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Fear of Failure

6/3/2014

5 Comments

 
On Tuesday I had the pleasure of speaking at a conference in Coventry, I was followed by Roger Black MBE who delivered a keynote speech about his career. 
I sat and wondered what the relationship between his career and teaching would be. Roger spoke at length about overcoming adversity and teamwork, the type of thing that teachers do on a daily basis. One thing, however, struck a chord with me. Roger discussed his 'fear of failure' how this fear pushed him from excellent to outstanding. 

I wondered... Do we instil this fear in children? Should we? Would our children in school perform better if they had a fear of failure? I thought about my own classroom setting, are my children striving to achieve at all times? No. Do they have a fear of failure? The majority don't. 

I then began to think about how I deal with failure on a daily basis. In my Year 5 class what happens if a child delivers a substandard piece of work? The answer: not a lot!  If they have been lazy, they may have to do the work again, but only if the work is substantially below standard. If they have failed to achieve due to carelessness, I will probably warn them about their effort or concentration levels. Is it my fault that these children do not have an intrinsic fear of failing? Do they just think they can get away with it or is there another underlying problem?

I have met a number of children throughout my career who don't seem to care about their work, who don't care about achieving. These children lack ambition, it could be down to social pressures, family traditions or a lack of aspiration. 

We need to engage these children in a way that makes them care.  We need to make sure they care about achieving and instil in them a fear of failure. 

The question is how?  [I will blog about this at a later date.] I am forming some ideas....

Rob
5 Comments
K. M. Lockwood link
6/3/2014 04:02:33 pm

Are you sure you want children to truly *fear* failure? To be terrified, to worry and fret? Apathy is not best counteracted by fear, in my opinion - but by pride in achievement.

Reply
Rob
6/3/2014 04:11:39 pm

Dictionary definition 'an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger' Perhaps 'fear' is a strong word but perhaps an unpleasant feeling about not doing well would stimulate some of our children.

What about those children who are not achieving, those children who you have tried to instil pride in and who are still not achieving? I am not saying this is right for all children.

I am not saying that I want all children to have an extreme reaction to failing daily, however, I do think our children need to be scared of not reaching their goals and ambitions in later life.

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Ben smith
6/3/2014 05:10:58 pm

I believe children form attitudes towards learning from an early age and if children are stimulated and their actions bring both pleasure and success then they will want to learn more and engage more in the learning process! With the right support and encouragement we can mould these children into being
More adventurous and creative learners. Instead if there being a fear of failure why not add the opposite and motivate children with intrinsic rewards for their achievements

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Mr D
6/3/2014 11:24:40 pm

I certainly believe in children operating above their comfort zone but some children are reluctant to challenge themselves and feel threatened when challenged.

Personally, I think it depends upon the relationship you have with the child and the experience the child has with success. Success is such a short term thing nowadays, no more so than in education. I suppose a good question would be 'What is failure in relation to the child's life and expectations?' We certainly need to raise expectations as teachers.

Although I am not an elite athlete, I have a sporting background and I think that if you get the basics/ fundamentals in place, the challenge is easier to attempt and more likely to be successful.

Reply
Carola
16/7/2016 03:17:47 am

What you are saying is so true!

I have been influenced, recently, by Carol Dweck (Growth Mindset) and Jo Boalar (Maths expert -Youcubed). I fused both into my curriculum at the end of last school year. HUGE difference. Carol Dweck produced several kid-centered short videos (two sets) for the Class DoJo Website that I used as mini-lessons - explaining her Growth Mindset and "The Dip". After viewing them, I asked students to write about a time they were in The DiP" Now, when they don't have success right away, they know they are in the dip, and just need to keep on keeping' on. Yousubed reinforces the Growth Mindset concept and sets up maths questions and problems that can be solved a number of ways. My kids loved it!

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    Rob from Literacy Shed

    Just writing down what I think about school and education. 

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