Teaching the Inevitable: Embracing a Pedagogy of Failure
Failure is often taken as a given in higher education, as an inevitable part of learning new things. Yet, it remains a part of learning that students tend to fear, and faculty tend to neglect. As faculty, we do not always strategize with or leverage our students’ struggles and failures for improved...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Calgary
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Teaching & Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/TLI/article/view/72559 |
| _version_ | 1797828419915874304 |
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| author | Lydia E. Eckstein Amelia B. Finaret Lisa B. Whitenack |
| author_facet | Lydia E. Eckstein Amelia B. Finaret Lisa B. Whitenack |
| author_sort | Lydia E. Eckstein |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Failure is often taken as a given in higher education, as an inevitable part of learning new things. Yet, it remains a part of learning that students tend to fear, and faculty tend to neglect. As faculty, we do not always strategize with or leverage our students’ struggles and failures for improved learning. Instead, we hope that students learn from their mistakes and study harder or try harder the next time, because moving on with material in class is necessary to meet learning objectives. In this article, we outline several strategies for using failure advantageously for promoting student growth and learning, and to minimize the stigma of struggle in academia. We make concrete suggestions and outline strategies and resources for faculty to incorporate a “pedagogy of failure” into their work with students and we describe structural barriers to using failure strategically in higher education.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:05:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bf8987bbff274efda6a3e7d1103d48e2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-4779 2167-4787 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:05:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | University of Calgary |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Teaching & Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-bf8987bbff274efda6a3e7d1103d48e22023-05-12T16:22:20ZengUniversity of CalgaryTeaching & Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal2167-47792167-47872023-05-011110.20343/teachlearninqu.11.16Teaching the Inevitable: Embracing a Pedagogy of FailureLydia E. Eckstein0Amelia B. Finaret1Lisa B. Whitenack2Allegheny CollegeAllegheny CollegeAllegheny College Failure is often taken as a given in higher education, as an inevitable part of learning new things. Yet, it remains a part of learning that students tend to fear, and faculty tend to neglect. As faculty, we do not always strategize with or leverage our students’ struggles and failures for improved learning. Instead, we hope that students learn from their mistakes and study harder or try harder the next time, because moving on with material in class is necessary to meet learning objectives. In this article, we outline several strategies for using failure advantageously for promoting student growth and learning, and to minimize the stigma of struggle in academia. We make concrete suggestions and outline strategies and resources for faculty to incorporate a “pedagogy of failure” into their work with students and we describe structural barriers to using failure strategically in higher education. https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/TLI/article/view/72559failurestigmatraditionally underrepresented studentsanxietyalternative grading schema |
| spellingShingle | Lydia E. Eckstein Amelia B. Finaret Lisa B. Whitenack Teaching the Inevitable: Embracing a Pedagogy of Failure Teaching & Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal failure stigma traditionally underrepresented students anxiety alternative grading schema |
| title | Teaching the Inevitable: Embracing a Pedagogy of Failure |
| title_full | Teaching the Inevitable: Embracing a Pedagogy of Failure |
| title_fullStr | Teaching the Inevitable: Embracing a Pedagogy of Failure |
| title_full_unstemmed | Teaching the Inevitable: Embracing a Pedagogy of Failure |
| title_short | Teaching the Inevitable: Embracing a Pedagogy of Failure |
| title_sort | teaching the inevitable embracing a pedagogy of failure |
| topic | failure stigma traditionally underrepresented students anxiety alternative grading schema |
| url | https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/TLI/article/view/72559 |
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