Part of what makes design tasks a refreshing break for students is that there are few right answers in design. Tried-and-true designs can often be improved with an innovative approach or new materials. Also, in the culture of design, failure is recognized as a key way good designers learn, especially those who take risks by exploring innovative approaches. Failure is a good teacher, however, only when designers reflect on what went wrong, why, and then propose how to make things better.

Ernesto Blanco is famous at MIT's Introduction To Design course for his lecture on the failure and design. He always shocks students with his admission of failing so many times. Listen to Movie 1 for ways you might encourage your students to learn through the opportunities that failure can bring.