Rowland Foundation

"This question is motivated by two everyday intuitions, both of which have been confirmed in empirical research: First, some people are, in general, more persistent and passionate about long-term goals. Compared to their less gritty peers, these individuals are more resilient in the face of adversity, bouncing back after failure and disappointment and otherwise staying the course even when progress is not obvious. Second, grit predicts success. Grit is not the only determinant of success - opportunity and talent matter, too. But on average, grittier individuals are more successful than others, particularly in very challenging situations."

Facebook, Angry Birds, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and other pursuits which bring pleasure in the moment but are immediately regretted.

MacArthur Fellowship grantee Angela Lee Duckworth talks about why success takes "grit," and whether it's possible to teach people to be "grittier."

Mike McRaith's blog summary of Angela's Psychology of Achievement Presentation

Students taking part in the My Education debate groups often said it was difficult for them to connect the relevance of school and learning to their future work aims. There appear to be three causes of the disconnection: 1) Little association between lesson content and career preferences; 2) Teachers not knowing their pupils' hopes and dreams; 3) Inadequate opportunities to gain foundation 'life' skills. Students expressed the need for learning that relates to their goals. They are hungry for that connection, and speak easily and specifically about what they want to do with their lives. Many aspire to go to university, and understand that means doing well in core subjects. But they also enjoy lessons that link clearly to their career ambitions.

"'The tests we rely on so heavily really don't measure creative thinking and they don't measure common sense thinking, wisdom, ethics, work ethic - they don't measure your character,' Sternberg said. In his view, students go to college to develop into active and engaged citizens. If colleges kept that ultimate goal in mind in their admissions process, it would send a message to high schools about the skills that universities value and want to see in prospective students."

"Science Leadership Academy (SLA), a public magnet high school in Philadelphia is a fairly young school, just eight years old. But in that short time, it's developed a reputation around the country as a shining example of the merits of inquiry-based learning approach. Colleges sometimes have a difficult time understanding the school's approach to developing autonomous, critical thinkers. For example, SLA doesn't offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses, because making students take a summative test at the end of the year is antithetical to the concept of allowing students to guide their own learning based on interest and collaborative work - and just as importantly, the value of the incremental learning process."

On the Minerva Project... "In fact, in the first year the students will take four courses: Multi-modal Communication, Complex Systems, Empirical Systems, and Computational Sciences. The intention is for traditionally separate subjects to be integrated if they involve complimentary skills. COMPETENCY-BASED UNIVERSITIES As the Minerva experiment develops, some existing universities are taking steps to award college credit based on skills learned, not the amount of time they've been enrolled."

Interview about winning a MacArthur Genius Award in 2013 and Other Articles

Video: Psychologist Angela Duckworth and high school seniors Anita Rao and Damani Eubanks speak about the importance of changing your surroundings to help prioritize schoolwork - even your bed can be a comfy distraction!

Implications for PLPs around bias engrained in unconscious mental models and in commonly accepted practices for guiding students in their interests/choices around coursework in high school, college majors, and career interests. "Cultural beliefs about gender are argued to bias individuals' perceptions of their competence at various career-relevant tasks, controlling for actual ability. To the extent that individuals then act on gender-differentiated perceptions when making career decisions, cultural beliefs about gender channel men and women in substantially different career directions."

Implications for PLPs. Messages about "gender appropriate" career interests start long before students actually start to think about steps towards college and career. "One interesting implication of this study is that any action directed to increasing children's motivation and self-esteem, if successful, is likely to reduce occupational sex segregation in the future."

Laura Mina mentioned Maker-Spaces at the last planning meeting. It seemed that there were a few Fellows who had were interested and might have had a few questions. This short NPR piece is timely and includes some time around a BTV Maker Space.

"Maker spaces have become hotbeds of technological innovation and entrepreneurship. Now, governments, universities and big corporations are taking notice - and beginning to invest in them." I personally believe for a number of reasons that every Vermont HS should have a Maker Space. First it is a place to encourage interdisciplinary work centered around elements of PBL. Second, it would allow students to connect with their communities to solve real problems with real solutions. And finally and perhaps most importantly, because it would help move the idea of "Libraries" being places where students go to find Information...to being places to the idea that they are places where students go to Interact & Collaborate around Ideas.

"The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is your resource for quick, to-the-point fact sheets that will help you make the case for CTE with policymakers, businesses and the public. Check out our general, sector-specific and issue-specific fact sheets..."

Resource for Work-based Learning...relevant to those thinking about VTed Act 77.

Sponsored by the Great Schools Partnership This blog has posting valuable to all educators in considering their practice. Samples of posts include: Brain Research, Differentiation, Collaborative Group Work and Student Feedback

Angela Lee Duckworth's now famous TED talk explaining her theory of "grit" as a predictor of success.

Succinct summary explaining the flipped classroom, advantages, challenges and future implications for education.

Sometimes I wonder if the flipped classroom model could be supplemented by a third piece...maybe a "backflip" of sorts to help them stick the landing? Online lecture then face-to-face instruction followed by one-on-one time.

Used the flipped model a bit back at OVUHS with students in Internships. Gave students readings in an online platform (Moodle) to be read and reflectively journaled using an assigned text-based protocol. Students were asked to connect readings to field experiences. Found that there was a Huge benefit to both students and myself with the time this model gave us to thoughtfully reflect and prepare for our face-to-face time. Instead of students coming to me for gaining knowledge, they came to me to share knowledge gained.

Social scientist Amy Cuddy discusses body language, a little neuroscience, and how these can change who we are. Interesting educational implications (and applications) here.

"Given the potential demonstrated by these new models, dismantling the walls that have separated CTE from more traditional programs leading to higher education should be a priority for educators and policymakers. Our goal should be to have all students graduate from high school ready for both college and careers, and be able to choose from a range of appealing higher education and labor market possibilities afterward."

With Act 77 Every school in Vermont has the opportunity (and needs) to consider the benefits of Career and Technical Education (CTE) for Every student.