Embracing a Pedagogy of Failure
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
9:00 am – 10:30 am EDT/GMT-4 Online Event
9 AM New York l 3 PM Vienna
In higher education, experiencing failure is often observed as an unavoidable event when mastering new concepts; yet failure is an element of learning that many students dread and that many faculty may overlook. While educators might communicate messages about their acceptance of failure, all too often in practice there is a disconnect between such messaging and the actual design of courses and assignments to allow for failure in constructive ways.
This interactive 90-minute event aims to guide educators in practices to support students in taking risks and learning from their mistakes, without jeopardizing their grades. Led by Lydia Eckstein, Amelia Finaret, and Lisa Whitenack of Allegheny College, and inspired by their 2023 piece "Teaching the Inevitable: Embracing a Pedagogy of Failure," attendees will explore a range of strategies for incorporating a pedagogy of failure in ways to acknowledge and constructively address students' potential fear of failure and related concerns about academic aptitude.
Lydia Eckstein is an Associate Professor of Psychology, Amelia Finaret is an Associate Professor of Global Health, and Lisa Whitenack is an Associate professor of Biology.