“Instead of “I was wrong,” perhaps it’s useful (if less satisfying to others seeking victory) to say, “It’s time to make a new decision based on new information.”’
Maybe we focus too much on mistakes when we are teaching students. The mistake turns into this giant monster and success turns into a tiny mouse. We need to change the perception of each so that it is the other way around. We want successes to be huge and outweigh the mistakes.
When my students give the wrong answer, rather than just telling them they gave the wrong answer, I tell them that they were close or that they gave it a good try. If they try again and give the wrong answer, I might give them some help with a prompt or a hint. I want to remind myself that the goal is to teach the student to master the skill independently. As they become more confident, I can slowly withdraw the help until they see they can do it on their own. It is a lot like how I remember learning to ride a bicycle. I remember my dad running beside me and I trusted him not to let me go until I was ready. I want my students to feel the same way.
When students are working out a problem and they get an answer wrong, I have them explain to me how they got their answer. By doing this, I can see where they went the wrong way. By showing them this error, they have new information now and can make a different decision.
Allowing students to learn that if they get new information and can make a new decision, teaches students that stopping and revising their course of action is not a failure. By doing this, they are actually becoming stronger and more confident in themselves and in their decision-making.
How do you teach students to look at new information? Please share.
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