Tuesday's Transition Tips for Teachers is a weekly email for teachers, administrators, parents, counselors, and vocational rehabilitation staff. "Tip" topics include quality and compliant Transition IEPs, transition assessments, drop-out prevention strategies, work-based learning, academic and life skill instruction, family involvement, working with Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation, and much, much more.We all make mistakes. It's a fundamental part of life. Rather than viewing mistakes as failures, we can see them as valuable learning opportunities. They show us what doesn't work, guiding us toward better approaches and fostering personal growth. While learning from our errors isn't always easy, it's often the most effective way to grow and develop.
Students with disabilities, especially those with higher learning needs, are sometimes overprotected by well-meaning adults, including educators. This can create environments where students aren't given the chance to make mistakes, take risks, and learn from their experiences—essentially denying them the dignity of learning through trial and error.
Dignity of risk is the right for individuals to make informed choices and experience the consequences, both positive and negative, of those decisions. As an educator, this means empowering students to learn, take calculated risks, and understand the outcomes of their actions. This process, even when it involves facing less desirable consequences, is crucial for building self-confidence and resilience.
Educators must champion the dignity of risk for their students, both inside and outside the classroom. This may involve educating parents about the importance of this concept and the valuable learning opportunities it provides for student growth and maturity. It's also beneficial for all members of a student's transition team to understand and support this principle.
Resources
- North Dakota Health and Human Services: Developmental Disabilities: Person-Centered Approach to Risk Toolkit
- Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities: Dignity of Risk
- UVM Center on Disability & Community Inclusion: Video on Dignity of Risk
- Adria's Notebook: “Let Me Try!” The Dignity and Importance of Risk in Planning for Independence
Bonus Tips:
Join us for the “From Transition IEP Knowledge to Portfolio Application” webinar series. All sessions will include breakout rooms where you can ask questions and access additional support. Each session will cost $35 and run from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm ET.
Upcoming dates:
- February 19: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Services and Activities
- February 26: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Annual Goal Statements
- March 5: Quality Transition Portfolio Format, Uses, and Examples
- March 12: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Work Session Breakout Rooms
To register for these upcoming webinars, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.