Failing a quiz is better for your grade

In the depths of modern academia rose tiger culture, a style of learning defined by strict academic excellence leading to equally fierce pressure. Failure is not an option, and the resulting disappointment is unbounded to even love. Yet, against these modern customs, researchers and educators are finding that failing tests can support stronger learning.

Educators describe this process as a productive failure, attempting challenging material before learning to tame it. The idea was studied by education researcher Manu Kapur at ETH Zurich, who examined how students learn complex concepts. Kapur found that if a student had difficulty problem-solving before being instructed, they scored 20 percent higher on later assessments than students who were given instruction immediately.

How do you know if you are bad at something if you never fail at it? Failing low-stakes quizzes makes students more aware of their understanding, and instruction should be meant to aid in that application.

Through failure, I have realized that failing a quiz doesn't make you a failure, just like microwaving frozen pizza doesn't make you a chef. And maybe frequent quizzes should be used as formative learning tools rather than an assessment of your true knowledge. Attempting difficult questions gives students a sense of familiarity when they attempt tests and forces our Clash Royale-capped brains to make deeper connections that stick with us for more than 30 minutes.