The Risk of Education; How Risk-Taking shows up (or doesn't) in Education

Lorraine Connell
6 days ago
3 min read

What Happens When Risk Is Required—but Not Rewarded?

I recently facilitated a professional development day with a group of teachers and a handful of students, and I’m still sitting with what unfolded.

I asked participants to work in teams of four with a simple goal: earn as many points as possible.

Here’s the catch:There was no risk to individual teams if they chose to play it safe, but for the entire group to earn points, every team had to take a risk.

No team knew what the others would choose. That uncertainty was the risk.

What happened next tells us a lot about how we approach leadership, learning, and trust.

The Data Told a Story Before the Discussion Did

Almost immediately, patterns emerged:

The teams that took the biggest risks lost the most points.
The team with the highest score was the least willing with risk-taking, even when others did.
The team with the fewest points? They took the most risks.

What struck me most was this: the game was never about beating each other—but many teams played as if it were.

“Wait… We’re Supposed to Be on the Same Team?”

I pulled the students—each from different teams—aside while the rest of the group continued negotiating their strategies.

I asked them what I often share in the reflection when we are working on leadership.

I often point out the way to win my games is to think about what is being said, and what is NOT being said.

At first, they struggled to articulate, but when I reframed the question around the objective of the game, one student paused and said something that shifted the entire room:

“Oh… this isn’t a game where we’re playing against each other. We actually have to trust that everyone wants the best outcome for all of us.”

That realization was powerful—and fleeting. Was it because it came from a student's mouth, or was there something deeper ingrained in how we engage when on a team.

Even after naming it, behaviors didn’t change much. Some teams continued to take risks. Others stayed safe. Those who risked alone paid the highest price.

Risk Alone vs. Risk Together

After another round, I asked each team to nominate one person to come forward.

I posed the same questions to teachers and students:

What do you notice when you look at the scoreboard?
What changed between the early rounds and later ones?
What message do you want to bring back to your team?

They laughed, but their answers were aligned:“If everyone took the risk, we’d all earn more points.”

And yet—after one successful round where every team earned points—the group reverted back to old habits. Risk-taking stalled. Safety returned.

Out of three rounds in a second activity (same objective, different structure), only one group truly applied the lesson:

When you risk alone, you lose more. When you risk together, everyone wins.

It caused me to reflect on risk-taking in education.

“There Was Nothing at Stake”

One of the most important moments came from a teacher who hadn’t participated in the first activity.

When I asked why, she answered honestly:

“There was nothing at stake. Win or lose, it didn’t affect me.”

That comment stopped me.

When I followed up, she added something even more telling—this is the same behavior she sees in students. When there’s no grade attached, engagement drops. When a grade is on the line, students lean in.

Risk increases when the reward is clear.

And that made me ask a harder question.

What Risks Are We Willing to Take in Education?

As I prepare for my upcoming TED Talk on the gates of leadership, I’ve been reflecting on my own early years as a teacher.

I wasn’t comfortable taking risks—especially when the payoff would benefit students more than me. I was cautious. Motivated by my own success. Focused on outcomes I could control.

In hindsight, that clarity is sharp.

I share in my talk how I unintentionally denied leadership opportunities to students who were eager to lead—but didn’t have the “right” skills, behaviors, or confidence yet.

And I wonder now: