Failure is always an option

Let me start this blog post with a quote from Mythbusters Adam Savage in an interview from The Atlantic:

http://m.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/12/mythbusters-teaching-through-wonderand-failure/383844/?body=%20http://m.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/12/mythbusters-teaching-through-wonderand-failure/383844/

‘Failure is always an option’ came up as a joke in season two, when we were screwing something up over and over again, but it’s an awesome way to think about the scientific method. We tend to think about science as a series of facts and absolutes that we need to study in order to understand stuff; a scientist saying, “I want to prove this thing,” and then coming up with an experiment to prove it. Nothing could be further from the truth on both counts. The scientist simply says, “I wonder if?” and then builds a methodology to test whether his theory is correct, or even to figure out what his theory might be. So to think that an experiment could “fail” is ludicrous. Every experiment tells you something, even if it’s just don’t do that experiment the same way again.’

I know that many of us have enjoyed along with our students the explosions and experiments that are a staple of the Mythbustes franchise.  Recently they have expanded to a tour and YouTube.  My oldest son sent me the article that prompted me to write this blog post.

I think our students need to know that it is OK to fail.  I am not saying fail their classes and repeat a grade.  I am talking about failing when it comes to experimentation and discovery in our science classrooms.  Our tech hungry public is fed so much information with the internet these days that students are losing opportunities to figure things out for themselves. I am still learning this myself.  I sometimes catch myself stepping in when a student struggles and not allowing them to falter and learn at their own pace. When I do this I am not giving them every opportunity to learn.

What I should be doing is giving my students an environment where they know that mistakes will happen and give them opportunities to learn from their failures and make adjustments.  This can occur with assessments, projects, and labs.  Under these conditions students will have an opportunity to learn at their own pace.  This will change the layout of my classroom, how I teach and how I continue to improve my craft as an educator.  Students will have a better understanding of the content because they will own it.  They will become better problem solvers and critically consumers of the evidence that they encounter. To make sure the content is covered I will fill in the gaps and make sure they have the solid foundation that they need to succeed.

I know there will be success and failures during this process.  I will learn from both and press on because I am an educator and I want the best for my students.