In other words, children need to be taught to appreciate that theyre supposed to suffer when working hard on a challenge that exceeds their skill. Theyre supposed to feel confused. Frustration is probably a sign that theyre on the right track and need to gut it out through the natural human aversion to mental effort and feeling overwhelmed so they can evolve. High achievers, despite that kind of agony, are able to sustain interest and find novelty in their work year after year; Angela is fascinated with figuring out how they do it and how that capacity might be developed in children. The more she explores the habits of geniuses who actually leave their mark on the world (most dont), the more she values the profound insights related to clarifying the different roles of talent, intellect, passion, persistence, and self-discipline. This is part of what shes done in her work: separate the traits of self-control and grit, and show theyre really different qualities. Self-control is the short-term ability to resist temptations and, say, get your schoolwork done; grit is what takes you the distance. Shes then analyzing what goes into these traits so they can be consciously nourished with practical interventions. If you could understand what makes a world-class golfer a world-class golfer, or ballerina, she says, and if you could transport those insights into the classrooms of our children ... Her voice trails off—its so obvious.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 06:06:51 +0000