GRIT, HABITS & DELIBERATE PRACTICE -
LESSON 1:

GRIT AND ACHIEVEMENT

DEBRIEF: FAILURE IS HOW WE LEARN. THIS ACTIVITY ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND THAT FAILING IS A GOOD THING! HOWEVER, NOT ALL FAILURE LEADS TO LEARNING. IN ORDER FOR US TO LEARN FROM FAILURE WE NEED TO STOP AND REFLECT- THINK ABOUT WHAT WE WOULD …

DEBRIEF: FAILURE IS HOW WE LEARN. THIS ACTIVITY ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND THAT FAILING IS A GOOD THING! HOWEVER, NOT ALL FAILURE LEADS TO LEARNING. IN ORDER FOR US TO LEARN FROM FAILURE WE NEED TO STOP AND REFLECT- THINK ABOUT WHAT WE WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME. OTHERWISE, WE'LL PROBABLY JUST KEEP MAKING THE SAME MISTAKES AND NEVER GROWING OR IMPROVING. IT WOULD BE GOOD TO LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES OF OTHERS TOO- THIS WAY WE DON'T NEED TO MAKE ALL THE MISTAKES OURSELVES.

PART 1- (5 MINUTES)

Rationale

  • People who are gritty are more resilient in the face of adversity, they bounce back after failure and disappointment, and they persist when progress is slow, boring, tedious or difficult.

  • Gritty individuals are distinguished by their propensity to maintain “effort and interest over years despite failure, adversity and plateaus in progress” (Duckworth, 2007).

 

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson, learners should:

  • understand what grit is

  • link grit to their own performance

PART 2- WATCH, REFLECT, DISCUSS- (10 MINUTES)

As a class, DISCUSS: Grit- what is it?

Student workbook:

Grit- what is it? What does Angela Duckworth tell us about grit and achievement?

PART 3- PAPER RIPPING CHALLENGE- (10 MINUTES)

Divide a sheet of regular A4 paper into 8 even sized rectangles. Could use minties wrappers instead. Give students one each.

The aim is to rip the piece of paper gently to make it into the longest, single piece of paper possible.

Current records with 1/8 of an A4 page:

253cm- set at Browns Plains State High School (Year 11 student, 2020)

203cm- set at St Peters Lutheran College (Year 12 student, 2018)

183cm- set at St Peters Lutheran College (Year 12 student, 2018)

180cm- set at Mansfield SHS (Year 10 student, 2018)

175cm- set at Ferny Grove SHS- (Junior Secondary student, 2017).

Alternative (with minties wrappers):

183cm by Hanna Goodyear, Peace Lutheran College (Year 11 student, 2022)

154cm by Cassidy H, Form 11A Kingaroy State High School, September 2019

133cm- set at Our Lady's College, Annerley (Year 11 student, 2017).

Teachers, please email UPP if you would like to report a new record.

PART 4- WATCH, REFLECT, DISCUSS- (10 minutes)

Students are to complete the following questions in workbooks.

- How does grit relate to your success?

- How do mistakes and struggles contribute to learning?

- Do you think the paper ripping challenge required grit? Justify why / why not? Did the timeframe of the task allow grit to be tested?

PART 5- VENN DIAGRAM- (5-10 MINUTES)

Complete the VENN diagram by writing what is different about these two concepts (resilient and persistent) in the circles. Write any common characteristics where the circles overlap. You may choose to find the definition for each word to help you.