Tone your brain muscles by exercising them. This not only proves your mental buities
when you started the grade and how you overcame it. You may talk about a mistake you made
Write a note to a student who will enter Grade 6 shortly. Describe your learning-related struggles
when you learned. Give advice on what the student should do in case he/she encounters a difficulty when learning something new.
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Answer:
Learning from mistakes and errors is an important part of child and adolescent development. Most adults understand this concept. Yet, we have failed to teach our children that there is a positive side to getting things wrong.
Many children grow up in a society that pressures them to be perfect – to get the highest SAT scores, to land prized scholarships, to get into the best universities. Parents correct or complete children’s homework to improve their grades. They argue with teachers who try to point out a child’s areas of weakness that need improvement.
How does all this focus on testing and perfection affect kids’ learning? And how can we help them understand that learning from mistakes is part of healthy development?
Why is it Important to Learn from Mistakes?
Whether it involves homework, developing friendships, or playing a sport, learning is enriched through error. Learning from mistakes is part of how we challenge ourselves to learn to do things differently. It motivates us to try new, innovative approaches to problem-solving. Throughout a lifetime, learning from mistakes helps develop wisdom and good judgment.
In the Scientific American article, Getting it Wrong: Surprising Tips on How to Learn, research makes the case for more challenging tests that force kids to make errors. Historically, educators have created conditions for learning that do not encourage errors. And parents have followed suit. For example, if we drill children over and over again with the same math problem, they will eventually remember the answer. And if they are lucky, they will remember the answer on a standardized test.
This approach to learning assumes that if students are allowed to make mistakes, they will not learn the correct information. However, recent research shows this to be an incorrect assumption. In fact, studies have found that learning from mistakes enhances rather than detracts from learning.
Learning from Mistakes Improves Effort & Motivation
Carol Dweck, a professor at Stanford, studies the importance of challenging children to learn from mistakes. Her research shows that praising children for their intelligence can actually make them less likely to persist in the face of challenge. She and her colleagues followed hundreds of 5th-grade children in New York City schools. One group was praised for their intelligence while the other group was praised for their effort.
When the 5th graders were challenged with an extremely difficult test designed for 8thgraders, a surprising result occurred. The students who had been praised for their effort worked very hard, even though they made a lot of mistakes. The kids praised for being smart became discouraged and saw their mistakes as a sign of failure. Intelligence testing for the kids praised for their effort increased by 30% while the kids praised for their intelligence dropped by 20%.
Giving meaningful and specific praise motivates children who are learning from mistakes. Praise should focus on developing their character strengths, helping them understand their internal abilities. It is an opportunity to develop a child’s resilience, one of eight core abilities in The Compass Advantage.
Ten Ways to Help Children & Teens Learn from MistakesAcknowledge that you don’t expect them to be perfect.Let them know your love is unconditional, regardless of their mistakes or lapses in judgment.Don’t rescue kids from their mistakes. Instead, focus on the solution.Provide examples of your own mistakes, the consequences, and how you learned from them.Encourage children to take responsibility for their mistakes and not blame others.Avoid pointing out your child’s past mistakes. Instead, focus on the one at hand.Praise children for their ability to admit their mistakes.Praise children for their efforts and courage to overcome setbacks.Mentor your child on how to apologize when their mistakes have hurt others.Help kids look at the good side of getting things wrong!(Get the infographic at the end of this article!)