Building GRIT & RESILIENCE A Focus on Student Learning (FOSL) Presentation

ACADEMIC DETERMINATION THRIVING = ENGAGED LEARNING + ACADEMIC DETERMINATION (how a student PERCEIVES their ABILITY to learn) Grit & resilience are factors (Thriving in Transitions. Schreiner, Louis, Nelson. 2012)

Factors that place college students at high risk 1st generation Low Income Disability Mindset (Dweck, 2005; Schreiner, Louis, Nelson, 2012)

Remedial Courses - are they the answer? Needed by an estimated 40% of college students (Attwell et al., 2006) Little research about subsequent effect Short term benefits but not a predictor of degree completion Possibly even 7% negative impact (Schreiner, Louis, Nelson. 2012) May produce a stigma that perpetuates the problem MORE EFFECTIVE WHEN GROWTH MINDSET AND GRIT ARE TAUGHT Shift focus toward active participation, self-regulation, & investment of effort

Transitioning to Success Look at successful seniors who were considered high-risk What behaviors, resources, & strategies did they employ to help them succeed? 4 Themes Emerged: SUCCESS MINDSET 2. ACADEMIC STRATEGIES 3. SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS 4. MEANINGFUL INVOLVEMENT Do it for self, family, something to prove. Positive attitude; potential; worth; internal locus of control establish graduation goal; use academic resources; adapt learning techniques; ability to work hard; self awareness parents, peers, staff, spirituality cocurriculuar; leadership skills, social capital Thriving in Transitions, 2012

Declining Student Resiliency “We have raised a generation of young people who have not been given the opportunity to learn how to solve their own problems, to get into trouble and find their own way out, to experience failure and realize they can survive it, to learn how to respond [to challenges] without adult intervention. So now, here’s what we have: Young people going to college still unable or unwilling to take responsibility for themselves, still feeling that if a problem arises they need an adult to solve it.” Peter Gray, “Declining Student Resilience: A Serious Problem for Colleges”. Psychology Today. 9/22/15

Failure is seen as catastrophic and unacceptable. “Faculty are expected to do more handholding, lower academic standards, and not challenge students too much. Students are afraid to fail; they don’t take risks; they need to be certain about things. Failure is seen as catastrophic and unacceptable. Students email about trivial things and expect prompt replies. Failure and struggle need to be normalized. Students are uncomfortable not being right. Growth is achieved by striking the right balance between support and challenge. We need to reset the balance point. We have become a “helicopter institution.”` Peter Gray, “Declining Student Resilience: A Serious Problem for Colleges”. Psychology Today. 9/22/15

How can we help? Support students as they experience setbacks. Goal Setting with Obstacle Planning. Help them see that these are a normal part of a rigorous education. Emphasize the importance of failure in the learning process. Share personal failures. Encourage reflection. Encourage risk taking. Take level of difficulty into consideration in grading projects. Instill a sense of belonging and bravery in students. Change the perception of failure from something that should be avoided at all costs to something essential to a meaningful education.

Personal Resiliency Builders Relationships Service Humor Inner Direction Perceptiveness Independence Optimism for the future Flexibility Love of Learning Self Motivation Competence Self Worth Spirituality Perseverance Creativity Focus on Strengths, not Weaknesses Patience

Tools for Teaching A Growth Mindset Intentional Praise “Smart vs. Hard-Working Students” Share Inspiring Stories Teach about brain development, psychology, and neurological processes Effort is required and encouraged Learn from mistakes

What is Grit? Passion coupled with the tenacity to overcome obstacles

MINDSETS to INFLUENCE GRIT (Dept. of Ed., 2013) I can succeed at this 2. My ability and competence grow with effort 3. Challenge is inevitable for success 4. This work is in line with my interests, values, or goals 5. I belong in this academic community

FAMOUS FAILURES Things don’t always work out the way we want. What matters is what you do when you FAIL.

GUESS WHO? After being cut from his high school basketball team, this famous failure went home, locked himself in his room and cried. Michael Jordan

GUESS WHO? Before she wrote this book series, she was nearly penniless, divorced, severely depressed, and trying to raise a child on her own while attending school and writing a novel. The first nine publishers rejected her book before a small business man accepted it. JK Rowling

Walt Disney GUESS WHO? Was once fired from a newspaper for “lacking imagination” and having “no original ideas”

GUESS WHO? She was demoted from her job as a news anchor because she “wasn’t fit for television”.

Strategies for Teaching Grit Establish the environment Set the expectations Teach the vocabulary Create the frustration Monitor the experience Reflect and learn (Fostering Grit, Hoerr, 2013)

Example Exercise Think of something that you are good at doing How did you first learn to do it? What made you keep doing it even though it was hard? What helped you get better at it? Once you started to get good at it, what made you want to get even better? (Cushman, 2008)

Exercise, continued In pairs, share with one another the thing that you are good at. What was similar about your experiences? What was different? This can be followed by testimonials from the class or an “expert” or “Gritty” guest.

SUMMARY Teach about GRIT Teach about mindset Reframe problems or failures as challenges and bumps in the road Create a safe environment Help students develop habits, skills, and strategies Acknowledge the sacrifice that GRIT requires Remind them of their already demonstrated grittiness. (Davis, 2014)

Additional Resources 2013 US Dept. of Ed Report Promoting GRIT, Tenacity, and Perseverance: http://pgbovine.net/OET-Draft-Grit-Report-2-17-13.pdf The Duckworth Lab at Univ. of Pennsylvania: https://sites.sas.upenn.edu/?q=duckworth/pages/character-lab-0 The Resilience Project @ Stanford: https://undergrad.stanford.edu/resilience Jia Jiang’s 100 Days of Rejection: http://fearbuster.com/ The Science of Resiliency: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=403i7IWrv78 Resiliency quiz: http://www.resiliency.com/free-articles-resources/the-resiliency-quiz/ TedTalks: Scott Gellar, Carrie Green, and Eduardo Briceno