Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance | Angela Lee Duckworth | TED

TED2 minutes read

Joseph Geni discusses his shift from consulting to teaching math, highlighting the importance of understanding students beyond IQ for academic success, citing grit as a key predictor of achievement among students, particularly in challenging environments like inner-city schools. His research underscores the critical role of grit in student outcomes, especially for at-risk students, despite the ongoing mystery surrounding how grit can be developed.

Insights

  • Grit, defined as passion and perseverance for long-term goals, emerged as a significant predictor of success in education, surpassing factors like social intelligence, looks, health, and IQ, as observed by Joseph Geni through various studies.
  • Joseph Geni's research in Chicago public schools highlighted that high school juniors with more grit were more likely to graduate, underscoring the critical role of grit in academic achievement, particularly for at-risk students, despite the limited understanding of how to cultivate grit effectively.

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Recent questions

  • What did Joseph Geni transition from?

    Management consulting job

  • What did Geni find as a significant predictor of success?

    Grit

  • What did Geni's research in Chicago public schools emphasize?

    Importance of grit in academic success

  • What did Geni conclude about education?

    Requires deeper understanding beyond IQ

  • What remains largely unknown about building grit?

    Science behind it

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Summary

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Grit: Key to Academic Success and Beyond

  • The speaker, Joseph Geni, recounts his transition from a demanding management consulting job to teaching math to seventh graders in New York City public schools, where he observed that IQ was not the sole factor differentiating students' performance.
  • After years of teaching, Geni concluded that education requires a deeper understanding of students and learning from motivational and psychological perspectives, beyond just measuring IQ.
  • Through various studies at challenging settings like West Point Military Academy and the National Spelling Bee, Geni found that grit, defined as passion and perseverance for long-term goals, emerged as a significant predictor of success, surpassing social intelligence, looks, health, and IQ.
  • Geni's research in Chicago public schools revealed that grittier high school juniors were more likely to graduate, emphasizing the importance of grit in academic success, especially for at-risk students, although the science behind building grit remains largely unknown.
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