Gritty, Mascots, and Learning – Trending In Education – Episode 139

On this week’s episode, Mike, Brandon, and Dan take on the latest internet sensation, Gritty the new mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers introduced Gritty as their new mascot late in September and since then, he(?)’s been feagured across multiple news channels and media outlets. As Mike might say, Gritty is “Zeitgeist-y!” Our trio of hosts explore whether it’s merely a coincidence that Gritty hails from the same city as Angela Duckworth, the author of the landmark positive psychology book, Grit. We also look at the cross-section of learning and mascots. Do mascots enhance memory? Why are they so prevalent in programming (and advertising) for children? How does this all tie to recent books like Sapiens by Yuval Harari, and Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer? Be sure to save room in your memory palace for Gritty. Listen in for a fun and surprisingly informative conversation.