Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Where did Angela teach? What grade level? What subject?

• New York. Sixth grade. Science.

• Philadelphia. Eighth grade. Chemistry.

• New York. Seventh grade. Math.

What did Angela notice? She noticed that ________________________________.

• not all kids enjoy mathematics

• some of her students with average IQ scores were getting the highest grades in the class

• kids with high IQ scores succeeded more easily

What did Angela suspect was true? That a person's success in school and life depended on ____________________.

• their IQ

• their education

• how hard they tried

Angela's team went to West Point, the National Spelling Bee, tough neighborhoods, etc. to research _______________________.

• how success was achieved

• the meaning of success

• different ways of teaching & learning

Angela says, "In all those very different contexts, one characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success." What was it?

• IQ

• grit

• social intelligence

What is grit?

• A very long-lasting love or romance

• A passion and perseverance for long-term goals

• A breakfast cereal that promotes hard work and excellent physical health

Angela asked thousands of high school juniors to take ____________________

• grit pledges

• grit questionnaires

• grit to graduate

She found out that grittier kids _____________________.

• felt safer at school

• often quit school to start their own businesses

• were more likely to graduate

Angela says, "So far, the best idea I've heard about building grit in kids is something called "growth mindset." This is an idea developed at Stanford University by Carol Dweck, and it is the belief that the ability to learn is not fixed, that it can change with ___________."

• your age

• your effort

• your environment

Angela says that when kids read and learn about the brain and how it changes and grows in response to challenge, they're much more likely to ___________________________.

• keep trying

• be happy

• try something new