Daring classrooms

 This summer, I had my students watch “Daring Classrooms” by Brené Brown (video here). In this talk, Brené explains that to have a great classroom, students must be vulnerable and not be shamed. For students to learn in your classroom, they must feel free to take risks and learn from their mistakes. 

When students laugh or make jokes about a student’s answer, it can derail this process. The students do not realize the harm they are doing when they make fun of a classmate. But the humor they often use among friends can bring shame into the classroom. As teachers, we can’t allow that behavior. 

When a teacher asks a question, there is usually a scattering of hands raised to answer it. Most of the time, students raise their hands when they know the answer. What we don’t see enough of are students who raise their hands when they don’t know the answer. This way, the teacher will walk through the process or have another student help to get to the correct answer. 

Too often, to prevent embarrassment, students walk out of a classroom without understanding the information the teacher has presented. They fear asking a question because of how they might be perceived by both the teacher and their fellow students. 

Nobody makes more mistakes in my classroom than I do. Each semester, I track my blunders (presently approaching 50) so students can understand that if the “expert” is making these mistakes, it is okay for them to make mistakes, too. 

Learning from mistakes is a difficult yet important skill. If you can learn from your mistakes, you will grow at a fast rate. 

The challenge for all of us is to take off our protective armor and allow ourselves to be vulnerable. We will all be better off if we do.