Realistically, it is not possible to perfectly master all the CWC skills, all the time. Acquiring CWC skills necessitates unlearning certain previous understandings, engaging with surrounding communities and continuous practicing. It is, therefore, of crucial importance that students know that making mistakes is part and parcel of any learning process. Learning from setbacks is key to improvement and life is rife with trial and error. Good education should provide for spaces in which students can practice without fear of failure; they should be encouraged, instead, to experiment. Similarly, a sound educational environment should offer opportunities to have fun while learning. Although the nature of the CWC skills seems very serious, they are ultimately designed to stimulate students’ intrinsic motivation and interests. This cannot be achieved without experiences of fun, satisfaction, joy, and excitement – all of which lead to deeper engagement. As such, fun and failure are, just as patience, essential components of Critical World Citizenship –and indeed of any learning trajectory.
Tips & tricks
With these tips & tricks, you can introduce students to the skill in an accessible way.
Alternative Grading
To take the pressure off students’ learning experience, and to give them space for enjoyment in the classroom, alternative forms to grading can be beneficial. Though educational formats often require a form of grading, there can be merit in exploring more creative alternatives. Rather than only grading an assignment or an exam, it can give students more motivation and encourage new ways of learning to focus on different outputs. Examples of this can be rewarding students who are highly engaged in class, who progress much during a course (programmatic evaluation), or who put in much effort (regardless of the outcomes). By doing this, it is acknowledged that all students come from a different background and study in different situations. It relieves them of the pressure to perform constantly, which provides the opportunity for more exploration and joyful learning.
Extracurricular Activities
To encourage engaged learning among students, extracurricular activities during class time can remove the artificiality of the learning environment and stimulate communication with peers and with outside communities. This can include study trips to grassroots associations, museums, to religious sites, to parks and nature, and many other places or institutions. The goal is to remind students that there is fun in learning, and that learning also takes place outside of the classroom. The activity does not need to be very time-consuming; a city-walk through a neighbourhood, with a discussion of how concepts that were discussed in class are reflected in daily life and the students’ surroundings, can already change the learning perspective and providea more interactive environment.
Doing Something Badly
This fun exercise can give students a short-lived change of pace during a course session and provides opportunity for some light-hearted learning. To teach students self-reflection, they can be asked to perform a specific task poorly or to intentionally behave below the accepted standard level. Alternatively, they can be asked to reflect on a situation “where your performance was underwhelming”. Highlighting how not to do an exercise not only teaches what mistakes can be avoided in the future, it also allows students to realise that not everything can or should be done perfectly.
Individual Presentations
A straightforward way in which autonomy can be assessed and trained, is by assigning individual presentations to the students. By having to stand in front of the class on their own, with their own research, students face their own insecurities, and learn how to present their own opinions convincingly. They will be solely responsible for the content of the presentation, and thus must be courageous in choosing what and how they want to present.
Teaching activities
With these teaching activities, you can enable students to apply the skill concretely within your educational practice.
Lorem Ipsum
Assessment
With these assignments, you can encourage students to further train and develop the skill.
Lorem Ipsum
Good practices
These examples provide insight into how students have successfully applied the skill in practice.
Bowden, J. L. H., Tickle, L., & Naumann, K. (2021). The four pillars of tertiary student engagement and success: a holistic measurement approach. Studies in Higher Education, 46(6), 1207-1224.
Jackson, A., Godwin, A., Bartholomew, S., & Mentzer, N. (2022). Learning from failure: A systematized review. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 32(3), 1853-1873.
Straehler-Pohl, H., & Pais, A. (2018). Learning to fail and learning from failure. Ideology at work in a mathematics classroom. In Lapping, C., & Bibby, T. (Eds.). Knowing and not knowing: Thinking psychosocially about learning and resistance to learning. Routledge. (pp. 79-96).
Tews, M. J., Michel, J. W., & Noe, R. A. (2017). Does fun promote learning? The relationship between fun in the workplace and informal learning. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 98, 46-55.