Week 10: Failure

Identify where you think students may fail in an assignment in your syllabus, and how you will use that at a teachable moment by design. If you didn't produce a syllabus, discuss the relevance of this week's readings to your future workplace.

I guess I'm pretty proud to say I have many moments of minor failure that I use as teachable moments. I've learned that mistakes are inevitable moments of opportunity. I'm still working on my syllabus for the course, so I'll reflect upon teachable moments in English composition that have taught me the value of the negotiated syllabus.

I have created detailed course schedules only to discover I scheduled an in-class exercise over a holiday. This is an important reminder to visit my syllabus frequently and at least 2-3 weeks in advance.

Sometimes I start an exercise the class isn't as interested in as I would like them to be. This is a good opportunity to have backup plans and secondary syllabus activities.

I think the key to success in recovering from most of my mistakes is being able to accept my failure in stride -- This sets an example for students and validates the mistakes they will make -- We are all "imperfect." Making mistakes shows my humanity and teaches students how to laugh at ourselves while on stage.

I have recently inspired by Becky Rickly's article "Failing Forward: Reflecting on the Research Culture of Graduate Students" in which the heroine realizes "failures" don't have to be fatal. I believe we only make mistakes if we take risks. The risks we take in academia are worth the possibility of failure because we're in a safe environment where recovery is a very viable option.