Lab 9: Persistence

About persistence (5 min)

In Discord > Everyone

Some tasks take time. Some tasks take significant learning. When software engineering gets really hard, it's easy to give up, change a requirement, or abandon an approach because you're not sure how to proceed. In many cases this makes sense, because something truly is intractable, infeasible, or impossible, but in many other cases, it's just a lack of persistence.

The best way to learn persistence is to be resourceful. Resourcefulness means responding to difficulties by reaching out for help, either by seeking information (online or from a person) or by seeking insight and new perspectives (more often from a person). Persisting means applying the knowledge you've gained by being resourceful.

Persistence also looks different to different people. You all are already persisting through a lot this quarter, as many of you've shared with us in StudentAmp surveys and in-class meetings, and you're meeting these challenges in different ways. Be proud of what you've already persisted through. Today, share some strategies you've used to persist, and help your peers and teammates find new perspectives on their own problems where you can.

Practicing persistence (15 min)

In Discord > Random Groups

To practice this, find a random group. Each of you should share two things:

1. Share successes. Tell a story about something you were stuck on and how you persisted through it. It might be related to this class and/or your project, but it doesn't have to be. 
2. Share current experiences. Explain something you're currently stuck on and what approaches you have tried to overcome being stuck. Brainstorm as a group about what you might try next.

When you tell a success story of persistence, it can feel like bragging to demonstrate your persistence. Remember that you're helping your teammates see what persistence looks like, helping them model that good behavior.

Persistent teams (15 min)

In Discord > Teams

PMs lead

Discuss:

• How can your team better support persistence in this class?
• Are there things your PM can do to better motive and resource you to succeed?
• Are there things your teammates can do to be more open to helping?
• Are there strategies on HowToo you should be using to structure your problem solving? (Or: Should you be asking your peers for help on HowToo?) Remember you can get extra credit on HW6 by doing this.

Reflect (5 min)

For credit, write a reflection in Canvas, responding to this prompt: What strategies did you hear from other students that might help you be more persistent? (2 points)