Rethinking Failure

Overview

Failure can be a painful experience, particularly for teens, who are forming their sense of selves, exploring their own budding potential and developing critical interpersonal relationships. When people experience failure, they often report feelings of embarrassment, shame and depression, but teens can perceive failure as a judgment – final, condemning and irreversible. But failure, usually viewed as the opposite of success, is actually an essential step along the pathway to accomplishing goals and achieving personal and professional growth. Through quotes, anecdotes and dialogue this Digital Lesson Bundle (DLB) challenges students to rethink their attitudes toward and assumptions about failure. Students will examine the meaning of failure, explore why failure is an important part of the learning process, and discover how to develop a growth mindset to turn failure into a catalyst for future success.