How do we teach our students to succeed? At least partially by teaching them to fail.
“One of the most important things I have to teach my students is that when you fail, you are learning.” Students gain lasting self-confidence not by being protected from failure but by learning that they can survive it.
What does teaching them to fail mean? The article isn’t completely clear, but it does mention:
at the most innovative schools, classes are “hands-on,” and students are creators, not mere consumers. They acquire skills and knowledge while solving a problem, creating a product or generating a new understanding.
This is what I am trying to create in my classrooms. I am not sure how successful I am, but I am moving in that direction.
Wagner, Tony. “Educating the Next Steve Jobs.” Wall Street Journal Online. 13 April 2012. Web. 1 May 2012.