Addison Trail special education teachers implement Team GRIT to help students overcome obstacles and achieve goals

This year, Addison Trail special education teachers Melissa Morales and Amy Weltin are adding a twist with new programming for freshmen who are enrolled in two or more of their core subject classes through the school’s Bridges program.

Those students are part of Team GRIT, a term developed by author and scientist Angela Duckworth to describe “passion and perseverance for long-term goals.” Morales and Weltin are incorporating the concept of GRIT into the curriculum to teach students to never give up, keep trying and stay focused on goals. So far this year, students have:

• Created weekly SMART goals (SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based. Each element of the SMART framework works together to create a goal that is carefully planned, clear and trackable.)
  
  
• Participated in group cooperative learning challenges
  
  
• Learned about executive functioning skills and assessed themselves on their perceived executive functioning strengths and weaknesses (According to https://www.thepathway2success.com/executive-functioning-skills/, “Executive functioning skills are the abilities in our brain that help us complete everyday tasks. These skills include planning, organization, time management, metacognition, working memory, self-control, attention, flexibility and perseverance.”

Morales and Weltin have composed a newsletter, called the “Team GRIT Gazette,” to provide an inside look at these classes and to share tips of how parents/guardians can support this work to help students succeed. To view the first issue, go to https://www.dupage88.net/site/public/files/?item=6063.