Failure... The Great Motivator

It surprises me how many times I learn the same thing I've learned before. [Some might question whether I've learned it in the first place if I suddenly learn it again; that's a different discussion.] The point is that the different circumstances breed the same result and something that I've known to be true in one situation becomes obviously true in a new situation. In this case, I hold up exhibit A: failure.

If you ask me why I play any game, I'll say to win. There are a lot of other positive consequences for playing, such as enjoyment, camaraderie, proficiency, and progress, but ultimately, I play to win. So here's the question: does winning lead to playing more?

I suppose in some situations winning leads to more playing. When you first start a game, if you don't win fairly early on, you'll become bored and quit [think: casinos]. If you play often but don't win for a long time, you may grow frustrated and quit [Candy Crush- it used to be my favorite game, but I've been stuck so long I don't' want to go back. Sorry, CC, I think I have to break up with you... and it's definitely you, not me]. But come to think of it, is winning causing you to play more or is it the possibility of winning that is at work here? Once you don't feel the potential to win, you're done.

That's a keeper for educational connections: Once you don't feel the potential to win, you're done. As in, when the game becomes so stacked against you that you can't see any outcome in which you "win," you no longer want to play. How many students have become so defeated by the game of education that they just don't want to play anymore? These are the kids that drop out or cheat or coast in remedial classes that they are too skilled to be in. In essence, they've rewritten the rules of the game so that they can- in their own way- get a win.

So once kids get to high school and this lose-lose mentality is ingrained, how do teachers reengage students in the education game? I know for me, if I didn't see a way to win, I'd never play. And after losing for a long time, one win here or there isn't going to convince me that the game is worth my time, especially if the big payout is years down the road. I've got lots of ways to win- games I create, games with family, friends, coworkers, strangers and nemeses online- and I'm not talking board games here. I'm talking life games. I'm talking high-stakes, make-or-break, life-changers.

So if losing is such a deterrent to playing, how can failure motivate anyone? The answer to that is simple- because failing and losing aren't the same thing. More on this tomorrow!