Failure is Information

"Failure is information." I'm going to remember that little gem the next time I have a child complain about getting the wrong answer in my classroom.

The quote comes from Carol Deiner, who as a graduate student in psychology worked with Carol Dweck, author of the book, Mindset, the New Psychology of Success. (2006) What Deiner and Dweck are saying is that we can view failure with a good or bad attitude. The bad attitude says something like, "I'm not smart enough to do this." The good says, "This didn’t work, I’m a problem solver, and I’ll try something else.’” Think Thomas Edison and his endless lightbulb experiments. (Okay they weren't endless, but don't be a nitwit - you know what I mean!) Failure is information.

http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2007/marapr/features/dweck.html

According to Deiner and Dweck, our level of success depends on which of these two attitudes we take. If we view ourselves as not smart enough, not capable enough, or just inherently limited in some way, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. But if we view failure as information to use in solving a problem, our chances of ultimate success are so much the greater.

Dweck's book, Mindset, is listed as one of the sources consulted by the drafters of the District of Columbia Public School's new IMPACT teacher evaluation system. I am intrigued by Carol Dweck's research and intend to read her book, Mindset. I'll also be interested to see just how her research fits into the IMPACT system.