C4Ta Post 3

In Ms. Shelly Wright's blog, The Gift of Failure, she discusses how teachers have provided a disservice to our students regarding the ideology of failing and the process of learning. One must face unsuccessful aspects of life to actually gain knowledge. In society, the role of teaching has morphed its philosophy of comprehending data from textbooks to obtaining skills that will ensure advancement in the future. Ms. Wright states that "this process involves a lot of failure." The culture has essentially altered the term "failure" into an almost "celebrity status". Instead of telling our students that one must fail, we note successful individuals (i.e. Thomas Edison, Einstein, Steve Jobs) that overcome obstacles. Those are fabulous examples; however, what about the "average joes" that fail and obtain simple jobs? Do we still consider them to be failures for not achieving outrageous notoriety? Failure is something that individuals are terrified in being identified as. As teachers, we should acknowledge that failing is acceptable, but we must strive towards having students overcome and learn from the mistakes that caused them to fail. 

In Shifting the Classroom, One Step at a Time, Ms. Wright writes about how teachers are oftentimes intimidated in "shifting" the class. New instructors are often unsure where to begin in the process and are hesitant in making changes due to possible classroom management issues. She provides a "guideline": 1. Start with one unit: inquire why something may/may not be working. 2. Talk about learning: communicate with your students. 3. Make tech work for you: integrate various methods of technology to assist in teaching. 4. Expect to hit the wall: learning is an emotional development.