Today I started each of my classes with a discussion on failure. My students were immediately uncomfortable at the mention of the word. They prefer sugar coated versions like mess-ups or stumbles.
We shared our typical reactions to failures. I shared that I typically get mad at myself and say something like, "Why I am so stupid?" Others shared that they cry or ignore the failure or laugh it off.
Resilience is key for success in learning anything, math included.
I am reading Creative Confidence at the moment so the importance of resilience in the face of failure has been on my mind. I shared with them a passage on pages 9 and 10 about "self-efficacy." If we are afraid to fail, we are afraid to take risks, afraid to try. The fear of failure can block our opportunity to Learn and Grow.
We shared our typical reactions to failures. I shared that I typically get mad at myself and say something like, "Why I am so stupid?" Others shared that they cry or ignore the failure or laugh it off.
Resilience is key for success in learning anything, math included.
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| #Caedchat on Sunday reminded me of this great acronym. :) |
I love it; thanks for posting and sharing CC with your students! Acknowledging failures in this way is a great first step toward building empathy, and I'm going to try doing this more with my own students too.
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