I engage frequently in conversations such as\u00a0the one below. These interactions take place online and face-to-face.<\/p>\n
Well-intentioned educator:<\/strong> We need to teach children to make mistakes.<\/p>\n Me:<\/strong> Really? We need to teach mistake making?<\/p>\n Educator<\/strong>: Well, we need to teach them to embrace failure.<\/p>\n Me<\/strong>: There is nothing virtuous about failure. You cannot possibly motivate children with the same force you use to punish them. Besides, Papert teaches us that the best projects push up against the persistence of reality. Overcoming obstacles is natural. Failure is the imposition of judgment by others.<\/p>\n Educator<\/strong>: What I mean is that kids should\u00a0be risk-takers.<\/p>\n Me<\/strong>: It doesn\u2019t seem like a good idea for adults to be\u00a0encouraging children to take risks. Learning has nothing to do with risk. Risk is potentially dangerous.<\/p>\n Educator<\/strong>: We should encourage tinkering and experimentation.<\/p>\n Me<\/strong>: Why didn\u2019t you say that<\/em>?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I engage frequently in conversations such as\u00a0the one below. These interactions take place online and face-to-face. Well-intentioned educator: We need to teach children to make … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"0","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[428,434,431],"tags":[460,1365,1366,1269,1156,1367],"class_list":["post-3565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-learning","category-teaching","tag-constructivism","tag-failure","tag-learning-by-doing","tag-maker-movement","tag-making","tag-risk-taking"],"yoast_head":"\n