Stick-ability in nursery, grit in primary school. In high school it’s called growth mind-set but I know that in the real world its seems to just be called plain hard work. In fact it’s now deemed one of the most necessary academic traits and vital to the success of every student, but up until recently I have to say I wasn’t convinced. I’m good at music and bad at maths – therefor it’s far more productive for me to sit at a piano for 3 hours than to spend my evening working on quadratics and simultaneous equations – whatever those are. That s ME and everyone else I know has their own strengths and weaknesses too. We accept it and get on with it. However, recently, somebody I haven’t spoken to in years might have finally persuaded me that it
as stick-to-it-ive-ness, diligence and going the extra mile, which will help to shape a child's
One of my prime examples of both my academic strengths and weaknesses is my performance in math. I have received more than one C in my high school math classes. However, the highest SAT score was my math score. Another weakness I had at times throughout my years of high school was investing too much time socializing As a result, I would not spend enough time doing homework, which affected my test scores causing my grades to be lower than what I preferred. Looking back, I didn't take my classes seriously because I wasn't truly considering going to college until my junior year. Then I knew that I had to get the best grades during my last two years. That year I ended with a C in Pre-Calculus but if I had not reached out to my teachers because I felt lost in the class, stayed after school for one-one-one help, and reached out to friends that had a better understanding of the material, I probably would have failed the class. In college, I plan on strengthening my academic performance by continuing to focus and put effort into my classes, balance classes with my social life, be motivated and
For many different intellectuals in this article feel as though “all our talk about noncognitive skills, nobody has yet found a reliable way to teach kids to be grittier or more resilient” (3). As a result, Paul Tough does not build a logical argument because nobody can determine how a person obtains grittiness.
In Chapter 9 of Grit, Angela Duckworth argues that a growth mindset, rather than a fixed mindset, leads to more success. She shows that a growth mindset leads to a more optimistic outlook on failures, which further leads to perseverance and the ability to take on new challenges without giving up. Using additional research, I agree with Duckworth’s claim that a growth mindset makes an individual more successful because a growth mindset transforms obstacles into learning opportunities and fosters hope, which are essential skills to overcoming failures and becoming successful.
Basically, individuals with a fixed mindset often feel measured by a failure, sometimes permanently. Unfortunately, failed attempts are viewed as a label rather than an opportunity to plan a new path of succes. On the other hand, an individual with a growth mindset views a failed attempt as an opportunity to take action, to confront obstacles, to keep up with their schoolwork, and/or to better manage and organize their time. Growth mindset individuals believe that qualities can be developed, expanded, and eventually result in a successful outcome. A second lesson learned is the power of labels and the stereotype of ability; this lesson is undoubtedly one of the most enlightening. Dweck discovered in one of her studies that, “... ability praise often pushed students right into a fixed mindset, and they showed all the signs of it too. When we gave them a choice, they rejected a challenging new task that they could learn from. They didn’t want to do anything that could expose their flaws and call into question their talent” (72). One’s mindset determines their reaction to labels and stereotypes. An individual with a fixed mindset will settle for a positive label and chose stagnation and permanent inferiority rather than risk losing the label; whereas,
Most people subscribe to the belief that Paul Tough refers to the cognitive hypothesis that suggests that success depends primarily on cognitive skills. They argue that intelligence is measured based on IQ tests which include the ability to recognize letters, words, detect patterns, and calculate. They say that the simplest way to acquire and develop skills is through practicing them continuously. Children should also begin practicing as early as possible to nurture skills. However, in the book titled “How Children Succeed,” Tough introduces the character hypothesis which explains that non–cognitive skills such as self-control, curiosity, self-confidence, conscientiousness, and grit are crucial to achieving success than sheer brainpower or cognitive skills (Tough 49). To justify his argument, he uses research findings from psychologists and neuroscientists. They say that character is developed by encountering with failure and overcoming it. The hidden power of character explains why some children perform well while others fail. However, I say that linking grit and character is pervasive and unfair to kids from poor backgrounds; particularly when the author states that academic proficiency is not a determinant of future success. The big point on Tough’s main arguments is that children succeed with character and not test scores.
This technique, used in the countries where high levels of achievement are observed, can be seen to support Dweck’s theory of growth mindset. Dweck (2012) writes about the progression possible for children who have a strong self-belief and excellent work ethic. She believes that they are able to grow their brain’s capacity to learn and solve problems. Mastery in Mathematics aims to build children’s confidence in the subject, by giving them more opportunities to fully understand and practice their learning.
Grit is having courage to do something for yourself that other people are not willing to do. At the early age 14 I had to make a decision that would change the next four years of my life. In 8th grade we were able to choose which high school we would want to go to. I decided that I would leave all of my friends and attended the high school that was smaller and taught students in a different way.
For example, Angela Lee Duckworth from the University of Pennsylvania, who had been conducting innovative studies (for the past 11 years) on "Grit," the quality that allows people to work uncompromisingly and stick to their passions and long-term goals. We learn that in her interview with "Educational Leadership," [ Duckworth describes what her research has shown about the relationship between "Grit" and achievement. on the importance of helping students develop grit and other non-cognitive traits.(1)] I believe that when we incorporate teaching students how to develop traits like having “grit” in our public schools, eventually our citizens as a whole will become more prosperous in all areas of life.
Traits, they can be very important in a child’s life. Some traits define who we are and who we will become. Most of the people who have the ability to develop these traits into a road of success do not know they have the power to do so. These traits develop a mindset; a mindset that helps a child’s brain to develop into not only wanting to but actually accomplishing striving success. Many of us don’t realize or have even heard of such factors in life until we are adults and now all we have to think about is which mindset we have and how can we fix
Have you ever set a long-term goal and were so determined to meet that goal no matter what happened? Angela Duckworth states, “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in and day out. Not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years and working really hard to make that future a reality”. Sticking with a long-term goal, when you seem to have hit every bump in the road possible means that you contain grit. In class, we discussed how talent is inversely related to grit. Angela Duckworth did a study and made high school students take her grit test. In this test, she realized that the more grit that the student possessed, the higher chance that student would graduate.
Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, takes on a tough topic of figuring out what components enable a child to succeed. Throughout the book he makes several claims that are related to poverty, attachment, and character. We believe all three of these items play a critical role in how children succeed. We will provide evidence to support these claims as well as critique them.
There are many character traits that make someone successful in life. Some traits you are born with, other traits are mindsets. There are a few character traits that coaches, teachers, bosses, or any other significant figure looks for in particular. One of the most important character traits is a hard-working attitude. You aren’t born with a hard-working attitude. It is a mindset. You may not be the best employee, but an employer will be more willing to work with someone that works hard than someone that can do the job but is lazy. Although I am not the best at everything, I give 100% effort in everything that I do and believe that working hard is the most important trait a person can possess.
Development of skill takes time, patience, and determination. One must be willing to improve upon their skill while also being secure in themselves and their abilities. I would like to instill in my students that hard work pays off and being driven is
Angela Duckworth was a seventh-grade teacher in New York Public Schools, and became a psychologist. She is the author of the TED Talk “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance”. The main point of this TED Talk is that having grit is what will help you to succeed in life. She asks herself, who is successful and why, and she concluded that people who succeed in life are those who have grit, which is the passion and perseverance to achieve every long-term goal. She emphasized that talent or social intelligent is not what will lead you to succeed, but the key that will help you to succeed are passion and perseverance. Those who can stick with their future goals for years and work hard to make that future a reality is more likely to succeed. Moreover, she explained in her speech that growth mindset is great for building grit, which based on the TED Talk people who have a growth mindset are those people that do not believe that failure is a permanent condition. In my point of view those people who have growth mindset are more likely to be successful in life.