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| Titus Dalisay |
We received the following message and article from one of our followers, which we print below.
My name is
Titus and I am an avid reader of Learning in After School & Summer. I loved
reading your articles there and since your blog are also about education and
learning I thought I'd share this article that my colleague wrote about, Promoting Grit and Delayed Gratification in the Classroom.
Thanks. Titus Dalisay,
Community Outreach Specialist, Open Colleges
Promoting Grit and Delayed Gratification in the ClassroomI
In psychology, intelligence is
not the primary predictor of success. It is the ability to persevere in
hardship, persist and learn after failure, and have a resilient spirit in the
face of obstacles. Intelligence is a gift that can be developed and nurtured,
but continuing on a difficult path when the gratification is far away? That is
an invaluable skill for all of us to learn.
Even though resilience is partly
a genetic trait, you can teach this skill in the classroom. It is imperative that
you do, because many lessons and concepts require days, weeks, and months of
practice before your student will feel that warm feeling of satisfaction. In a
world filled with streaming Internet and fast food joints on every corner,
you’re going to have to deliberately make it a topic point.
Here are some ideas to get you
started.
1. End of
the day reward
Set up simple (and frequent)
opportunities for your students to practice delayed gratification. If you have
young children in the classroom, it can be something as simple as an
end-of-the-day reward. If your students had a good day, offer them a token that
goes towards a free homework pass (10 tokens = pass). Most kids will want to
take that token and start building their cash flow, but offer something a bit
better if they wait.
For example, if they forfeit the
free homework pass each day for a week, at the end of the week, the kids who
did get an extra 15 minutes of recess. You’ll quickly see who likes the
immediate gratification and who is willing to wait it out.
2. Visual
savings
Use a jar of marbles or some sort
of visual so your students can watch it get filled up as they perform tasks,
help each other, and showcase good behavior. A full jar can equal an ice cream
party or some other special reward.
3. Math fact
practice
If your goal as a teacher is to
have your student fill out 100 multiplication facts in five minutes, use it as
an opportunity to teach resilience. Rather than waiting until you’re sure they
can meet the goal easily, set up a chart for practice and growth. Explain to
them that you don’t expect them to meet the goal, but to simply record the time
it takes to do the 100 problems.
First time around, it may take
the student 15 minutes. Have him/her write it in the chart. Each day or week,
have them redo the exercise and record the time – watching as it slowly gets
lower and lower as the days pass. When he/she finally reaches that 5-minute
mark, there will be tremendous sense of accomplishment.
4. Break
down big projects
First, you need to make sure your
students are engaged in a long-term project. Just like running, athletes train
very differently for a sprint than a marathon. The long project will help them
to learn about process, mini-goals, and step-by-step persistence to a final
destination.
5. Give an
assignment that isn’t meant to have a perfect ending
In other words, once in awhile it
will benefit your students to give them a problem or worksheet that they cannot
complete perfectly. Warn them ahead of time that the goal of this exercise is
simply to try – not to succeed. At the end, hand out a reward or grade that is
dependent on their effort, not the aptitude.
6. Group
assignments
Nothing promotes learning how to
“grit your teeth” and get through it more than group work. In these situations, kids must not only produce a product or
presentation, they must also learn to work with other students and use teamwork
to accomplish the goal.
7. Create a
classroom bank
If you have the time and
motivation to set up a classroom bank, you can teach all sorts of delayed
gratification lessons. In one corner of the room, set up a store. You can sell
homework passes, pencils, Chapstick, etc. Each child starts out the year with a
certain amount of classroom cash. They can earn more throughout the year doing
various things, but as you add new and better “items” in your store, the
students will have to forgo the immediate reward in order to save up for the
item they really want.
8. Use
educational simulation computer games
The Oregon Trail is a classic
example of this type of game. You have to get your family to the West Coast
safely, and budget your supplies and money accordingly. The same principle
works in games like SimCity, where the student is master over a domain and must
learn how to manage his/her resources.
9. Group
competitions
If you have the students’ desks
arranged in groups, have them participate in friendly competitions. For
example, to encourage healthy snacking, have each team earn a point every day
the whole group brings in a healthy snack. The reward will be something that
happens in the future (like an ice cream party or movie). In this case,
students will have to be mindful of their snack each morning at home when they
pack it.
10. Offer
positive distractors to help during difficult tasks
During long state mandated
testing or big tests, offer the students the chance to chew gum, something that
isn’t normally allowed but might help with focus and/or
concentration. The same goes for listening to
music in earbuds (provided you can trust them to not cheat).
11.
Play-it-out visual exercises
When children can imagine and
follow through with a scenario in the mind, it is easier to make a decision
that delays gratification. For example, if you are offering a child a free
recess instead of a chip in a jar, walk through with them how it will feel on
that day when the sun is beating on their arms and the smell of fresh grass
signals spring. Engage the senses so they have motivation to wait it out.
12. Delayed
gratification in physical education
Sports like golf and
cross-country running help develop an appreciation for long-term rewards.
13. Write
down goals and hang them up
If the children have a concrete
reminder of what it is they are reaching for, they are more likely to wait it
out. When you are helping your students assess their goals, have them decorate a
paper and keep it in front of the room or in their cubby. It should be seen
daily.
14. When a
student doesn’t show grit, offer a time of reflection
Help him/her to see how it feels
when the immediate reward wears off. Usually a disappointment sets in because
it wasn’t part of the ultimate goal. If they can remember that feeling, it
might deter them in the future.
15. Avoid
the “all or nothing” disease
Children can see things in black
and white. If they haven’t gotten a 100 on a test, it might as well be a zero.
It helps to model a positive attitude of progress. Getting some right is better
than nothing.
16. Don’t
test willpower to the point of exhaustion
These sorts of activities
mentioned above must be balanced with positive reinforcement. Just like dieting
can induce binge eating, you want to make sure the stress isn’t going to lead
to a pendulum swing in the opposite direction. A good mixture of delayed and
immediate rewards are the best way to keep a student motivated.
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| Julie DeNeen |
About Julie DeNeen
Julie DeNeen has her
bachelor's degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of New Haven. She
spent several years working for a local Connecticut school at the district level,
implementing new technologies to help students and teachers in the classroom.
She also taught workshops to teachers about the importance of digital student
management software, designed to keep students, parents, and teachers connected
to the learning process.
Cited From: http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/16-ways-to-promote-grit-and-delayed-gratification-in-the-classroom/#ixzz2QpomBKt1
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