Being Positive
Mistakes are okay and can happen to everyone even instructors, I think emphasizing this point to student will help them stay positive and thus keep them motivated. Since failing and not doing well can cause great negativity in ones self keeping students uplifted and happy regardless of any out come will aid in there success in school.
Elizabeth,
Good points. We need to give our students the opportunity to fail at something without the failue being fatal to their academic goals.
Jeffrey Schillinger
"Don't be afraid to fail. Don't waste energy trying to cover up failure. Learn from your failures and go on to the next challenge. It's OK to fail. If you're not failing, you're not growing." I like sharing this quote with my students' to show them it's ok to fail, you will only grow and learn from your mistakes/ fails.
I think that the idea that we are all innately good at something and will be able to do it well from day one can be demotivating for some students. This causes them to see failures as evidence that they have chosen the wrong path. By reminding students that everyone had to fail a few times before they succeeded and that this is an important way to learn, we can keep students motivated to continue in spite of their failures and to actually see those failures as opportunities as well. The book "Outliers" was an eye-opener for me because it analyzed people that we think of as geniuses in their fields and demonstrated how their amazing abilities were actually a product of hours of practice and hard work when countless mistakes were undoubtedly made. The students need to be reminded that mistakes are simply a part of the path to success!
Katharine,
We like to talk about setting up an environment in which students can "fail" at something a couple times before there is much of an adverse impact. Failures should not be fatal.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I find that most "failures" can be turned into positive learning experiences. We tend to remember our failures and because of this, failures oftentimes are the best learning experiences. I can successfully perform a task a dozen times and too often, if asked to explain the procedure, I cannot. However, if I mess up miserably, and then have to correct myself, I will always remember how to correctly perform that task and will be able to explain, in detail, the correct way to complete that task.
I believe we can learn from our mistakes and try to pass this on to the students. We must continue trying.
Mary,
Many teachers report that some students are so fragile that they quit the first time things go wrong. How do you structure your classes so that failure is viewed as a chance to larn rather than an excuse to quit?
Jeffrey Schillinger
I always reinforce that failures (or mistakes) are not the problem. They are not a REASON to quit. Quitting is the problem. I reinforce this with the Chinese proverb "Failure lies not in falling down. Failure lies in not getting up". It is essential in the academic environment to use every opportunity, both success and failure, as a learning opportunity and to turn negatives into positives.
Everyone has fail points. I think that sharing my fail points and growth (28 years worth) may give them insight as how these areas do not have to be repeated in their growth. But even when a student gives an incorrect answer I try to redirect the thoughts and show them a different way to think about it. I find that this helps them with self esteme and to have confidence to still step out and try.
Absolutely! I believe we should always keep trying to be a better professional and human being.
I agree, from failure can come growth, knowledge and success. Always staying positive is key.
I believe that it is much easier to keep positive atomosphere when student are allowed guilded practice with chance to not succeed with out any consequences. Often lesson plans and syllabus are so filled with objectices students cannot practice and apply skills that have been demonstrated.
I admit I have made mistakes on problems in class, and I was always so embarrassed to do so in front of my students. However, maybe a mistake every now and then is a good thing, to show students that everyone can make them, and its nothing to be ashamed of. You just have to pick yourself up, and carry on!
Julia,
Turn those mistakes into learning experiences. Have the students walk you through the problem. Never does one learn more than when one is trying to teach.
Jeffrey Schillinger
