"Frankenstein" (1931), directed by James Whale
According to Grant, "In learning cultures, people don't stop keeping score. They expand the scorecard to consider processes as well as outcomes" (218). As an example of this, he suggests that what might be seen as a "failure" in a "performance culture" context, might be seen as a "smart experiment" in a "learning culture" context, but only "if you evaluated the decision thoroughly" (219).
For this challenge, describe an experience you've had that you or others might have considered a failure at the time, but that might be a "smart experiment" if accompanied by thorough self-evaluation. Give examples of the evaluation process. What went wrong? What was your thinking or your strategy at the time and why was it flawed? What could you have done differently? Maybe you haven't thought of one of your "failures" like this, but this can be your opportunity to re-frame the experience in a productive way.
In my first semester of college, I took a speech class. I have always done fine with speeches in the past, and consider myself as someone who can give a great one if given the opportunity. The problem with this class, however, is that it wasn't a prepared speech. The goal of the assignments were to create an outline of your speech, and then perform it in front of the class off the cuff. Never in my life have I been good at this. I get nervous when things aren't timed to a T in my speeches, and so when time came for me to give it… I didn't do well. I stuttered, I talked too quickly, I had several awkward pauses… It might've been one of the worst speeches I've ever given in my entire life. I would consider it a total and utter failure.
ReplyDeleteLooking back at it now, I know there are things I could've done differently. I could've practiced a lot more, for one, and I could've gone to the teacher for advice on how to better myself in this area. I just got so caught up with the action of doing it that I forgot preplanning completely. Even if the speech was terrible, I now know that I should have focused more on the areas of the speech that I could control and practice rather than the ones I couldn't while giving the speech live.
- Cas Northcutt