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Bir Sethi shares the story of children who were taught the importance of literacy and who were inspired to hold a campaign to educate their illiterate parents

Some would argue that grit is inherent in Albert Bandura’s research on self-efficacy, and that resilience is also part of i

tackling grit in my classroom and school.

Read Books About Grit

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elp Students Develop a Growth Mindset

rol Dweck from Stanford University teaches us that students who have a growth mindset are more successful than those who think that intelligence is fixed. 5. Reframe Problems Using stories and examples from Malcom Gladwell's book David and Goliath, we talk about "desirable difficulties." Students need perspective about problems to prevent them from giving up, quitting or losing hope. 6. Find a Framework I use Angela Maiers' Classroom Habitudes as my framework. The KIPP framework specifically includes grit as one of its seven traits. Find one that works for your school and includes clear performance values. 7. Live Grittily You teach with your life. Perhaps that is why Randy Pausch's Last Lecture and David Menasche's Priority List resonate. These teachers used their own battle with death itself as a way to teach. But you don't have to die to be an effective teacher. Our own work ethic yells so loudly that kids know exactly what we think about grit. 8. Foster Safe Circumstances That Encourage Grit Never mistake engaging, fun or even interesting for easy. We don't jump up and down when we tear off a piece of tape because "I did it." No one celebrates easy, but everyone celebrates championships and winners because those take grit (and more). We need more circumstances to help kids to develop grit before they can "have it." Tough academic requirements, sports and outdoor opportunities are all ways to provide opportunities for developing grit. Verena Roberts, Chief Innovation Officer of CANeLearn says: One of the best ways to learn about grit is to focus on outdoor education and go out into the wild. Grit is about not freaking out, taking a deep breath, and moving on. 9. Help Students Develop Intentional Habits Read about best practices for creating habits, because habits and self-control require grit. 10. Acknowledge the Sacrifice Grit Requires Grit takes time, and many students aren't giving it. In their 2010 paper "The Falling Time Cost of College", Babcock and Marks demonstrate that, in 1961, U.S. undergraduates studied 24 hours a week outside of class. In 1981, that fell to 20 hours, and in 2003, it was 14 hours per week. This is not to create a blame or generation gap discussion, but rather to point out the cost of being well educated. We are what we do, and if we study less and work less, then we will learn less. Educators Need Grit Now we as teachers just need the grit to do whatever it takes to turn education around, and that starts with hard work and our own modern version of true grit. Teaching it and living it is now front and center in the education conversation. Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher's Profile Sign in or register to post Sign in to vote! (3) The Educational Benefits of GritThe character traits of determination, adaptability and reflection add up to a critical 21st century skill.<< Previous Next >> Learn More About Education Trends Latest Reconnecting Adults With Playful Learning A New Must-Read for All Educators Google for Educators: The Best Features for Busy Teachers What Is Personalization, Really? 20 Top Pinterest Tips Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher Computer Fundamentals, Computer Science and IT Integrator from Camilla, GA follow: http://www.facebook.com/coolcatteacherhttp://www.twitter.com/coolcatteacherhttps://plus.google.com/+VickiDavishttp://www.youtube.com/coolcatteacher/http://www.linkedin.com/in/coolcatteacher/http://www.pinterest.com/coolcatteacher Related Tags: Education TrendsCollege ReadinessResilience and GritCharacter EducationAll Grades In This Series T

In terms of making a project feel meaningful to students, the more voice and choice, the better.

A project should give students opportunities to build such 21st century skills as collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and the use of technology, which will serve them well in the workplace and life. This exposure to authentic skills meets the second criterion for meaningful work—an important purpose. A teacher in a project-based learning environment explicitly teaches and assesses these skills and provides frequent opportunities for students to assess themselves.

Formalizing a process for feedback and revision during a project makes learning meaningful because it emphasizes that creating high-quality products and performances is an important purpose of the endeavor. Students need to learn that most people's first attempts don't result in high quality and that revision is a frequent feature of real-world work.

In addition to providing direct feedback, the teacher should coach students in using rubrics or other sets of criteria to critique one another's work. Teachers can arrange for experts or adult mentors to provide feedback, which is especially meaningful to students because of the source.

When students present their work to a real audience, they care more about its quality. Once again, it's "the more, the better" when it comes to authenticity. Students might replicate the kinds of tasks done by professionals—but even better, they might create real products that people outside school use.

3. Start with a sophisticated student-centered culture.

4. Make collaboration as powerful in school as it is in life.

5. Understand that PBL cannot be done alone.