How to Raise Risk-Takers in the Classroom

What does it mean to be a risk-taker? How do English Language Learners (and all students!) benefit from taking risks? How do I create a classroom environment that encourages risk-taking?

I was painfully shy throughout elementary school and most of high school. In fact, it wasn’t until my final year of high school that I began to participate in class and not until university that I began to feel confident enough in my own knowledge and skills to participate consistently.

Growing up, I avoided taking risks. If I was the least bit unsure about my answer, I wasn’t going to risk raising my hand. Even if I knew the answer, I’d hesitate to raise my hand then kick myself when another student responded, confirming I was right. So why, as a child, was I so afraid of failing - even when the risk of being wrong was low?

Society teaches its children that failure is the opposite of success. Words carry meaning and the word “failure” carries a negative connotation. If success is a great achievement, then failure is the worst thing that could happen to a person and must be avoided.

But, what would happen if I failed to provide the right answer? As a teenager, surrounded by my peers, I was afraid of embarrassment, afraid of being judged and ultimately rejected. At some point in Grade 12, I began to care less about others’ perceptions of me as my levels of confidence and self-esteem increased. When I compare my experience in university as a regular participant in academic discussion to my younger self, I realize that my inability to take risks in high school limited my learning potential. Now, as a high school teacher, I want to create an environment that encourages risk-taking in order to unlock the learning potential of my students as early as possible.

Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code, gave a viral TED Talk in 2016 called “Teach Girls Bravery, Not Perfection”. Saujani argues that our society has raised our girls in particular to value perfection and fear failure. She provides a classroom example in which a female student is learning a code, but can’t seem to get it right. The student calls her teacher and the teacher is faced with a blank screen. The student had deleted all of her coding attempts because “Instead of showing the progress that she made, she’d rather show nothing at all”. In the pursuit of perfection, “most girls are taught to avoid risk and failure”.

Saujani’s example resonated with me. I was not brave in class. I didn’t take risks. I was afraid of getting a bad mark, of failure, and the judgement that comes with it. But, by not taking risks, we limit our learning, and if we carry this mindset with us, it could result in a loss of opportunity in our personal life, and our careers.

So, what does it mean to take risks?

Risk-taking involves moving forward and taking action regardless of the consequences. For the English Language Learners in our class, simply speaking may be considered a high-risk activity. But, according to Irene Marin Cervantes in “The Role of Risk-Taking Behavior in the Development of Speaking Skills in ESL Classrooms” (2013), high-risk takers show improvement in a number of areas in comparison to low-risk takers. Cervantes’ research indicates that ELLs who take risks often by speaking frequently in class experience less fossilization of language, receive more linguistic input from those speaking to them, and have a higher level of verbal fluency (430).

Cervantes identifies fear as an affective barrier to learning. She explains that fear may come in many forms including “social fears such as peer reaction, derision, humiliations… the fear of obtaining a bad grade, failing an exam, being punished or embarrassed” (431). Fear manifests itself in many different forms within the classroom alone and this acts as a barrier to risk-taking.

So, knowing this, how can we, as teachers, remove this barrier and create an environment conducive to risk-taking? Let’s take a look at a few strategies:

Establish classroom expectations

Creating a learning environment that encourages risk-taking in the classroom begins on the very first day with clear classroom expectations. Let your students know that your classroom is a space where they can make mistakes and take risks, then learn from them. Establish expectations for behaviour and discuss the importance of showing one another support and respect, even in the face of differing opinions or wrong answers. Remind students that the classroom is a judgement-free zone where all questions, answers and opinions are encouraged.

Model risk-taking behaviour

Take a risk. Try something new in the classroom. Maybe you've been wanting to pilot a new lesson, try a new activity, change up the text, incorporate new technologies into your teaching method. Whatever it may be, demonstrate the behaviour you’re asking from your students - and be vocal about it! Start the class by saying something like… "We're going to try a new activity today. I've never done this before and I’m not sure how it will go, but I put a lot of thought into it so let’s try it out. If it doesn't work out, perhaps we can brainstorm the reasons why and you can help me figure out how to improve it!" As the teacher, you are showing them that no one is perfect, learning is a constant process, and failure is not defeat.

Recast the concept of failure

...as part of the learning process. Make it "unavoidable". Changing the way we view failure from something to avoid to something that's unavoidable encourages students to move forward and take risks. Failure is not an ending, but an opportunity for improvement that is essential to the learning process. Remind students that none of us come into the classroom with all of the answers and sometimes we need to fail in order to learn and grow.

Praise goes a long way

For many students, it takes a lot of courage to speak up in class, so when they do, take it as an opportunity to give positive encouragement and praise. Receiving positive feedback will encourage them to take that risk again. But, it's important to be mindful about the kind of praise we give - to praise the "process", not the "person". For more information about how to phrase praise (say that 10x fast!) in order to promote resilience and motivation, check out this article from the Mindset Scholars Network.

Let the students drive

As scary as it may sound - lose control (…well, at least some of it!). Give your students the freedom to make their own choices and the opportunity to take risks. Let your students decide how to demonstrate their learning and understanding of the objectives, whether that's through project-based learning, or providing more choice on a day-to-day basis.

Mistakes ≠ bad marks

Isn't it ironic that the fear of a low mark can actually result in a low mark? Unfortunately, it's true and it’s often referred to as fear of failure. The possibility of failure and uncertainty about the future can have a paralyzing effect, not only on students, but on many individuals. This paralysis often takes the form of procrastination. Delaying the negative feelings that come with failure, such as shame, embarrassment and disappointment, means delaying the steps an individual needs to take in order to complete a task and reach their goal (Anoita et. al., 2020). As teachers working within the current education system, what can we do to mitigate the negative impacts of this fear? Low-stakes assessments give students the space to make mistakes and learn from them, without getting hurt by them. Providing students with low-stakes, formative assessments removes the pressure to succeed. It gives students the chance to make meaningful improvements based on feedback and reframes mistakes as an opportunity to improve, not a reason to quit.