The Fail-Proof Student

Autor/in	Fiamengo, Janice
Titel	The Fail-Proof Student
Quelle	In: Academic Questions, 26 (2013) 3, S.329-337 (9 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0895-4852
DOI	10.1007/s12129-013-9372-5
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Higher Education; College Students; Risk; Educational Environment; Academic Failure; Stress Variables; Canada + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Collegestudent; Risiko; Lernumgebung; Pädagogische Umwelt; Schulumwelt; Kanada
Abstract	In this article, the author comments on an unsigned newspaper piece titled "Helping Talent Rise to the Top," printed in Canada's "Globe and Mail" about a new measure to enhance student well-being at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. The "Globe" piece lauds Queen's, a top-ranked Canadian undergraduate school, for its willingness to "foster talent, not sink it." The anonymous author claims that it is good for young people to "take risks" and not to fear failure. In other words, risk-taking is best encouraged when risk is minimized, when failing grades can be "erased" to enable students to disavow a bad term, as if it were little more than an unfortunate choice in hairstyle. To claim that there is no shame in honest failure while seeking to remove all possibility of such failure is actually to acknowledge that failing is something we do not expect our young people to overcome; they can and do, thus guaranteeing their ability to cope with life after university, where risk-takers do live with consequences, and where most people attempting worthy things fail more than once. Universities should be places where students are given the information, training, and legitimate support conducive to success, counseling services where needed, and kindness in abundance. Students must receive good and inspiring teaching, adequate scholarships, and a scholastic environment that rewards honesty, intellectual curiosity, academic commitment, high-quality writing, and hard work. The author concludes that only a system that rewards excellence, affirms the consequences of failure, and clearly distinguishes between the two will be a system that brings out the best in students. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10