Risk. Fail. Rise.

A Teacher’s Guide to Learning from Mistakes

By M. Colleen Cruz, Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, Columbia University

Mistakes are part of learning. Every educator knows this. But what happens before and after a mistake that facilitates that learning is rarely explored practically. In Risk. Fail. Rise. teachers will learn how to address their own teaching mistakes, model with their own mistake-making, and improve their responses to others’ mistakes.

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ISBN 978-0-325-11247-3 / 0-325-11247-9 / SKU E11247
2020 / 160pp / Paperback
Grade Level: Kindergarten-12th

Topics: Classroom Management, Collaboration, Reading, Social Emotional Learning, Teaching Profession, Writing

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Full Description

Mistakes are not the problem. The problem is the shame we attach to mistakes and inability to grow from them.

You have likely heard the adage, ‘Everyone makes mistakes.’ But what you might not have heard is that there are some predictable reasons why we make these mistakes. Knowing why we make mistakes can help us make fewer mistakes and ensure that when we do make mistakes they’ll be more of the more useful variety.

In Risk. Fail. Rise. teachers will learn how to address their own teaching mistakes, model with their own mistake-making, and improve their response to others' mistakes. Colleen shares what research studies say on mistake-making as part of learning and what that means for teaching. She provides research, examples, and tools that help teachers destigmatize mistake-making so that they and their students can do the real work of growth.

The more aware we are of why we make mistakes, what we can do to avoid unnecessary ones, and respond to useful ones, the more our classroom will be a place of risk-taking and growth for all students. Lay the groundwork for a mistake-welcoming school culture and embrace positive risk-taking and productive failure in your classroom. The outcomes for you and your students are worth it.

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Podcast

INTRODUCTION: THESE BRAINS ARE MADE FOR MISTAKING
Unintentional Mistakes We Can Learn From
Why People Make Mistakes
Freedom to Make Mistakes Means Freedom to Grow
Mistake-Making as a Mindful Practice
Choose Your Own Adventure: A Note About Using This Book

ESSAY 1: MISTAKES COST MORE FOR SOME
Not All Mistakes Are Equal
Acknowledging Our Mistakes’ Impacts on Students
The Consequences Our Students and Families Face Vary Widely
Apologies Need to Be Equity Minded
Where We Are in the Power Hierarchy Matters
Misusing Our Power by Shaming Students
Tracing the Path of Our Mistakes with Timelines

ESSAY 2: OTHER PEOPLE’S MISTAKES
Recognizing the Desire to Judge Others
New Narratives for Mistake-Making
Mistakes That Trigger Rage and Shame
Combatting Cancel Culture

ESSAY 3: MARTYRS MAKE MORE MISTAKES
The Teacher Martyr Makes Mistakes, Avoids Risk, and Observes Less
Setting Healthy Boundaries
Self-Care Habits That Give Students Our Best Self
Are You Meeting Your Own Basic Needs?
There’s a Reason We’re All So Tired

ESSAY 4: COMMON COGNITIVE ERROR Fear Makes Us Vulnerable to Mistakes
How Fear Negatively Impacts Decision-Making
Fear as Insight Giver
Understanding Fear at the Cultural Level
Helping Students with Their Fear
Story Editing Fear and Mistakes
Story Editing in the Classroom
Opening Possibilities by Letting Go

ESSAY 5: COMMON COGNITIVE ERROR “Everything Will Be OK”
What “Everything Will Be OK” Sometimes Really Means
Bringing a Sense of Inquiry to What Isn’t OK
Reducing the Chance of Mistakes to Almost Zero

ESSAY 6: THOMASSONS Maintaining Mistakes for the Wrong Reasons
Mistakes Hide False Beliefs
Evaluate by Examining Purpose: Does Form Fit Function?
Be Vigilant: Challenge the Feel-Good Thomassons

ESSAY 7: A MISTAKE-WELCOMING CLASSROOM CULTURE
The Balance of Belief and Doubt
Making Mistakes Part of Our Curriculum
The Value of (Some) Intentional Mistakes
Texts Are Our Co-Teachers
Failure and Reflection
The Space We Hold Is the Space Students Grow Into

MISTAKES LESSONS:

1. Understanding the Word Mistake (Grades K–3)

2. Defining the Word Mistake (Grades 4–12)

3. “But I Didn’t Mean To!” Intent Versus Impact (Grades K–3)

4. Intent Versus Impact (Grades 4–12)

5. Mistakes Box (Grades K–3)

6. Mistakes Résumé (Grades 4–12)

7. Types of Mistakes (Grades 2–12)

8. How Not to Repeat a Mistake (Grades 3–12)

EPILOGUE: IT’S WHAT WE DO NEXT THAT MATTERS