Originally published in the Learning and Teaching weekly newsletter (internal publication) at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
“Mistakes are a natural part of learning” (Seale, 2021, para. 9).
In an
earlier post, we connected the concept of critical thinking to evaluating
literature. In this post we will ponder what happens when students are so
afraid of failure that they are missing the opportunity to even develop those critical
thinking skills (Seale, 2021).
No one
likes to fail. It is way more fun to get the answer right the first time.
Failure can be daunting, leaving you feeling demoralized, disappointed, or frustrated.
For some of us there is a natural inclination to just give up – you think what’s
the point, I obviously can't succeed here! What is often missing in our learning
environments is that mistakes are a valuable part of the learning process. In
fact, mistakes can lead to stronger retention and understanding (Waterford.org,
2019).
Seale (2021) suggests that educators can embrace mistakes by:
“Anticipate ‘good’ mistakes in advance” (para. 13). What are the things that students typically get wrong, and where are the areas of confusion? Then ask yourself, how can I get ahead of the mistake. Storytelling would work well here: share your experience and demonstrate what your past students struggled with.
“Use probing questions to grapple with ‘good’ mistakes” (para. 15). Probing questions can help you discover the student’s rationale behind their answer. Is there a connection that you had not thought about? Can you gently guide the student towards the ‘correct’ answer?
“Ask students to create their own ‘good’ mistakes” (para. 18). Discuss common mistakes. Brainstorm what the issues might be with the challenging content. This will likely help your students to think more critically as they complete their assignment.
“Which wrong is more ‘right’” (para. 20)? Can students pick out the mistakes? This can be very effective teaching technique, which I have used when teaching paraphrasing and referencing. Even better if you can use examples where you have made a mistake. I remember using a reference list that I created as an example in class. I noticed that I had not done it in alphabetical order, so I asked students to pick out what my huge error was. Students appreciate knowing that you are only human and can make mistakes as well. Meyer (n.d.) notes that when instructors make mistakes, students are more likely to feel comfortable asking questions and engaging in class discussions.
A key part
of learning, growth and development, is reflecting on what you got wrong and
why. When you critically think about your mistakes, “all that extra time spent
reviewing and researching leads to stronger recall of what you studied, and it
strengthens skills in finding and analyzing information” (Waterford.org, 2019,
para. 4).
After we
have embraced the fact that mistakes are a natural part of learning, consider
that how you react is equally important as the mistake itself (Meyer, n.d.).
Can you find humour in the situation, and welcome students to correct you? Are
you able to make it into a teachable moment? Meyer (n.d.) suggests when
instructors use intentional (and let’s face it sometimes unintentional)
mistakes it provides a powerful learning opportunity and an avenue for dialogue.
All of which are a necessary part of developing higher level critical thinking
skills.
References and Recommended Further Reading
Meyer, J. (n.d.). The art of
making mistakes [Blog post]. The Wiley Network. https://www.wiley.com/network/instructors-students/teaching-strategies/the-art-of-making-mistakes
Seale, C. (2021, April 18). The
magic of mistakes: 4 ways to boost critical thinking with mistake analysis
[Blog post]. Cult of Pedagogy. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/magic-of-mistakes/
Waterford.org. (2019, Oct. 23). Why
failure is good for learning, and how it applies to your struggling students
[Blog post]. https://www.waterford.org/education/why-failure-is-better-than-success-for-learning/
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