Presenting at the 35th Annual Lilly Conference on College Teaching

The Rewarding Risk project was completed in May 2015, but the findings from the project have informed the development of learning experiences that strive to encourage students to take risks. This November I will be sharing some of the work that the project has inspired. On November 22, 2015, I’ll present Learning to Fail: How to Make Failing Part of Learning as a Plenary Speaker for the 35th Annual Lilly Conference on College Teaching. I’ll talk a bit about the Rewarding Risk Project, but will be more focused on how the aspects of iteration, failure, and risk-taking from design education can apply to learning in broader contexts. I’m honored to be part of the Lilly Conference and look forward to engaging with attendees and learning new insights for facilitating learning.

Learning to Fail: How to Make Failing Part of Learning

Failing can be a great teacher, but few sign up for its classes. Our institutions are filled with learners who feel pressured to get high grades, so asking them to fail (and smile while doing it) is a hard sell. So how can we get learners to explore new ideas and extended content, then embrace the failure that often results? In this session, you’ll learn how an iterative process of problem definition, experimentation, failing, and reflection can produce innovative results regardless of subject matter. We’ll explore how to create learning environments where risk-taking is celebrated and where learners end the semester with the knowledge that transcends the grading scale.