◄Previous: 6 Learning through setbacks, failure and metacognition

# 6.1 Failure

> Failure can only be valued as a mechanism for learning if it is valued by both the teacher and the students.

> It is the quality of failure that matters most. Quite simply, students must (not should, but must) fail in order to learn. As teachers, it is our job to help them to do so.

(Eyler, 2018, p. 215)

Failure is not the tragedy that we are often led to believe it is, especially during our childhood. Failure is an opportunity for exploration and discovery; it is a human learning tool and a stepping stone to success. When someone has experienced a task or situation not working, and they’ve considered it and come up with a solution, they will remember that experience far more clearly than if they’d just been told what to do up front. Children need to learn to deal with failure early and often, as dealing with failure builds tenacity and creativity. Dyslexic students are typically more used to failure, more accustomed to getting back up and moving on, testing out new methods and devising their own strategies. Early difficult experiences in childhood can build resilience, resourcefulness, perseverance, and grit – characteristics that will help individuals to deal with later setbacks in adulthood.

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