Making Failure More Productive in Math Education & Beyond
Lesson created by Melissa Ganus using
Video from TEDxTalks YouTube Channel
Consider your experiences with school, especially your math classes. What would it have been like if "productive failure" had been more encouraged?
Additional Resources for you to Explore
For another inspiring TEDx talk about the value of failure, check out http://youtu.be/4KoPYFxu-8w in which Jimmy Wales, founder of WikiPedia, describes his failures leading up to and since founding WikiPedia. A few quotes to reflect on: "Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Sir Winston Churchhill "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” - Thomas Edison "Fail fast, fail often, and fail originally." - unknown
Practice Reframing Failure: When you something as a failure, look for what could make it a "productive failure." Consider helping others reframe, too.