Encouraging Risk-Taking in the Classroom

One of the trending topics among professors is what to do with students who want the professor to simply tell them what will be on the test so they can memorize the minimum and get a passing grade. Consider inviting your students to do more than just replicating what’s in the lecture or in the Power Point presentation, invite them to embrace the risk and even failure. Let them try, err, and learn from the mistakes by reflecting on the process by asking themselves “Why didn’t that work? Why was that wrong? Are there changes I can make so that it does work? Is my original premise flawed?” because this critical reflection is when learning happens (Olson, 2014).

Heidi Olson, Instructional Designer and Course Development Coordinator at University of Alaska Fairbank, suggests the following activities to encourage risk-taking:

• Discussion forums or small group conversations;
• Posted reflections;
• Draft/revision/final;
• Role-playing activities;
• Observe-and-predict scenarios;
• Rewards for giving peer review and encouragement;
• Assignment options (do 4 of 6);
• Final portfolio of assessments throughout semester;
• Alternative assignment mediums (audio, video, web interactive).

Olson, H. (2014). Risk taking: Failure is part of learning. UAF Elearning Instructor Training Online. Retrieved from http://iteachu.uaf.edu/2014/05/27/risk-taking/