March: Mistakes are Opportunities for Learning by Melissa Weeks https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes Harnessing the Power of Mistakes in the Classroom en-us 2018-03-14 18:32:56 UTC 2023-03-05 02:29:35 UTC hello@padlet.com Harnessing the Power of Mistakes melissaweeks https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/242056798 March's chapter was about making mistakes and how learning can be messy.  Teaching students to have a growth mindset will help them use mistakes as a learning opportunity to try new strategies, like Albert Einstein.  To encourage this kind of thinking and create an environment where students are willing to take risks, we need to help students navigate their mistakes. Our book shares strategies teachers can use to support making mistakes.
  1. Normalize mistakes
  2. Value mistakes as learning opportunities
  3. Coach students through setbacks
What do you do in your classroom to encourage mistakes and help students develop a growth mindset? Add a post to share how you are "harnessing the power of mistakes".
]]> 2018-03-14 18:40:08 UTC https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/242056798 Celebrate Mistakes https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/242822744 When students I am working with make a mistake, sometimes I will act very excited. After they have looked at me like I am crazy, I explain that there are 2 ways to learn, working really hard at something and learning from your mistake. They still think I'm a little nuts, but they usually get the idea that mistakes can be looked at in a positive light. - Pam]]> 2018-03-16 14:00:40 UTC https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/242822744 Celebrate your own mistakes https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/242883427 I am never afraid to let the students see me make mistakes. They practice providing polite, gentle reminders to me and others in the room when any of us make a mistake. Modeling the celebration as well as the proper reaction allows students to prepare for these opportunities in and out of the classroom. 
-Heather Sied]]> 2018-03-16 15:45:58 UTC https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/242883427 When we pass back work and assessments, I have students talk with their group about what they are still struggling with and want to keep working on. I also keep track of common mistakes and go through them with the class so they are used as a learning opportunity and not as a sign of failure. https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/242937788 -Emily]]> 2018-03-16 17:28:32 UTC https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/242937788 We have a heart to heart conversation about the mistake. I will generally share a mistake I made while problem solving with a student so the student realizes that everyone makes mistakes and they are not alone. https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/246276099 2018-03-26 20:04:26 UTC https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/246276099 https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/246293174 Being real with your own mistakes with your students is very important. Also we use examples in subject matters about this topic. Authors make mistakes and it takes a long time to write a book, scientists test their hypothesis and learn from what didn't go well, and in math through turn and talk we learn other strategies that we may not have thought about before. Making mistakes is a very normal part of life and continuing that conversation about how you learn and grow through mistakes helps a lot.]]> 2018-03-26 21:12:01 UTC https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/246293174 Own up to mistakes https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/246337449 I am constantly making mistakes, and I make sure I point them out to the class when they occur. I think the students feel more comfortable with their mistakes when they see the teacher making light of and learning from her own mistakes. Since our last Heritage Huddle, my students have been supporting other students when they make mistakes. They will say things like, "That's okay, we learn from our mistakes." It's nice to see them taking what they have learned and using it with everyday situations. - Kari]]> 2018-03-27 02:23:19 UTC https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/246337449 We are constantly role-modeling making mistakes. We are a classroom community. We discuss how we learn from our mistakes. https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/246659548 -Talls and smalls]]> 2018-03-27 19:04:58 UTC https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/246659548 Dan https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/247051809 I frequently take the coach role when working with students and with that I frequently talk about learning from mistakes.  I remind them that if they make the same mistake over and over again.....it might no longer be a mistake, but that we all learn from mistakes.  I typically ask them how they learned from mistakes and how they can make things better if they have a similar situation again in the future.  I think it's important that students are empowered to try and fail, and in their failure that they don't become overly stressed or anxious about not being perfect or getting things right the first time.  

]]> 2018-03-28 19:14:02 UTC https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/247051809 Easy on... easy off! https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/247054945 We use whiteboards almost daily in our classroom. It's fun to use the slidey markers on those boards, and it's a great place for practicing. We can easily scrub off our mistakes and try again. It's a time for trying]]> 2018-03-28 19:23:14 UTC https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/247054945 The kids love to "catch me" when I make a mistake, but we always use the mistakes as a learning tool! We talk a lot about how it is OK to make mistakes because then we know that our brains are growing! They think that's pretty cool :) https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/247055099 2018-03-28 19:23:46 UTC https://padlet.com/melissaweeks/harnessingmistakes/wish/247055099