Designing for Productive Failure

In this article, we describe the design principles undergirding productive failure (PF; M. Kapur, 2008 Kapur, M. 2008. Productive failure. Cognition and Instruction, 26: 379–424. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). We then report findings from an ongoing program of research on PF in mathematical problem solving in 3 Singapore public schools with significantly different mathematical ability profiles, ranging from average to lower ability. In the 1st study, 7th-grade mathematics students from intact classes experienced 1 of 2 conditions: (a) PF, in which students collaboratively solved complex problems on average speed without any instructional support or scaffolds up until a…