Letting Kids Fail Leads to Innovation by Jon Dudas

When it comes to learning and thinking differently, kids are natural innovators. They love to build, design and explore new ways of doing things.  This kind of experiential learning requires kids to try, fail and fail again, and to keep trying until they succeed in solving the task at hand.  The result: kids collaborate with one another as they test their ideas, and they develop the confidence and persistence needed to explore the innovation process.  

In the classroom, kids learn key concepts in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). However, if we tell them what they can’t do and make them conform to certain rules, we will discourage the innovation process.  By infusing new and different ways of learning without boundaries, we can enhance STEM education and inspire the innovation process.

For example, a science teacher in New Hampshire hosts an annual “Motion and Forces” lesson for her students in all five of her classes. It starts with applying science and engineering concepts to everyday life, such as how supermarket doors open or how touch sensors work.  After she introduces these key concepts, she’ll create an all-day building and design challenge with LEGO® robotic parts.  In this challenge, there is no one right answer – only a collaborative process.

The first class of students will work on designing and building a robot and then leave notes for the next class to continue solving the challenge. This “try, fail and succeed” process continues until the end of the school day when the robot is worked on by all five classes and completed for the teacher’s final review.  Based on this fun, hands-on learning experience in Motion and Forces, many of these students engage in the school’s FIRST® LEGO® League run by the same teacher.  FIRST® is a not-for-profit that offers four levels of mentor-based, hands-on robotics programs that inspire kids ages 6-18 to get involved in science and technology, and many teachers serve as FIRST team coaches. Much to this FIRST coach’s delight, many of her FIRST students become professional engineers and FIRST team coaches and mentors.
According to an independent study from Brandeis University, students who participate in the FIRST® Robotics Competition are three times as likely as their peers who do not participate in FIRST to study engineering in college. They are also more likely to secure internships, to pursue STEM careers and volunteer to help their communities.

Whether it’s through a FIRST program or a Motion and Forces lesson, we need to let kids explore new ideas that support experimentation and failure in the path to learning and innovation. In one lesson, we can help kids bridge the gap from STEM concepts to real-world applications to one day creating inventions that can help improve lives. After all, isn’t this why we want students to get excited about STEM education and career opportunities? 

We need new thinking, experiential learning and bold ideas to build a path to innovation and economic growth, and it starts with how we teach our kids. Let’s ask kids to try and fail without fear, to imagine the possibilities beyond the parameters within an assignment.  By investing in the innovative learning process with our students today, we are cultivating the problem-solvers of tomorrow. 
As famous innovator Michelangelo said, “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”

Jon W. Dudas is president of FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit organization that inspires an appreciation of science and technology in young people. FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from three out of every five Fortune 500 companies and nearly $14 million in college scholarships, FIRST hosts four robotics programs for students ages 6 – 18 years of age and an annual FIRST Championship. For more information, visit www.usfirst.org.

Photo By Adriana M. Groisman

Photo Caption: Students in FIRST LEGO League, one of four robotics programs in FIRST, learn how to solve problems in a collaborative, fun and supporting environment, allowing them to explore the innovation process without fear of failure.  More than 200,000 kid scientists are exploring solutions to food contamination for this year’s FIRST LEGO League challenge, FOOD FACTOR®.