“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes... you're Doing Something" - Neil Gaiman
Make mistakes and learn from them. We are so afraid to make mistakes, as if somebody would judge us. For some, this may have been the case in the past - but it shouldn't be like that. Failing is human, it's how we learn. Do we not fall when we're learning to walk or to ride a bike? Why would that be natural and not when we are learning anything else?
As teachers, I think it is vital to let the students know they will make mistakes in class or at home, and that it's okay because it is part of the learning process. They should not ignore their mistakes or hyperfocus on them. We should guide them so that, whenever they make a mistake, they can identify it and see it as an opportunity for understanding. After spotting the mistake, identifying its source should be the next step. And finally, working toward overcoming it. In the end, they will develop the habit of carrying out this process on their own. So, whenever they make a mistake, they will look to solve it instead of it getting them down.
Psychologist Janet Metcalfe in her 2017 paper Learning from Errors (p. 484) states the benefits of errors: "Errors enhance later memory for and generation of the correct responses, facilitate active learning, stimulate the learner to direct attention appropriately and inform the teacher of where to focus teaching.”
In class, helping students identify, assess and overcome their mistakes can be done, for example, by establishing a set of formative assignments that will not be graded but students will receive feedback on. Only summative assessments will be graded, after students have had some time to work on those mistakes they may have made in their formative assignments.
Obviously, this is not always easy to accomplish, especially with teenagers who are usually ashamed to make mistakes. However, an error-friendly setting where everyone works collaboratively to find the correct solution to any problem is the perfect environment to encourage assertive, respectful and confident minds.
References
Metcalfe, J. (2017). Learning from errors. Grantee Submission, 68, 465-489.
Gaiman, N. (2011). My new year wish. https://journal.neilgaiman.com/2011/12/my-new-year-wish.html
Although we might think different at first, I think making mistakes can be very helpful when the students (and the teacher) are able to identify them and learn from them. We often see them as something negative but they can be helpful sometimes. Very interesting blog as always Laura 😊