Introduction

This chapter emphasises a crucial message: failure is an integral part of the learning process. Therefore, educators, school leaders, and everyone involved in education must respond to failure in a thoughtful and constructive manner. Even when teaching a seemingly straightforward topic, such as cells in science, achieving consistent and successful results can be challenging, which makes failure a common experience for both pupils and teachers. Although we may focus on important areas of teaching and learning, for example, curriculum development, the topics being covered do not guarantee successful learning outcomes. As a result, we need to embrace the brilliant complexity of learning and the likelihood of encountering setbacks while approaching them with confidence and insight, understanding that failure is a necessary step towards achieving success in the classroom and beyond. To conclude the introductory chapter, the eight most common reasons for learning failure are presented.