Teaching Grit With TED — Three Inspiring Stories That Trump Talent Every Time

If you’re teaching grit with TED, nothing beats pairing Angela Duckworth’s research with two real-world teen inventors. These talks prove sustained effort matters more than IQ or luck—and they come with ready-made STEM, ELA, and SEL tasks.

Why Grit Still Beats Raw Talent

Duckworth’s data show “grit scores” predict success from West Point to National Spelling Bees. Students often claim talent is fixed; these clips challenge that mindset with evidence.

Talk 1 — Effort as a Marathon

In Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Duckworth’s grit marathon metaphor classroom activity asks students to map a personal “marathon,” labeling setbacks and recovery points.

Talk 2 — Windmill From Scrap

Kamkwamba’s scrapyard windmill STEM challenge lets groups prototype energy solutions using cardboard and motors after viewing How I Harnessed the Wind.

Talk 3 — Lion-Lights Engineering

Use Turere’s human-wildlife conflict STEM lesson to explore predator-prey coexistence; students design humane deterrents for local pests.

Maker-Space Project Sequence

1. Empathy interviews · Define real-world need
2. Rapid prototype · Test · Iterate
3. Reflection blog using growth-mindset sentence stems

Reflection Journals & Goal-Setting

Have students write SMART goals linking grit strategies to upcoming exams or performances.

Stream note: All three talks are free on YouTube.com and TED.com.

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