“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.”