Nitty-Gritty

Grit. It's a word that is thrown around quite often in the world of education. It's the word of the moment. Despite its recent pop culture explosion, grit is a concept I buy into wholeheartedly. Here's why.

Grit is the single most predictive factor of success, as told by Angela Duckworth and her research with the University of Pennsylvania. Despite this, Grit is something typically overlooked in the American public school system.  From what I've observed, the bulk of what we value as educators, is "accuracy, correctness." This mindset not only shortchanges students, but also reduces the educational process. Students who frequently get the answers right are often missing this essential life skill. There will be a time when these students don't know the answer and don't know how to find it.

I've often heard this tale in Algebra 1. Students sailed through elementary and middle school math with A's, then by midyear in Algebra 1, they are lost. They don't know how to study for math, because they never had to. Frequently, this snowballs into lower math grades, feelings of frustration,  and most significantly, a lack of willingness to put in the time and effort needed to learn the material.  

"The other behavior that seems to explain why grit is a marker of future success is deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is the sort of practice experts to do improve...In the National Spelling Bee, for example, gritty finalists log more hours of deliberate practice, and this time uniquely predicts final ranking whereas less effortful and more pleasurable forms of practice do not" (Duckworth). It is obvious, for long-term goals which demand a continued practice and attention to skill, grittier individuals will exceed their peers. The question becomes, how do we instill grit in our students? Is it inborn or is it something that can be cultivated over time? In my classroom, there are small adjustments I've made in an effort to promote grit. 

First, an assignment is never truly considered "done." I put a grade in the system, return work to my classes, but students can revise and rewrite to their hearts' content.  I see no problem with allowing a student multiple opportunities to improve his/her work. As long as this continued effort doesn't interfere with the class period at hand, there are no problems. Second, in a question and answer session, I try not to move on when I hear the answer I want;  I probe, inquire further, and encourage students to challenge each other's thoughts.  There is often a "right answer," but why not push the student to think further?  The word "elaborate" works wonders in a class discussion. Lastly, a major project that requires precision and time is a unique approach to promoting grit. Last year, my students completed a large mural based on the work of Sol Lewitt.  Although it was "easy" work, it was evident that most honors students did not have the grit to master the product. They were impatient, hasty, and made simple mistakes because of their lack of sustained effort and precision. Large-scale projects like this are messy and ambitious to implement and manage, but the student perspective that can be gained is unparalleled. In any classroom, designing assignments that require slow work and precision is a great way to harness grit.

The willingness to struggle through a seemingly impossible task is not only an academic skill, it is a life skill. Character is built in moments of frustration, anger, and failure...moments which often evade our brightest students until they reach high school, or for some, college. It's not to say that there is no merit in positive reinforcement, there absolutely is, but the stamina that comes from sustained effort and the momentum it builds has a decisively more substantial impact on a student's life. Motivation is often what eludes so many of our students and promoting gritty activities can help build true, intrinsic motivation which lasts and extends beyond the classroom walls. Whether through a job application process, a difficult time with family, or a time-consuming project, grit makes navigating demanding tasks much easier. 

The idea may seem trendy, but the heart of this dogma is at the core of American culture. As LaBoeuf said in True Grit, "You'll find I go ahead with what I start."

"The Duckworth Lab." Research Statement. University of Pennsylvania, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.

"True Grit" (1969). IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.

Sol Lewitt Mid-Week

Day 2 of Sol Lewitt Project: Calm to Chaos, Collaboration to Cooperation, Communication to Coordination, and of course, creativity. 
My apologies for all of the alliteration but I am an English teacher at heart.  The past two days have been the best I have known as an educator.  It is unbelievable to me what children are capable of when we let them think outside of the box.  I almost feel guilty taking credit for any of their success because they are so self-directed in the tasks of the past two days that it must be their inherent will to collaborate or their amazing middle school teachers.  If you insist, I will take credit for the structures of this assignment, and the risk-taking it entailed.

            Before we began this journey of constructing an 8x40 foot mural which will be displayed at Morristown High School, in the Morris Museum of Art, and then around Morristown, I was apprehensive, nervous, unsure, and anxiety-ridden.  I didn’t know where this journey would take the freshman.  Think about it…here I am asking them to read directions critically (directions that require reading, math, and logic skills), prototype a design, agree on the best design, and execute that design on an 8x8 panel.  After that, I am asking them to blog about their role for the day, which rotates through the experience.  Each day students will either be prototyping/drawing, filming, or analyzing some aspect of the process.  This request is a tall order for students who are used to sitting in their desks and taking notes.

            I don’t want to become overly optimistic, but I can’t help it.  The past two days have shown me students who want to work together, who can overcome adversity, and who can challenge themselves and their classmates with respect and poise.  The first two days of this project saw students  measuring, talking, focused, engaged, and IN THE MOMENT.  What a concept: in the moment, working hard, observing others, and seeing the results of their productivity on something that won’t be thrown out or never referenced again after its due date.  It didn’t end there, students were blogging about the dynamics of their group, the divisions of the class, the leaders, the connections to academia, and their progress as a class.

            I cannot wait to see if the remaining weeks of this project are as epic as I’ve imagined them, I have no reason to believe otherwise. 

Setting The Stage For a Year of Freedom

Please join me in welcoming our newest author to The Educational Arsonist, Danielle Firavanti.  Ms. Firavanti is a Progressive High School Language Arts Teacher in New Jersey.  She will be blogging about her experiences in her classes this year.  Enjoy!

The status quo is out the window for my freshman who are (hopefully) on their way to become the school's best collaborators and thinkers.  Before we learned names, decided on class rules, explored norms, or even assigned seats, we created blogs.  Creating blogs sounds like a pretty simple task, but for students who are are quite unfamiliar with the interface of Google, this was a task that was well worth our time.  Currently, of five freshman English classes (approximately 120 students), we are at about 92% functionality with log-ins, e-mailing, and blogs.  My future self is thanking me for taking this time to set-up technology needs early.  

An influx of questions have been coming my way, most commonly, "What do we need for class?  Where is our supply list?"  In an attempt to create independence, I tell the class they need something with which to write, somewhere to write, and somewhere to keep papers.  Their expressions of confusion blow me away as they are conditioned to hearing what to buy, how to keep their notebook, and how their dividers should be labeled. Instead of rejoicing in the freedoms, they seemed unsure of themselves. I informed them that my students can keep their work however they see fit and that I will not disrupt this flow unless a problem emerges.  My past experience tells me that 90% will not have a problem, so why should they be coddled?  I would rather differentiate the structure for the 10% that may need it.  

I began the year with an exploration of Bruce Mau's "Incomplete Manifesto for Growth"http://www.brucemaudesign.com/4817/112450/work/incomplete-manifesto-for-growth.  Mau provides a list of tips for how to construct new ideas, forge connections, and spark creativity. Some examples include, “Work the Metaphor,” “Don’t clean your desk”, and “Go Deep.”  I was a tad apprehensive about giving this to my students on the first day, but they RAN with it.  I was impressed with their methodology in first selecting 5 important tips, then coming to consensus on 4 tips for the class, and finally blogging about the 1 tip they plan on implementing for themselves.  Most responses have been thorough, reflective, and forward-thinking.  All of this is being done in preparation for The Sol Lewitt Project, an 8x40 foot wall mural that will be completed using interdisciplinary skills.

The first days of school can be seem tedious and daunting, but putting in the logistical forces out of the gate ensures time for creative and innovative endeavors in the future.  I would be lying if I said the students didn’t seem nervous and uncomfortable about not being told what to do, but the gold is what follows this uneasiness.  Students attacked this  “outside-the-box” assignment with intensity and great interest.  They were engaged fully with the text in front of them, and reflected on it afterwards.  As an English teacher, what more can I ask for?  
Although I am sacrificing my progress in what some may call a "traditional curriculum," the students are gaining priceless metacognitive skills which will stay with them throughout the year.  After reflecting on a few more of their posts tonight, it is safe to say I am stunned by their responses.  That's the thing about kids, if you let them, they will pleasantly surprise you.