Nothing sidelines an inquiry lesson like the need for control, nothing sours an engineering design project as fast as a fear of failure, and nothing curbs innovation and natural curiosity like perfectionism.

Control. Fear of failure. Perfectionism. I think we can all agree that these traits are opposite of the ones important for STEM learning—traits such as risk taking, failing forward, and stepping out of one’s comfort zone. But what if the person struggling with these traits isn’t a student but rather the teacher? [Read more…]