In elementary school, the questions and answers are frequently simple: What is the capital of Washington? Olympia! What kind of triangle is this? Isosceles! What is the sum of 1/3 + 1/5? 8/15! In cases like these, the teacher has provided the answers or the calculation method. Your job is to repeat back what you… Continue reading Learning to Speak in Your Own Voice
Category: Uncategorized
The Rewards of Risk
‘I will take the Ring,’ he said, ‘though I do not know the way.’ — J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, “The Council of Elrond” Frodo setting off on a nearly hopeless trip to Mordor or the knight taking up the quest for the Holy Grail are, intentionally or not, setting out… Continue reading The Rewards of Risk
The Joy of Failure
The best games make failure fun. In much of life, failure can be costly, even deadly. Games get to define what failure looks like. In games, the blows of failure are softened, so that the player is safe (more or less), but they are not eliminated. Games — and education — grant us a crucial opportunity… Continue reading The Joy of Failure