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 Failure is success if we learn from it.—Malcolm Forbes
Failure, when managed appropriately by faculty,
can be a catalyst for the growth, development, and improved performance
of the adult learner. In Letting
Students Fail so They Can Succeed, author Jim Hadley
defines the term "tough love," researches some issues in practicing
tough love in the classroom, and makes several suggestions to assist
faculty as they encourage their students to take risks and learn
important lessons from failure. Failure within the classroom environment
can be turned into an opportunity for growth and performance
improvement, if faculty are willing to set high expectations and foster
learning environments that are growth-oriented and nonjudgmental.
We thank Jim Hadley from Hamilton College for these practical tips
on practicing tough love in the college classroom.
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 Have personal and
emotional toughness
Allowing students to feel the full cognitive
and affective experience of failure is necessary if they are to
grow and develop skills to successfully handle similar tasks in
the future. |
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 Allow
students to experience frustration
Although it is often uncomfortable for
faculty to remain silent during a failed student performance,
doing so provides the student with the full affective and social
experience. |
 Avoid enabling
behavior
Faculty must recognize the difference between coaching behaviors
that allow for growth and enabling behaviors that produce
dependency. |
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 Use
peer interaction
If classmates are willing to discuss their
own sub-standard performances with each other, they may become
more resilient and will engage in similar tasks more readily.
Faculty can help facilitate this process by planning challenging
cooperative activities during which group interaction can help
mitigate the consequences of failure. If tough love is shared
proportionally in a group activity, individuals will perform to
a higher standard due to the synergistic effect of the group. |
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 Do
not allow students to quit
If faculty express a strong belief in a
student’s ability to succeed, if they encourage students to take
risks, experience failure, and develop successful learning
strategies, it will enhance students’ commitment to try again.
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 Share
personal experience of failure
Faculty can share and reflect on their own
academic failures and poor performance with their students. This
model for growth encourages students to persevere. |
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 Let
students experience failure in small steps
Setting high expectations and allowing
students to fail in incremental steps will actually build trust
and commitment between the faculty member and his or her
students. Small failures are more easily coached and will allow
for immediate feedback on specific areas of performance.
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 Do
not question your performance as an instructor when students
fail
Faculty must recognize that it is not
necessarily a reflection on their ability to teach effectively
when they allow students to fail in their first attempt at a new
academic performance. If expectations are set at the appropriate
level for growth, the majority of students will experience
short-term failure throughout the learning process. |
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 Provide feedback
Continuous and immediate feedback can also
assist faculty in instituting a tough-love strategy for student
performance. Peer review can also be used to generate
encouragement and commitment to difficult tasks. Peer feedback
is often less threatening than faculty feedback; it motivates
students to take necessary risks and to try new methods. |
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