Failure is a huge setback for everyone. So, what can be done now? What is the role of a teacher at this point, and what teaching methods can you employ to support them? In the book, The Gift of Failure, the author explains why failure is important for success. Although it was originally meant for parents, teachers and students can gain a lot from it too. An insight into the psychology of failure will put you in a better position to help your students prepare for and cope with failure. Equipped with all the knowledge we require, let us now explore how you can do that.
It is all about the mindset.
One of the best teaching strategies is to guide your students to deal with failure by preparing them for it. Only when teachers and students have understood the real power of failure can they accept it. Isn’t it? The best way to do that is to help your students approach failures with a growth mindset. There is a lot of literature on what is a growth mindset and how it can help students. Imbibing a growth mindset into students is one of the best qualities of a good teacher.
While a fixed mindset will believe, “okay, you failed, now don’t be upset.”. A person with a growth mindset will look the problem into their eyes and address it. The growth mindset mantra is, “failing is okay. How you rise back is important.”
Setbacks are part and parcel of growing up. Therefore effective teaching of a growth mindset to your students is of paramount importance. Then instead of being bogged down by failure will see them as opportunities for growth. And this is what we want.
Exploring your students’ mindset
Every class is a heterogeneous mixture of different mindsets. While some of your students believe that with hard work, they can acquire a new skill and succeed, others may believe that they are born talented and do not necessarily have to work hard. Others may put in the effort but will leave as soon as they face an obstacle.
Before employing your effective teaching strategies, you must observe your students and acquire knowledge about their thought processes. Only then can you apply different teaching methods to show how a growth mindset is of importance to them. Every time you notice a student trying and not giving up, share his qualities and achievements with the class. Ask your students to keep track of their mindset and reward themselves for every trait they think takes them a step further towards developing the growth mindset. Involve their parents if needed.
Show your students how they can learn from their mistakes.
Failure is a set of mistakes – a set of wrong decisions at the wrong time. When your students make mistakes, however small they may be, teach them that it is okay to make mistakes. One has to, however, know how to correct them and what to learn from them.
“I don’t believe in taking the right decisions. I take decisions and then make them right.” – Ratan Tata
This quote from one of the greatest entrepreneurs of our times only proves that we can never ascertain that we will not be making mistakes. However, with the right attitude, we can correct them, learn from them and get over them. Therefore, the role of a teacher is to give them feedback on their small and big mistakes and show them that they can approach each mistake with a different mindset.
Take the help of technology, and share related videos and webinars with your students. Technology can help us where traditional teacher strategies have failed. You can use the power of these tools to reach thousands of students and change their lives for the better. Use technology to create your own growth mindset and help people worldwide to rise after failing. Strengthening student-teacher relationships is one of the best qualities of a good teacher. Harness the power of 21st-century technology to do that.
Goal Setting
Ask your students to set small and achievable goals for themselves. Let them assess themselves and edit their goals on the go. This way, they will learn to be flexible and change their direction whenever required. Let them scale down if they are progressing slowly and ask them to strive for more if they are ahead of hitting their target.
Setting goals is a very effective teaching strategy, your students will learn the importance of persistence, and more importantly, they will learn to be resilient. This leads them to believe that they can overcome failures to make their way toward success. They will learn how to break big goals into small portions and go after them.
The Final Word
Being accessible is the mantra. Let them know that they can reach out to you anytime. Only when they are comfortable with you will they share their thoughts with you. Every teacher has a kitty of different teaching methods for helping their students deal with failure. As you understand your students’ mindset, you will devise your unique way of helping your students. To give wings to your teaching career, we at Classplus are here to help you. Classplus helps in the growth of teachers, educators and content creators by providing your own coaching app. If you want to improvise your online teaching business then Classplus has solutions to all your problems.
