Implementing Grit in Sessions

Hey, Academic Mentors!

We thought we’d post some of the great brainstorming ideas you had about implementing grit in sessions, and some challenges as well. If you feel like sharing the video with your students, here is the link: 

http://www.ted.com/talk/angela_lee_duckworth_the_key_to_success_grit?language=en

How to implement grit in sessions:

·         Show the TED talk to start the discussion

·         Take a grit test – reflect on it in the future

·         Show role models of gritty people, and escaping the stereotype threat

·         Discuss guidelines for overcoming challenges

·         Talk about mistakes and missed problems

·         Analyze studying and preparation

·         Have a discussion with them about grit

·         Have students try to recognize other individuals who are gritty and successful

·         Ask students about their experience with the video and how they can apply the skill

·         Talk about study habits – when studying for exams, checking in with them on how they are studying. Are they studying to memorize or studying to learn?

·         Apply grit beyond the sessions! It’s essentially a way of life

·         Introduce them to the concept (showing them the video) and checking it with them about it over time

·         Use other classes to identify important skills

·         Have student identify goals

·         Answer questions with a question

·         Don’t use the words “wrong” and “right” – use encouragement throughout sessions

·         Remind them of midterms as a “checkpoint” not an “endpoint”

Challenges with grit:

·         Hard to stay focused in high-pressure situations

·         How do we instill grit? May be difficult

·         Hard to reinforce grit if it slips for a short period of time

·         It’s hard to teach a lifestyle

·         Sometimes students don’t have patience to do more than academics

·         It’s hard to be consistent and incorporate this concept in the long term

·         Hard to not only focus on GPA

·         Personal/internal motivation

·         Easy way out/easily discouraged

·         College grades are not designed with the growth mindset in mind

·         Grades DO affect their future to an extent (scholarships, business school, medical school)

Please comment here if you have any additional ideas!

Thanks for all you do,

~CAE Academic Mentoring