This professional learning course invites educators to explore Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant, a transformative look at how growth, character, and persistence—not innate talent—drive true success. Through engaging discussions and reflective activities, participants will examine how Grant’s research-based insights can inform classroom practices, student motivation, and equitable learning environments.

Educators will analyze how to cultivate resilience, foster a culture of continuous improvement, and help all learners—especially those who may not shine immediately—discover and develop their hidden potential. The course will also challenge participants to reflect on their own professional growth and instructional mindsets, promoting a shift from focusing on performance to valuing progress and perseverance.

Required Text:

• Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Reflect on and challenge traditional beliefs about talent, intelligence, and achievement by understanding that potential is not innate but developed through opportunity, effort, and support.
• Analyze how growth and learning follow nonlinear paths and design classroom practices that value persistence and experimentation over perfection. Apply principles of deliberate practice to help students turn effort into improvement through reflection, feedback, and targeted goals.
• Analyze what sustains motivation in myself and students, and develop classroom strategies that encourage persistence through challenges, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
• Encourage growth as a continuous and often unseen process and help students and colleagues recognize progress that isn’t always measurable by traditional metrics. Teach and model character skills—such as generosity, curiosity, and perseverance—as essential components of student success.
• Design supports that act as scaffolds for student and professional growth, gradually releasing responsibility to build independence. Evaluate and redesign classroom and school systems to ensure equitable access to learning opportunities for all students.
• Actively contribute to a school culture that values character, community, and collective growth as much as performance and achievement.
• Apply insights from Hidden Potential into actionable strategies that foster continuous learning—for myself, my students, and my school community.
• Identify and address barriers that limit access to learning and success, ensuring that all students have equitable opportunities to grow.