3rd June 2016 1:00
By Blue Tutors
There has been a considerable fuss recently about the stress caused to children by over-testing in England. Schools and parents have been petitioning the government to stop needless testing, and allow children to develop without constant fear of failure. I am in absolute agreement with those who have raised concerns about the government’s culture of testing, and I believe that if we carry on the way we are we will teach children nothing except how to pass particular tests. I advocate an education that allows children to be critical, and gives them space to explore ideas without fear of failure. However, given that failure is a natural part of life, I also think it is important that we teach students how to do it well.
Students are inundated with messages along the lines of ‘failure is not an option’, and I’m sure they take this to heart, especially given that their GCSE and A level results have a significant impact determining what options are open to them after school. However, what we should be saying to them is ‘you will fail at some point, what matters is whether you fail WELL or not’. And yes, there is a way to fail well. It’s often said that we learn more from failure than from success, and it is a crucial part of ensuring success in the future. Failure is an opportunity to analyse mistakes and learn from them, ensuring that we improve for next time. We do not often stop to analyse why we succeed, but looking at why we fail is an invaluable opportunity.
However, I am not suggesting that the regular testing imposed by the government is a positive thing if it teaches students about learning from failure. These tests are arbitrary, and the only thing they will teach students is that they will be assessed in ways that are unfair. These tests examine whether teachers have taught to the test, and students have little to learn from performing well or poorly in these exams. A poor result is likely, as parents fear, to result in damaging confidence without learning from mistakes. On the other hand, if parents use these tests as an opportunity to teach their children that their confidence should not be shaped by pernicious tests and measures, then that is a valuable lesson in itself.