It's okay to make mistakes?



When I think about math goals, the first thing that comes to mind is getting all the right answers and doing it quickly. I'm sure a lot of you think the same way too... but that's not necessarily a good thing. I'm going to talk about why it's important to change our expectations when it comes to doing math.


Making Mistakes
Mistakes are generally feared.. by everyone.. all the time. But why should we be so afraid of failure? Of course we gain a sense of accomplishment and possibly recognition for doing things correctly. But, what if I told you that you could become smarter and even solve more math problems correctly by first making loads of mistakes? Sounds a little far fetched, but let me explain.

Image result for learning from mistakes
Retrieved from https://www.theodysseyonline.com
/five-reasons-to-love-your-mistakes

When you make a mistake while trying to solve a math problem, for instance, one of two things may happen:

1) You consider yourself a failure and decide to give up 

 2) You learn from your mistake and try again. 

What do you think is the better of the two outcomes?



I'd go with number 2! Even though we make mistakes, we can view those mistakes as learning experiences and aim to do better next time. I came across the video below that does a great job at explaining why it is extremely beneficial to make mistakes as part of the learning process. I would even recommend showing this video in class to inspire your students.


 
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcUX6eNT2j4 

Keeping Students Engaged
Promoting a positive mindset and aiming to eliminate the fear of failure/making mistakes is only one part of effective teaching. One of the hardest tasks for teachers can be keeping students engaged. If you think about it, teachers are responsible for a class full of students for approximately 6 hours of the day, everyday. That's a LOT of time to occupy with interesting, interactive lessons! It is definitely an intimidating notion, however I have found inspiration in Nicolas Pino James' 6 Golden Rules for Engaging Students. I think it's a great resource for all teachers and can be used as a reminder while lesson planning.

Image result for 6 golden rules for engaging students
Retrieved from bit.ly/6GoldenRulesEdu 

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