For many of us, we understand we become who we are by the
adversity we have faced, the risks we have taken, and the failures we have
overcome. Often, this perspective is forgotten in the college classroom.
Instead, the word failure has a negative connotation. Failure is an
uncomfortable moment where fear, shame, anger, and doubt collide. Writing
allows individuals to tap into those unpleasant emotions, but often this vital
step is missed in writing courses. Allison Carr, in her work, "In Support
of Failure" studies the rhetorical discourse of failure in the American
educational system. The research she found all referenced failure as
assessment-outcome (Carr 4). Composition scholar, such as David Bartholomae and
Mina Shaughnessy, have helped shift the view of failure from inimical outcomes
to emblematic of the challenges students face in first- composition classes.
Educators began to embrace the idea of failure. However, I believe it should be
taken one step further: students need to practice failure. Wading through the
uncertainty requires patience and perseverance, but if placed in a cooperative
learning environment that practices vulnerability, empathic listening, and
reflection, students start to shift their perspective of failure and begin to
see it as the catalyst to success.
Practicing Failure and Vulnerability
Many students feel failure isolates them, so after I have
built rapport and trust, I place the students in groups of four. As we begin
the drafting process, I have the students read Ann Lamott, and we toss the term
around during the drafting process to remind group members that perfection
isn't existent in drafts and now is the time to take risks in their writing.
They will unintentionally play with the gray areas of plagiarism, they will
question the significance of punctuation marks and fall in and out of love with
comma splices, and they will battle with writer's block. They write their
drafts in class, on a Google Doc document, available for their peers to see as
they struggle to form their thoughts on paper. The shared pressure and the
unpleasantness of this activity bonds the groups. The discomfort and
vulnerability of these weekly exercises build empathy and humility. As the
feeling evaporates, students' perspective of failure shifts, and they practice
failure with less resistance.
Reflecting on Failure
& Acknowledging Uncertainty
I require my students to
post "Error Logs" onto Blackboard weekly. These "Error
Logs" require students to reflect on their previous writing assignments,
recognize recurring errors, and set new writing goals. They use
their error logs to reflect on why they think they write the way they do.
They are allowed to explore what works, what doesn't work, and why. The error
logs are a weekly reminder that the "failures" they have noted have
helped them gain an understanding of their strength and their weaknesses. The
error logs show the students that embracing limitations and failure drives
creativity.
Conclusion
If this classroom
structure seems a bit chaotic and ambiguous, I can confirm that it is. Some
lessons work. Some lessons don't. But, even when they don't, the students are
able to see how failure is interwoven into the process of success. It's a
humbling experience, and one we face as a class together. The rules and
structure of my classes are flexible because the writing process isn't linear
and neither is the world outside of it. Once they have crossed the threshold of
failure, though, the feeling of discomfort shifts to curiosity, the
vulnerability they practiced produces a sense of humility and empath, and the
uncertainty that once paralyzed them turns into an understanding of their
strengths. After spending the semester exploring all of these areas of failure
students leave my class with confidence in their writing skills and a new
perspective on learning and of themselves and the learning process.
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