The phrase “Failing Forward” from John C. Maxwell’s book, by the same title, has taken the education community by storm. But what does it mean to “Fail Forward?” How can we as Project Based Learning teachers utilize this idea to help support our students?
Below are a few ideas and thoughts from my years as a PBL teacher, coach, and now as a mother. You can also find many helpful videos linked in the YouTube Playlist I created on this topic.
Perfection is the enemy
In Sasha Shillcut’s Ted Talk video, she states that for many students and adults the primary issue with failing “isn’t the failing, it is the shame students feel.” This was a powerful quote for me. The idea of making my students feel “shame” because of the natural process of struggle, deeply saddened me. Within our classroom cultures, we must encourage students to feel comfortable with struggle, failure, and a lack of perfection.
Currently, a popular strategy with students is to create a “goal board” or “goal journal”. These are wonderful tools, but often they are utilized without integration into classroom culture. By utilizing these resources all the time, we make them a natural part of our classroom culture. Try keeping your own version of the student tool and refer to it during instruction. Make steps as a class for how to meet classroom goals. Be open about struggles and failings, as you plan ways to meet attainable goals.
Growth Mindset
A growth mindset is a fantastic idea, but there are many things we as facilitators can do to improve our approach to this ideal. Let’s go deeper than bulletin boards, handouts, and phrasing. Below are a few ideas for how you can take a Growth Mindset to the next level in your classroom. If you aren’t sure what Growth Mindset is, check out this Growth Mindset video on YouTube in the playlist I created.
1. Approach growth mindset with a trauma-informed lens.
“Students can’t learn if they don’t feel safe.” For many of our students “failing” makes them feel unsafe. This is why it is so important to approach a Growth Mindset through a trauma lens. Here are a few resources to help inform yourself about trauma-informed instruction.
- Teaching Strategy Handout
- YouTube Video about Trauma-Informed Instruction
- Fostering the Trauma-Informed Classroom Handout
- Trauma-Informed Practice Training Package
2. Teach students about the power of their brains.
Use this time to teach students about how their brain works, how to keep it healthy, and strategies to help them be aware of their thinking.
- Use Your Brain by SciShow Kids
- Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak Ph.D
3. Utilize Growth Mindset texts in everyday lessons, as well as social-emotional learning lessons.
When you have the opportunity to supplement a text for a work that teaches about Growth Mindset, consider these texts or authors.
4. Bring Caring Adults along with a growth mindset
The buy-in of your caring adults directly impacts your classroom culture. Help classroom families understand growth mindset and how to implement it at home too. Consider sending out growth mindset resources every now and then on your digital platform or attaching something to your newsletter. Here are a few resources you could share with caring adults.
- Growth Mindset Parenting Webpage
- Growth Mindset FREEBIE by Sarah Gardner
- Parent Guide Handout for Growth Mindset
5. Teach students WHO to ask for help, when they are struggling
-
- Community partners
- Us
- Other teachers
- Students
Perhaps make a bulletin board where you collect different people and resources students can go to for help or to ask questions. Use this as a visual reminder that everyone struggles and we all have resources we can go to for help.
Social Emotional Learning Community Partners
The quote “Resilient people turn failures into their strengths” from a TED Talk in this playlist resonated with me not only as a teacher but also on a human level. What struggles have you overcome in your journey? It can be difficult for students to imagine the struggles of others, especially those who appear successful and “together.”
- Look for school counselors, pediatric counselors, or community counselors who can come in and talk about the emotions we cope with during “failing.”
- Join growth mindset or school counselor Facebook groups to ask questions or view resources from a global community
- Bring in people who will show the rest of their “iceberg”. This refers to what we don’t see in a journey or struggle. Be sure to keep this age-appropriate, but by having successful people share their struggles they can be relatable and help students feel connected.
Model failing, as their teacher
- Be honest about your struggles in your practice
- Narrate your thoughts during an authentic struggle or issue
- Embrace your “failed” PBL units as a class
Do you have a resource for growth mindset that you like to use in your classroom? Share your favorite resource in the comments below.
Check out this YouTube Playlist over this topic.
Read more about Project Based Learning here.
Brainstorming a Project Based Learning unit idea is a challenge for most new PBL facilitators. There are many ways to come up with PBL unit ideas that both tie-in standards rigorously and engage students in a topic that is of interest to them. Seasonal PBL unit ideas can be a great source of inspiration. Whether […]
What is the difference between PBL and STEAM? As elementary schools all over the world push for their teachers to implement Project Based Learning, there have been some hiccups. As an online instructional coach, a PBL instructor of over 8 years, and a member of several PBL social media groups, I have noticed a major […]
People often wonder, is Youtube an effective learning tool for my classroom? In today’s classroom, Youtube can be a valuable resource for instructional strategies, lesson resources, and so much more. The Project Based Learning classroom can utilize many of the traditional YouTubers to help support their PBL units. Here are just a few Youtube channels […]
How can Project Based Learning be effective in teaching Social Studies? It is no secret that with the push for strong ELA and STEM programs, Social Studies has become the neglected house plant of classroom subjects. However, through some creative integration in our Project Based Learning units, we are able to shine some sunlight on […]
When I first began using the PBL approach in my classroom, I was vigilant about doing making Know and Need to Know lists in my Project Based Learning classroom with my class. But as I progressed and became more experienced they began to fall to the wayside. It wasn’t until two years ago I realized […]