Another week has gone by, which means that I am here for another instalment of Wise Wednesdays! This week, I explore another strategy that teachers can employ to help particularly frustrated students and that is the role of grit. When I think of grit, I think of perseverance, meaning that when I come to a difficult task, I buckle down and I try my hardest to accomplish the difficult task. Moreover, it is about overcoming obstacles in order to succeed short-term and long-term goals. Now, I realize that having grit is not always easy, especially if a student is hard on themselves and may not believe in their abilities to succeed. This is where the teacher comes in! Teaching grit to our students is possible.

How you ask? Teachers can help build resilience by promoting positive emotions within the classroom. This can be done by encouraging students to share positive stories so that when they are in a difficult situation, they can recall a positive event and the emotions that were attached to it. For example, if a student who struggles in writing, recalls a time when they succeeded in writing a beautifully crafted sentence, they will feel better about their writing abilities. Another strategy that teachers can use to teach grit is to help students to work with their difficult emotions. This is particularly helpful for students who get anxious or depressed or come from a traumatic home environment. When students face a difficult obstacle, feelings of fear or anger can arise quickly in these situations. Teachers can teach their students to recognize and label emotional responses, so that the student knows when their emotions are spinning out of control. After this, teachers can teach the student methods of how to calm down when they are feeling particularly angry or fearful, such as deep breathing.

A Grade 5 teacher in New Hampshire created an entire curriculum on grit. The video is a great demonstration of how teaching grit to students has long-term benefits.

References:

[Edutopia]. (April 29, 2014). Teaching Grit Cultivates Resilience and Perseverance. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0qrtsYg6kI.

Zarkzewski, V. (2014). Teaching grit: How to help students overcome inner obstacles. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/grit-help-students-overcome-inner-obstacles-vicki-zakrzewski