Nick Foles

Failure vs Encouraging risk-taking

Rewards and Punishment

Achievement and Learning

Success and Failure

I've written about all of these topics in the three years I've been writing this blog. I've written about how our grading system inhibits risk-taking. I've mentioned Alfie Kohn's research that we "punish" as we reward. I've talked about how we confuse learning with academic achievement.  

After the Super Bowl, a reporter asked Foles what he learned from his experiences over the past four years.

Far from offering the usual cliches and platitudes, he spoke honestly and thoughtfully. It made me pause and think about how I teach kids and teach my own kids.

He started by saying, "I think the big thing is don't be afraid to fail." If you've not seen it, watch.

The Why We Do The Things We Do Part 2- Towards Mastery

“Mastery is effective transfer of learning in authentic and worthy performance. Students have mastered a subject when they are fluent, even creative, in using their knowledge, skills, and understanding in key performance challenges and contexts at the heart of that subject, as measured against valid and high standards.” Grant Wiggins Educational Leadership v. 71

Glumly I wrote a post two weeks ago wondering if things will ever change. One of the most exciting movements out there on the education horizon is the Mastery Transcript consortium.

It has money and brains behind it. If a large enough group of "prestigious" schools can pull this off, they'll drag many schools with them.

Want hope? Check out this school in San Antonio.
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/12/the-pursuit-of-deeper-learning/383308/

Want more hope? Check out this school in Philadelphia. I've been privileged to visit it.
http://www.workshopschool.org/

Some schools are emphasizing mastery over grades AND their students are performing better and learning more according to traditional measures such as standardized tests and college acceptance rates.