I was watching my 2 year old put together a puzzle the other day and I noticed how many times he tried to fit the pieces in. First one way, then another. If the piece didn't fit he simply picked up another and kept trying until it fit. One particularly tricky area took him a few minutes to figure out (a lifetime for a toddler!), but he kept picking up pieces and trying new ones. Then, as most 2 year olds do, he clapped his hands with glee and then carried on with a new section, seemingly emboldened by his success. It got me thinking about my students and how many of them are easily defeated by failure. How often we hear the words from them of "I'm a failure", "no matter what, I just can't get this" or even worse "I am terrible at this. Why bother?"
My son doesn't know to quit. He just keeps going and going until things work. When did our kids lose this attitude? How can we work to better foster the resilience to overcome obstacles and build upon setbacks? What kinds of motivations, tips, strategies do we use to help students rediscover this ability?
1. Modelling: I model failure often. Sometimes far too often I think, but when I make mistakes I don't try to cover them up. I admit my faults, mistakes, errors and try again. I've abandoned lessons and told the students why and what I was doing. In my early years I would have been mortified by this. Now, I find students trust me more.
2. Scaffolding: I teach things, like writing, in smaller chunks so students have a chance to be successful before tackling the bigger piece. Just fit these 3 puzzle pieces together and then we will look at the larger picture. When students feel successful, they become more successful.
3. Comment on effort. When students make the effort to get better, I comment on it. I let them know what I see and how far they have come. Emails and calls home help to reinforce that.
Ultimately, so much of a student's success is their belief that they CAN succeed. For my son, the thought of NOT being able to figure the puzzle out doesn't seem to have entered his mind. As far as he knows, he'll complete the puzzle. Eventually. Time to make sure our students believe that too.
My son doesn't know to quit. He just keeps going and going until things work. When did our kids lose this attitude? How can we work to better foster the resilience to overcome obstacles and build upon setbacks? What kinds of motivations, tips, strategies do we use to help students rediscover this ability?
1. Modelling: I model failure often. Sometimes far too often I think, but when I make mistakes I don't try to cover them up. I admit my faults, mistakes, errors and try again. I've abandoned lessons and told the students why and what I was doing. In my early years I would have been mortified by this. Now, I find students trust me more.
2. Scaffolding: I teach things, like writing, in smaller chunks so students have a chance to be successful before tackling the bigger piece. Just fit these 3 puzzle pieces together and then we will look at the larger picture. When students feel successful, they become more successful.
3. Comment on effort. When students make the effort to get better, I comment on it. I let them know what I see and how far they have come. Emails and calls home help to reinforce that.
Ultimately, so much of a student's success is their belief that they CAN succeed. For my son, the thought of NOT being able to figure the puzzle out doesn't seem to have entered his mind. As far as he knows, he'll complete the puzzle. Eventually. Time to make sure our students believe that too.