Teaching Failure as an Acceptable Outcome in STEM Education

Teaching Failure as an Acceptable Outcome in STEM Education

Failure is a fundamental aspect of STEM learning, particularly in engineering-based projects. When students engage in designing, building, and testing prototypes, they inevitably encounter setbacks. However, how educators frame these experiences can determine whether students become resilient problem-solvers or discouraged learners. A shift from viewing failure as a negative outcome to seeing it as a learning opportunity is essential in preparing students for real-world STEM challenges.

The Role of Failure in STEM Education

Educational research supports the notion that productive failure leads to deeper learning. Kapur (2008) introduced the concept of "productive failure," arguing that when students struggle through problem-solving before receiving direct instruction, they develop stronger conceptual understanding. Similarly, the engineering design process, which encourages iterative testing and redesign, mirrors this approach. The challenge for educators is creating a classroom culture where failure is normalized and leveraged for learning.

To support teachers in fostering this mindset, this post provides three concrete examples of projects that teach students to embrace failure as part of the learning process. These examples are tailored for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms, with links to guides for implementing them.

Example 1: Elementary School - Tallest Tower Challenge

For young learners, simple engineering challenges provide an excellent opportunity to understand that failure is part of the learning process. The Tallest Tower Challenge engages students in designing and iterating on structures to make them as tall and stable as possible.

How it works:
- Students receive a limited set of materials such as index cards, tape, and straws.
- They brainstorm and sketch their initial tower designs.
- They build their towers and measure their height.
- If their tower collapses, they analyze why and modify their design for stability.

This project reinforces concepts like balance, weight distribution, and structural integrity while encouraging students to refine their designs through trial and error. A detailed guide can be found at TeachEngineering: https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_tallesttower_activ….

Example 2: Middle School - Egg Drop Engineering Challenge

Middle school students are at a critical point in developing resilience in learning. The Egg Drop Challenge is an engaging way to teach them that iterative failure leads to better designs.

How it works:
- Students design protective structures to prevent an egg from breaking when dropped from a height.
- They use materials such as straws, cotton, rubber bands, and plastic bags.
- Initial designs are tested, and students reflect on why certain structures failed.
- They modify their designs and retest.

This project mirrors real-world engineering challenges, where prototypes rarely succeed on the first attempt. A step-by-step guide is available at TeachEngineering: https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_eggdrop_activity1.

Example 3: High School - Coding a Maze-Solving Robot

At the high school level, failure becomes more complex as students work with programming and automation. The Maze-Solving Robot Challenge helps students understand that debugging and redesigning code is a crucial part of STEM problem-solving.

How it works:
- Students program a small robot (such as an Arduino-based robot or a LEGO Mindstorms robot) to navigate a maze.
- Their first attempts will likely fail due to incorrect logic, sensor misalignment, or mechanical errors.
- They analyze failure points, adjust their code, and test again.

Through multiple iterations, students learn to debug and refine their designs—a skill essential in engineering. A detailed guide can be found at Instructables: https://www.instructables.com/Maze-Solving-Robot/.

Creating a Classroom Culture That Embraces Failure

To support students in accepting failure as part of learning, educators can:
1. Model Growth Mindset Language – Use phrases like "What did we learn from this?" rather than "That didn't work."
2. Celebrate Iteration and Effort – Highlight and praise redesign attempts, not just final successes.
3. Document the Process – Have students maintain engineering notebooks where they record failures and what they learned from each iteration.

By normalizing failure in STEM projects, educators prepare students for careers where problem-solving, resilience, and iterative design are essential. The next blog post will explore how to assess students in project-based learning environments where failure is expected and encouraged.

References:
- Kapur, M. (2008). Productive failure. Cognitive Science, 32(5), 733-762.
- Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
- National Research Council. (2012). Education for life and work: Developing transferable knowledge and skills in the 21st century. National Academies Press.