Embracing Failures In Science And STEM Class: Start The Year With The Black Box Activity
Have you ever had a science project go terribly wrong? You just wanted to quit. One year, a group of upper elementary girls did a science fair project on plants. They were so excited to work together. A few days before the fair, they reached out to me and said they wouldn't be presenting their project because nothing had grown. They shared some thoughts about why it didn't work. I felt terrible for them, but I told them their project wasn't a failure. It seemed like they learned a lot, and if they tried again, they would do things differently. That's the nature of science. I suggested they come to the fair and share what happened with their project. They should display the challenges they faced and what they learned from them. After all, that is precisely what a science project is about. When this happens in class, it can be devastating because you spent a lot of time setting up the activity for your students. I had a kindergarten class grow radishes, and none of them s...
