MƒA Thursday Think: Productive Failure: Learning How to Fail Toward Success

Failure is often seen as a stepping stone to success, so why wait for it to happen by chance? In this talk, Dr. Manu Kapur will describe the concept of productive failure and demonstrate how intentionally designing for failure can lead to deeper learning. He will also explore practical strategies for creating safe, constructive environments where failure becomes a tool for conceptual understanding, creativity, and knowledge transfer. Discover how embracing and planning for failure can transform your approach to teaching and learning.

Dr. Manu Kapur is the Director of the Singapore-ETH Centre and a Professor of Learning Sciences and Higher Education at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, a leading university in Europe that brings together professors and researchers from around the world. With a strong technical background in engineering and statistics and doctoral training in the learning sciences, Dr. Kapur brings a unique interdisciplinary skill set to the study of human learning, combining the fundamental mechanisms of learning with application development for translating these mechanisms to teaching and learning. He is widely known for his work on productive failure and has delivered two TEDx talks focusing on the topic. His contributions extend across high-profile journals and conferences, influencing educational policies and practices internationally. Learn more about Dr. Kapur at www.manukapur.com.

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