Lesson 2.3 Embracing Mistakes
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Mistakes can be a beautiful and valuable process, now how do we convince our students of such a statement?
Let's start with a video!
Here is a great activity that Jo Boaler discusses in her book Mathematical Mindsets. Boaler always asks her online class to respond to the following prompt: Design a new activity that would reposition mistakes in classrooms or in homes The following activity is her favorite response thus far.
The teacher would start the class by asking students to crumple up a piece of paper and throw it at the board with the feelings they had when they made a mistake in math. This creative response allowed students to let out the frustrations that tend to follow a mistake. The teacher would then ask the students to retrieve their paper, smooth it out and trace all the crumple lines on the paper with colored markers. These lines represent the brain and the brain growth that take place when a mistake is made. The students were asked to keep the pieces of paper in their folders during the school year as a reminder of the importance of mistakes. (Boaler, 2016)
How to Encourage/Embrace Mistakes
| 1. Consistently remind students that "when you got that answer wrong, your brain grew" and applaud that brain growth. |
| 2. Learn to value correct work less and mistakes more |
| 3. Allow for all tests and quizzes to be retaken for a higher grade, but explain that each retake exam will be progressively harder than the last. |
| 4. Make it a classroom norm - hang up a poster, or create a poster as a class that encourages mistakes! |
| 5. Don't just praise mistakes, explain why they are important.
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| 6. My Favorite No Activity:
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Reflection
So here is your prompt: On our padlet you have two options:
1. Design a new activity that would reposition mistakes in classrooms or in homes:
2. Use the "crumpling paper" activity or the "My Favorite No Activity" with your students and post your experience and reflection of the activity.
Remember
"When mathematics is taught as an open and creative subject, all about connections, learning, and growth, and mistakes are encuraged, incredible things happen" (Boaler,2016, p.20).
References
Boaler, J. (2016). Mathematical mindsets: Unleashing students potential through creative math, inspiring messages, and innovative teaching. San Francisco, CA:
- Jossey-Bass & Pfeiffer Imprints.
Midwinter, A. (2015, March 14). My Favorite No. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srJWx7P6uLE
O'Donnell, K. (2019, May 09). Mistakes Activity. Retrieved from https://padlet.com/kelseyodonnell221/wft1kzecu1n3
PERTS. (2016, August 16). Three Ways to Celebrate Mistakes in Class. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGafkyjaQWk
Salcedo, C. (2016, January 25). Study Skills - Learning From Mistakes (Jo Boaler). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exmCR28kmZk
Proceed to Next Module:
Module 3: Implementation