Essay 1: The Importance of Perseverance
Write a 1000+ word paper evaluating scholar Angela Duckworth's theory of the
importance of perseverance in college success.
Duckworth has developed a theory about the importance of perseverance; she uses the
slang word "grit," which suggests toughness. We will read an article about her theory and
an essay by Donna Beegle, who worked hard to succeed in college.
The thesis of your essay will answer this question: How useful is her theory for
explaining why some students succeed and some don't? You might decide that
perseverance has a big role and therefore her theory is very useful. You might decide that
perseverance is just one factor among many and her theory is not very useful. Or you
might decide that her theory is somewhat useful because perseverance does play an
important role, although it's not the only important factor.
We'll read the following texts:
 "Angela Duckworth and the Research on 'Grit,'" Emily Hanford,
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/tomorrows-college/grit/angeladuckworth-grit.html
 "An Insider's Perspective: The Donna Beegle Story," Donna Beegle in Crossroads
If you wish, you can also use your own experience and the experiences of your
classmates in the discussion forum.
Essay 1: The Importance of Perseverance
In her essay "An Insider's Perspective: The Donna Beegle Story," Donna Beegle tells the
story of how she overcame obstacles as she moved toward becoming a college educated
woman. Not only did she overcome significant poverty and personal challenges, she
managed to attain her doctorate.
Write a 750+ word paper in which you tell your own story as you move into college:
what obstacles have you overcome? Who were your allies?
The thesis of your essay will answer this question: What central factor has contributed to
your college success?
Principles for Accelerated Pedagogy
--
Katie Hern, Chabot College
#1: Engages students in intellectually challenging experiences that develop the most
essential skills and ways of thinking required in college.
#2: Attends to the affective issues that get in the way of students’ learning and success.
#3: Facilitates an ongoing metacognitive conversation with students about what they are
learning, why they are learning it, where the process breaks down for them, and how they
can successfully approach it.
#4: Recognizes that mastery doesn’t happen all at once – celebrates emerging strengths,
maintains a constructive, non-shaming orientation toward problems in student work,
focuses on growth.
(“College-readiness” ≠ Mechanical perfection)
Take away messages
(wswyt@highline.edu; lbernhagen@highline.edu; Accelerating to a new paradigm)
1. It doesn’t matter how successful individual developmental courses are; we must
shorten the pipeline.
2. Acceleration takes many forms. Each institution must work with their structures,
advantages, and challenges to develop what works.
3. Acceleration is not tied primarily to a curriculum “model”; pedagogy must also be
accelerated.
4. We need to consciously and intentionally work against placement and traditional
textbooks, both of which limit developmental curriculum and do not effectively
address college readiness.