The Art and Science of Failure: Learning to Fail Forward

Education discourages using failure as a teaching tool, measuring mastery of material instead. This practice of grading on the quality of performance makes us failure adverse, demoralized by failure, and focused on a grade, score, or task --- initiating a cycle of shame, disappointment, and embarrassment. If learners do not believe in their ability to succeed, they engage in practices or make excuses that preserve self-worth for themselves and others. However, the training for military and airline pilots requires training that, in some part, leads to possible failure. And in gaming, failure in video games means simply try it again. The real problem, then, is that most failures are ignored. In this session, you'll learn practical strategies for learning to fail, which allows for failing forward --- continual improvement until the next level is reached and exceeded.