The Joy of Making Mistakes - Part I

I'm back in my good old days teaching and enjoying teaching my sixth graders. I have just passed the arithmetic test they took on adding mixed fractions back to my kids. Jack has his graded test back and the paper is literally dripping with red marks. Jack, being human, crumples the paper up and throws it into the waste paper basket. I get upset and say, “Jack, get that paper out of the trash right now. How are you going to improve if you don’t correct your mistakes?” Jack says to himself, “Oh, that’s right.  I’m glad the teacher marks my paper up and I can hardly wait to make it right.” 

STOP! HALT!!    WAIT!!!

Hold on there. That never happened and should never have happened. I never had a red pencil for that task. And that’s no Jack I ever taught. My Jacks would be ready to do anything except correct that paper. My Jacks would be waiting for me to help them get these problems done right.

Jack’s paper would have pencil comments, e.g. “You need to change ½ to 2/4 on this problem” and he knows that I would be there later to help him with this if he needed me.

Mistakes are a signal from the learner to you - letting you know where you can help him learn - to become better.

Sports Example

Jack was called for “traveling” (taking steps) three times in your last game. He needs some help on how to use his feet correctly. He has “told” you that he makes mistakes with this skill and he’s ready to have you assist him to learn and to grow in this activity. He doesn’t need a lecture on how badly he’s playing.

The message we give our younger students/players in so many ways is that it’s not only not O.K. for them to make mistakes -- It’s that they are not O.K. if they make mistakes.

Youngsters do not perceive the difference between making a mistake and being a mistake.