Nowadays is really important to teach students how to take risks regarding with thier own learning process. Many students tend to “Play it safe” because they’re afraid to try new things for lack of fear or failure. For some students, taking a risk can mean different things, for one it can simply mean raising their hand to answer a question, while for another it can mean going above and beyond the normal expectations.
Here are some of the benefits of risk-taking:
Learning from Taking a Risk
Risk-taking has a cost, and it’s important that students be realistic about that. It’s also important for students to know that it’s an opportunity for them to learn and grow from. There will be times when taking a risk is going to be successful while other times students can fail, so they need to be OK with failure.
Taking Risks Builds Self-Confidence
The great thing about trying new things is the confidence that it gives you. Once you learn to break away from your “Typical” way of thinking, you’ll become accustomed to a new confidence. Risk-taking can help build your self-esteem because it empowers you. The more that you take risks and are successful, the more powerful you’ll feel. Students can learn this by participating in easy risks that are successful. If we let our students build their self-confidence, then the classroom environment is going to be excellent for their learning process.
Taking Risks Will Help Overcome Fears
Many times, students don’t take a risk for fear of failure, but once they learn to take a risk, it helps them overcome their fears. As teachers we need to challenge our students in order they can make the "jump" and overcome some of their fears. Then we can see that some students are going to be able to participate more and of course they will enjoy the class, while the class is going to be meaningful for them.
Taking Risks is Empowering
There’s something about taking a risk that empowers a student. It may be because risk-taking is something that is up to the student, so when they decide for themselves to take a risk, it feels good. We need to help our students reach their goals by taking a risk, in order they feel good with the class but most important, that they feel good with themselves.
Teach students to risk without regret and encourage them to move beyond their typical mindset. Support their risk-taking actions and reward them when you see them not “Playing it safe.” If you truly want your students to take risks and not be afraid to fail, then you must create this type of classroom atmosphere, and make sure students understand this is part of the learning process.
Risk taking is something that teenagers and adults fear the most. Whenever you want them to participate, they are afraid of failing in front of others and, as a result, they would feel disappointed and embarrassed. As we never learned how to cope with this kind of situations, it is difficult to overcome it. Then, we have to develop this skill with our students, beginning with us: sometimes we refuse to do an activity because it is kind of embarrassing and we feel better in our comfort zone, doing what we already know, following our lesson plans of the previous years, always doing the same. That's why I think we also have to develop this skill in our classrooms and sharing it with our students, cause teachers are models after all. Thanks for sharing, Iven!
ResponderBorrarRisk taking is a struggle in a classroom, the older students get the less they want to take risks the fact of being judged or laughed at is scary for them. What I do in my classroom is to be silly all the time and doing things like dancing or singing They look at me like "Teacher you´re crazy" I tell them that I´m not afraid of being judge because that´s the way I am and I´m not going to change because of what people think of me.
ResponderBorrarLife is about risk taking and if we live scared of what people think or say about us we will always be stuck in a comfort zone. Teachers must provide students confidence in theirselves and provide many activities for students to conquer their fear of taking risks. Great topic, I got excited.
Greetings Iven!!
Taking risks is complicated, not everybody dares to do it because of the fear to fail and we usually want to be in our comfort zone. By the way, when I started working with kids I noticed that they said and did what they felt, they didn’t think it they just did it. And this is amazing, the way they get that self-confidence makes me think that we can learn from them.
ResponderBorrarThank you =)
It's amazing how a child in preschool gives us so much learning in terms of taking risks. I'm telling you this because I work with them and I noticed that when they are working in class, they participate without fear of making mistakes or comments that other classmates can make. They don't worry about what the teacher is going to ask them to do, they just enjoy the time.
ResponderBorrarOf course there are those who find this more difficult, but here is when the teacher must motivate and achieve changes in the student, no matter what level it is.
Life is made to take risks, with them come the real learning!!
Amazing Topic!!! Thank You. =D
The good thing about working with children, is that most of them LOVE participating, they are not afraid wether the answer is wrong, etc. As Almita said, we can learn a lot from kids!
ResponderBorrar