TED talk on Grit - how do you cultivate grit in students (people)?Angela Lee Duckworth: The key to success? GritSeems like anyone who has grit has great love for what motivates them. A person they don't want to disappoint, a game they love to play, a subject or idea they love to explore.Grit also involves a willingness to do things you DON'T want to do, in search of an ultimate goal or future reward. So you have to practice doing things you don't want to do to develop grit. Here I think is where the relationship between teacher and student is the key determinant. A student will do what is asked of them, even if they don't want to do it, because they respect or like the person asking.In the end the motivation stems from thinking about the future you want. If you cannot visualize or at least have an idea of what you want in the future, you will not be gritty about attaining it.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Grit
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Appreciation
Humans have evolved to develop the highest known level of consciousness. Part of this consciousness is the ability to appreciate the fact of existence. However, ability does not guarantee action, and the act of appreciating aspects of existence (people, events, experiences, things, food, etc) it seems is a skill or habit that must be cultivated.
People who have experienced a lack in an area of life, such as food, housing or relationships with others, are much more likely to appreciate these things when they have them.
Humans need contrast. We don't innately have the ability to appreciate good fortune when we are born into it, and never experience its lack. In these people the ability or skill must be cultivated, and this endeavour likely falls into the category of character education if we are talking about children.
My belief is that (like any skill or ability) by practising appreciation we strengthen it, and by strengthening it and appreciating more things more often we cultivate joy.
This becomes a self reinforcing feedback loop and I think it has many positive benefits beyond joy:
- requiring less material goods (money saved, environmental damage lessened)
- losses and setbacks have a less significant mental toll
- performance in high pressure situations, because when we appreciate we relax and are hindered less by stress
- less stress
- probably greater empathy because we have more understanding of value and loss
People who have experienced a lack in an area of life, such as food, housing or relationships with others, are much more likely to appreciate these things when they have them.
Humans need contrast. We don't innately have the ability to appreciate good fortune when we are born into it, and never experience its lack. In these people the ability or skill must be cultivated, and this endeavour likely falls into the category of character education if we are talking about children.
My belief is that (like any skill or ability) by practising appreciation we strengthen it, and by strengthening it and appreciating more things more often we cultivate joy.
This becomes a self reinforcing feedback loop and I think it has many positive benefits beyond joy:
- requiring less material goods (money saved, environmental damage lessened)
- losses and setbacks have a less significant mental toll
- performance in high pressure situations, because when we appreciate we relax and are hindered less by stress
- less stress
- probably greater empathy because we have more understanding of value and loss
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