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David Denton

Council for Exceptional Children, Youth Enrichment Services, National Postal Mail Handlers Union, Long Island Boardgamers Organi

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Teachers: How would you/ would you speak about your past mistakes and failures to your students?

I feel as though kids need to know it is OK to talk about and learn from mistakes. However, the pressure put on both students and teachers NOT to make mistakes leads to test and performance anxiety. How do you deal with mistakes in your classroom?

I think of the movie Meet the Robinsons when I think of this topic and have used it in the past.

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    Stuart Woods 10+

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    Apr 10 2012: Great question, I positively promote the circumstances by which my students can succeed and FAIL in equal measure. Failure is essential for growth.I believe we all (not just children) can only feel free to make mistakes when we feel SAFE in an environment or situation. Essentially when we all feel safe to stretch our ability and performance potential BEYOND what we can currently do, we are taking risk and this can lead to anxiety is not properly managed, however , when it is managed well it leads to incredible magic moments in learning and achievement. For teachers to create the right conditions for students to feel this safety is one of the MOST important things we must do. The most fulfillment I see students achieve is when they push outside their comfort zone and see what is possible for themselves. If this contains some level of failure, it's my job to be there for them, reassure and build up their confidence to go for it again, and again....

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