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How's Your GRIT?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction:

GRIT, one of the big education buzz words of the day, has been defined as "the tendency to sustain interest in and effort toward very long-term goals" (Duckworth et al., 2007).  As it applies to the population I work with in our alternative school, it means completing tasks at a quality level, remaining focused despite distractions, persisting at difficult tasks and recovering from setbacks and disappointments.  To assess this in our students, GRIT is one of four broad categories we assess using a Character Report Card (CRC).  Teachers assess students (while students assess themselves) three times a year using the CRC.  For a recent group, we decided to assess GRIT kinesthetically using a 12 question GRIT quiz developed by Duckworth and her colleagues.

 

Equipment:

12 Item GRIT Quiz, Multiple choice options written out on individual pieces of paper (see pictures)

 

Set-Up:

Open a discussion with your group about "GRIT" and what it means.  Clear an area in the room and place the multiple choice responses at intervals of a foot or so.  Instruct the group members that they should stand behnid the answer that best describes their answer to the question you ask.  If you choose, you can also have them write down their answers for scoring after the activity.

 

The Action:

Read each question from the GRIT scale one at a time.  Participants will move behind the answer that best represents their response to the question.  Check in with the group members based on their response to each question.  Is this area considered a strength or weakness for them?  How do they demonstrate the type of GRIT being asked about?  At the end, if the group wrote down their answers, use the key at the end of the quiz to determine their GRIT SCORE. 

 

Processing:

Have group members line up in order of their GRIT SCORE. 

*Does the order look accurate to everyone? 

*Did their GRIT SCORES come out lower or higher than they thought they would? 

*What was each person's highest score area and lowest score area?

*What area would each person like to improve upon most?

*What level of GRIT do they need in order to be successful at...(mainstream high school, college, work, a job, etc...)

 

 

 

Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087-1101

Team Building

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