No Risk, Big Reward: The Risk Free Learning Environment

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The superpower of being able to read minds shows up in countless books, movies, and television shows. Where this superpower fails to show up is in real life. How wonderful it would be as a teacher to be able to read our students’ minds. 

We would know what devious act they are thinking of doing, before they do it. Teachers could more easily catch their students in lies. And most importantly we would know what they were thinking to get their answer to the questions given to them. 

In order to best help our students, they must either show their work, or explain verbally or in writing how they arrived at their answers. What is oh so very frustrating to every teacher that has ever taught, are students who do not show work, or their explanation is, “I just guessed,” or, “It just looked right.” 

Even worse, the students who refuse to even try to answer, because their go-to response is, “I don’t know how to do this.” In either case, we are unable to effectively do our job if we cannot effectively determine where the disconnect is happening for the students. 

Why are our students afraid to try?

1. Fear of Failure:
   One of the most common reasons students avoid attempting questions they are unsure about, is the fear of failure. There is a great fear of looking “dumb” to their peers and even to their teacher. From this grows the mindset that if I can avoid answering, I am not almost 100% sure I can never be called or labeled, “dumb.”
   
2. Lack of Confidence:
   Confidence plays a critical role in academic success. A student who lacks confidence does not believe they have the skill set to get the hard questions correct. Often the lack of confidence can develop from past experiences of failing where there was some sort of negative feedback. Possibly teasing, name calling, or being put down by an adult figure.
   

These two factors alone should be enough for most educators to consider implementing a risk-free learning environment.

How I Create My Risk-Free Learning Environment

1) Give Grades on Effort

I tell my students the only time a wrong answer will count against them is on a quiz or a test. All other problems, bell work, classwork, etc. are graded on effort and fully engaging in the learning process.

Students earn full credit for trying, showing work and/or explaining in words, making corrections to their paper, and a 1-2 sentence reflection. Half credit is if they only try the problem, but do not take the time to make corrections and reflect.

Each student is responsible for their own reflection, even if we go over the problem as a class or in small groups. As far as the reflection, they must acknowledge the error they made, and state what they should do instead the next time they see something similar. Sometimes the reflection is done verbally with me if it is an assignment where I am providing 1 on 1, real-time feedback.

Admittedly, it does take a few days for students to get used to the risk-free environment concept that mistakes are okay, as long as you learn from them. Once they catch on that I only dock points if they did not try or if they do not correct and reflect, students jump on the, “that’s easy” bandwagon.

2) Give Credit for Participating in Games & Activities

One of my favorite things to do in a risk-free learning environment is to make learning fun. Matter of fact I enjoy tricking my students into learning. As long as my students are on task, on topic, and engaging in the growth mindset of perseverance, they get an, “A for the Day.”

Keeping a positive mindset, not shutting down, and remaining persistent while making multiple sets of corrections is definitely worth a grade in my opinion. Afterall, it is when students are having fun, that we get the most effort, and the most informal data. 

For more tips on how to create highly engaging lessons, or tips on effortlessly using small group games in your classroom. Checkout my featured posts.

3) Quality over Quantity in a Risk-Free Learning Environment

Majority of my years have been spent teaching the lowest level math students we have on our campus. I learned early on that getting students who struggle to successfully complete 2-3 strategic problems, is worth way more than trying to force them to complete 10 questions. 

Pro tip: Leave the higher volume for your honors and more advanced students. Feel free to add on more questions for your lower performing students after they master essential ones.

By giving less questions, I can ensure that those problems are more enriching. That they hit misconceptions from the beginning, allowing students more practice with them. Also scaffolding the questions so they build in difficulty will help to increase their confidence.  

4) Everything is Open-Notes Except Tests

Yes, you heard me right. Everything is open notes except for tests.  When you allow students to use their notes as they practice, it helps them to feel more confident. If your students know you allow them to use their notes on mostly everything, this incentivizes them to take more organized and more complete notes on lecture days.

Also, when it comes to quizzes. If students are failing a quiz when they have the use of notes, that lets you know how bad off they really are when it comes to the content. By allowing students to use their notes, you are forcing them to engage with the content (via their notes) again, instead of them simply writing any old thing down.

Pro tip: Parents tend to be on your side more when they find out their failing child is able to use notes so much in your class. They start shifting more of the responsibility onto their child, and off of you.

5) First Quiz is the “Medicine,”: Second Quiz is the Grade

What I mean is I make sure to quiz my students twice on the same content. The first time I give them a quiz/formative (2-3 questions max), I use the data to determine what “medicine” each student needs.

Meaning, I figure out what interventions they need in order to be more successful. I usually will do a medicine day where it is small group or individual activities tailored to their area(s) of weakness. After the “medicine” day, I requiz and that grade goes into the gradebook.

What students like about this approach is it takes the anxiety out of being wrong. They know the quiz is only being given to help them. Since deep down most of our kiddos want to be successful, they “throw-up” on the paper, giving whatever they think is the best way to answer the question. Thus allowing the teacher to respond back with the right medicine and the right dosage.

Conclusion For Creating a Risk-Free Learning Environment

The moral of this entire story is to reward your students for their willingness to engage in the learning process. Reward them for being risk takers and giving whatever you put in front of them a try. Reward them for being persistent, and making corrections until they get the correct process, for the correct answer. 

A risk-free learning environment allows students to just say f*** it, I’m going to give it my best shot. Good, bad, ugly, right, or wrong. When they are in this mindset, it allows us as educators to collect the necessary data to truly individualize their education.

I get the most out of my students when they know my ultimate goal is to help them at whatever level they currently prove to be. There is less shame because every kid gets some type of “medicine” a.k.a. Intervention.

Now granted higher performing students get more challenging medicine. But students do not feel the need to compare. Simply because, they know each person is getting what they need…and there is absolutely no shame in that.

If you are looking for risk-free secondary math activities. Check out the Virtually I’mPossible Teachers Pay Pay Teachers store.