“Some people
react positively to the same situations which elicit anxiety for others” is a
generally true statement, but leading creativity researcher Mark Runco wrote it
in relation to fear of failure and how it can lead to an unproductive rigidity
for students.
Creativity
involves risk-taking and tolerance of possible failure. We often blithely ask
students to “Be creative! Do something different!” without taking the time and
effort to understand why many students tend to “play it safe.”
This
presentation will 1) summarize important research related to risk-taking and
failure, 2) share the specifics of a tried-and-true assignment called “The Five
Fabulous Fails” (where students fail on purpose, reflect, and discuss the
experience), and 3) give participants time to consider where they could adjust
their own courses and assessment to make room for what some scholars call
“productive failure.”
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