

• Some students with high IQs underperformed whereas others with lower IQs excelled.
• Belief: All students can learn material like ratios, decimals, and areas with effort.
• Conclusion: Need for understanding students from motivational and psychological perspectives.

Research Focus

• Shifted to graduate studies in psychology to study success in challenging settings.
• Key question: Who is successful and why?
• Research contexts:
  • West Point Military Academy: predicting cadet retention.
  • National Spelling Bee: predicting successful participants.
  • Rookie teachers in challenging neighborhoods: identifying effective educators.
  • Private companies: assessing salespeople's success and job retention.

Key Finding: Grit

• Grit is a significant predictor of success, not IQ, social intelligence, or physical health.
• Definition of grit:
  • Passion and perseverance for long-term goals.
  • Stamina and commitment to goals over years.
  • Life approached as a marathon, not a sprint.

Study on Grit in Schools

• Research in Chicago public schools with high school juniors.
• Use of grit questionnaires to predict graduation likelihood.
• Findings: Grittier students were more likely to graduate, regardless of other factors like family income or test scores.

Building Grit

• Limited understanding of how to build grit.
• Common questions from parents and teachers about fostering grit and motivation.
• Talent and grit are not necessarily correlated.
  • Many talented people do not have grit.

Growth Mindset as a Solution

• Developed by Carol Dweck at Stanford University.
• Concept: Learning ability is not fixed; it evolves with effort.
• Encourages perseverance by changing perceptions of failure.

Conclusion

• Need for further research on building grit.
• Testing and measuring interventions' success.
• Embrace failure and learning from mistakes in efforts to enhance grit.