GRIT, HABITS & DELIBERATE PRACTICE -
LESSON 7:

REFLECTION ON GRIT

DEBRIEF: THIS GAME COULD BE PLAYED BY BOTH PLAYERS KEEPING THEIR HANDS ON THEIR KNEES- IT WOULD END IN A DRAW AND WOULD BE PRETTY BORING. IN KNEE TAG, PLAYERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO HAVE A GO AND TAKE A RISK. IN OUR LIVES WHEN WE HAVE A GO AND TAKE A RISK, SOMETIMES THAT LEAVE US OPEN TO MAKING MISTAKES AND GETTING THINGS WRONG. BUT IF WE DON'T, WE ALMOST CERTAINLY WON'T GROW. THE NEED FOR HAVING A GO IN THIS GAME DEMONSTRATES THE NEED TO HAVE A GO IN OUR LIFE AND TO NOT BE SCARED OF MISTAKES, SETBACKS, DISCOMFORT ALONG THE WAY. THAT'S HOW WE GET BETTER AND MOVE FORWARD.

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:

• have reflected on their learning about grit

• completed a letter which summarises some of the important components of grit for a younger student.

PART 2- (15 MINUTES)- A STORY ABOUT GRIT

Teachers note: Some researchers discuss the idea of "non-stupid grit", being more effective than "stupid grit". Recognising that there are there times when it might be silly not to give up. Times when we should focus our energy on other priorities. Times when we should quit. Times when doing the same thing over and over will not lead to better performance or satisfaction. Discuss this with your class. Ask students for examples of times where it might make sense to "put down the tools" and try something new, or pause, reflect, learn and grow.

PART 3- (25 MINUTES)- REFLECTION ABOUT GRIT

• Grit requires a growth mindset. Growth mindset is the understanding, grit is the action. Grit is made up of a number of components. During "Thrive- Series 2" lessons so far, we have looked at some of these, including: setting targets, deliberate practice, effort and energy management, continuous improvement (marginal gains), delayed gratification.

• Your task is to write a 200 word letter to a year 7 student at your school. It should explain some of these terms to them in a way that they would understand. Assume they know nothing about grit, what it means to be gritty, examples of gritty people or how grit (and it's components) may influence their performance.

CONCLUDING REMARKS FOR TEACHERS TO SHARE...

Grit is perseverance and passion for long-term goals. We understand from the literature that grit is linked to achievement. Grit involves sticking with our passions, even when things get tricky. In this unit, we have investigated hitting targets by focussing on the actions and plans that are within our control, delaying gratification, mastery through deliberate practice, effort and energy management (in alignment with our goals), and continuous improvement through adding up marginal gains. However, learning about these topics is only part of the story- now it's up to each of us to apply a little bit of what we have learned in our lives!