Angela Lee Duckworth: Grit: The power of passion and perseverance

Leaving a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn’t the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of “grit” as a predictor of success.

Listening

Watch the TED talk, listen carefully and answer the questions below:

Comprehension Questions

How old was she when she left her management job?

What did she teach to seventh graders?

What did she study at graduate school?

What does she think is the most shocking thing about grit?

What is the best idea for building grit in kids called?

Gap – fill

Watch the video again from 04:52 to 05:29 and fill in the blanks:

So far, the best idea I’ve (6) _____ about building grit in kids is something called “growth mindset.” This is an (7) _____ developed at Stanford University by Carol Dweck, and it is the belief that the ability to learn is not fixed, that it can (8) _______ with your effort. Dr. Dweck has shown that when kids read and learn about the (9) _______and how it changes and grows in response to challenge, they’re much more likely to persevere when they fail, because they don’t believe that failure is a (10) __________ condition.

True or False?

Listen to the material again and answer true or false to the following statements:

Grit is usually unrelated to measures of talent.

Growth mindset is a great idea for building grit.

She started studying grit in New York public schools.

She went with her research team to West Point Naval Academy.

Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals.

Answers

27
math
psychology
how little we know about it
growth mindset
heard
idea
change
brain
permanent
(T)
(T)
(F) it was in Chicago public schools
(F) they went to West Point Military Academy
(T)

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.