Celebrating Failure as Steps to Success

This is a big topic for Puzzle Shift Create

In every classroom, this is a very common easy topic to connect to. If we practice the language, we can help kids better understand how the world works and how to be better prepared for whatever comes!

How it is in too many classrooms:

  • Kids see failure as terrible, 
  • want projects to be finished ASAP 
  • messed up steps usually result in kids reducing their expectations
  • Need to be taught patience and the process of creating and failing

How can a teacher help kids value failure?

  • Teach kids how their brains work
    •  Explain connections in their brains
      • Repeat tasks and have kids recognize how much easier it is
    • Sleep is when short becomes long term memory
    • Connections get stronger as you use them
    • Reading is how you make general connections
    • People with a lot of connections are able to learn things more easily
  • Mistakes
    • If you want to be amazing at something, you have to make tons of mistakes
    • Pro athletes or musicians practice hours a day
    • How many mistakes can you make in that time?
    • You have to learn from mistakes as they happen, laugh at them
  • Failure
    • Failure is going to happen
    • You learn from trying
    • Topic comes up most days as I start class, see episode ___
    • I share my failures page on my website, ask kids if they think I’m a failure
    • If you never try, you never figure how to make it better
    • Just start
  • Attitude and Expectations
    • If you walk into a math classroom expecting to fail, you will give up sooner, try less, and accept excuses more quickly.
    • If you expect to succeed, you’ll work harder, ask questions, and are much more likely to succeed. 
  • Habits
    • Habits are who you are
    • Atomic Habits is a great resource, get it from a library for free

A new vision for education

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