By:
Jocelyn K. Glei
Level
of Difficulty: ***
Thanks are due to my dear friend and fellow teacher Füsun Savcı for this wonderful text
BEFORE
YOU READ
QUESTIONS
1. There seems to be a positive correlation between self control in
early childhood and…………….
2. The children’s covering their eyes, pretending to play hide and seek
underneath the desk and singing were all examples of
……………………………………………………………..(Be general)
3. Trading short term gratification for long term goals is something we
need to do frequently in life, which means that
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
4. The current need for far greater self control is born of the fact
that ……………………………………..
5. What does “such temptations” in the phrase “our ability to resist
such temptations” refer to?
Now, read the remainder of
the text: “And yet, self control isn’t the whole story”
6. At what point does self control cease to be the number one predictor
of success?
7. What is grit and what does it involve?
8. Read the accounts of the various studies Duckworth carried out. What
overall conclusion can be drawn from her research?
THE FUTURE OF SELF
IMPROVEMENT PART II: THE DILEMMA OF COACHING YOURSELF
By: Jocelyn K. Glei
Level of Difficulty: ***
BEFORE YOU READ
·
Access the following video: “True Grit; Can Perseverance Be Taught?”;
listen first without subtitles and take notes, then listen with subtitles and
check your notes. Discuss the content if you are doing this in class. Click
here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaeFnxSfSC4
QUESTIONS
- What has
happened to experienced teachers who walk into class without preparing
lessons and do things the way they have always done them? You will need to
tweak the text.
- What
conclusion can we draw about experts from the principles listed
- Read the
story of Bradley to the end. What overall conclusion can be drawn concerning
remarkable achievement?
- What does
“This” refer to in the phrase “This has little to do with intelligence or
even talent”?
- What does
“This” refer to in the sentence “This is tricky”? Why “is it tricky”?
- What
unusual step did Gawonde take? What was the underlying reason for this
move?
- What
general criticism is leveled at the way most businesses operate?
- For what
reason do a lot of people avoid coaching of all forms?
WRITING
TASK
Discuss the factors that contribute to
remarkable achievement. Use the points made in the text and the notes you made.
Remember to support the points you made.
In
your introduction, discuss the importance of
success and achievement in the modern world on a social and personal level. End
with a thesis statement: There are various
personality traits that contribute to high achievement.
In
your development, group the factors presented in
the text, discuss them and provide support.
In
your conclusion, discuss how these qualities can be
developed. To do this, use your notes on the videos and the text.
THE
FUTURE OF SELF IMPROVEMENT PART I: GRIT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN TALENT KEY AND
TEACHER’S NOTES
This
fascinating text provides a whole new slant on how remarkable achievement
becomes possible by stressing the importance of factors that may not
immediately come to mind. The bonus is that there are related videos and a
test. It is recommended that you start with the test; perhaps have the students
working in pairs and doing the test for each other and continue with the video
from which the students make notes. You may need to play it twice. It is
suggested that you once again have a discussion before moving on to the text
proper and the questions.
- Better
behavior, lower tendency to addiction and high SAT scores.
- Strategic
allocation of attention
- Very
often when we talk about the skill of productivity, what we are really
talking about is self control.
- We are
all gaining more freedom and flexibility.
- Emails,
social media messages, text messages
- In the
case of high challenge achievement or remarkable achievement.
- Perseverance
and passion for a long-term goal; not seeking something because of
novelty, not looking for a change, perseverance, tenacity, doggedness.
- Dogged
hard work is the cornerstone of remarkable achievement.
THE
FUTURE OF SELF IMPROVEMENT PART II: THE DILEMMA OF COACHING YOURSELF KEY AND
TEACHER’S NOTES
Before
launching this second part of the text, I suggest you have the students watch
and make notes on the second video, which will cover a lot of the points in the
reading.
- They have
reached the “OK Plateau” and then gone on auto pilot.
- Those who
excel beyond the pack are pushing themselves continually so that they are
never on auto pilot.
- If we
want to cultivate expertise or genius, or whatever we want to call it, we
need to be able to step outside of ourselves, observe how we are
operating, reflect on what could be better, theorize how we could change
it and then test out the solution.
- Identifying
what needs to be fixed.
- Providing
the outside eyes and ears and making you aware of where you are falling
short; human beings resist exposure or critique
- He
invited Robert Osteen, a retired general surgeon he admires, to observe in
the operating theatre and give feedback; because it seemed as if he had
stopped getting better.
- The work
is largely unseen by anyone who might raise one’s sights.
- It’s
uncomfortable. You need to show your weaknesses, accept criticism and try
to change.
