While we can never absolutely fail-proof assignments for our students, there are many steps we can take to ensure that projects are created with success in mind. Many of the tools needed to ensure fail-proof projects and assignments extend far beyond and before the project itself. no fail.jpg

Learning Environment

Does the learning environment of a classroom give student's voice? choice? Does it allow for failure, indeed celebrate it as an avenue to learning? Does it value a student's strengths and interests? Does it help promote the connectedness between disciplines?

Peter Dewitt's article "What if You Only Had 5 Minutes" suggests that a theme prevalent in leading educational research is student autonomy, which begins on the first day students enter our classrooms. For some ideas for starting off the year giving students autonomy, you might consider reading Pernille Ripp's "A Kinder, Slower, More Receptive Approach to the Start of School."

Growth Mind-Set

Having a classroom that values failure encourages students to take risks. If the instructor models risk taking and thought process, students will do the same. This is especially true with complex tasks that kids are afraid or overwhelmed to tackle. Peter Dewitt (2013) says, "The reality is that when we do not prepare students for failure we are doing our students a disservice. They must learn resiliency and how to move forward in the face of failure." Additionally, Fisher, Frey and Hite (2016) suggest that resiliency can be encouraged by helping students see their potential and growth, encouraging them to try new things and experiment, and teach them to resolve conflict in prosocial ways. John Hattie (2009) encourages the following teacher mindsets to ensure successful classroom culture:

My fundamental task is to evaluate the effect of my teaching on students’ learning and achievement.
The success and failure of my students’ learning is about what I do or don’t do. I am a change agent.
I want to talk more about learning than teaching.
Assessment is about my impact.
I teach through dialogue not monologue.
I enjoy the challenge and never retreat to “doing my best”.
It’s my role to develop positive relationships in class and staffrooms.
I inform all about the language of learning.