An AWESOME Mistake....

“I just made an awesome mistake, can I please share it with the class?”
An unthinkable thing to hear in a primary school classroom? Think again!

This statement can be heard down the hallways of a primary school as the students and teachers value mistakes as a way to learn and grow.

The power of making a mistake and seeing it as brain growth and learning has been seen and heard through the work of Jo Boaler and Carol Dweck. 

Creating a safe classroom environment where mistake are welcomed and celebrated can be the breeding ground for risk takers and learners. A neural mechanism study conducted by Psychologist Jason Moser found that when we make a mistake, synapses fire between parts of the brain resulting in brain growth (Boaler, J, 2016). 

Students need to know and understand this science in order to celebrate and acknowledge the learning that can happening through mistakes. By also sharing and talking about the mistakes made during a lesson, students can find out ways that will not solve the problem. 

Show students this short clip to spark conversation and learning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exmCR28kmZk 

https://www.youcubed.org/resources/brain-science/ 

Activity:

Get students to write mistake on an A4 piece of paper.
Scrunch the piece of paper into a small ball.
Open the piece of paper.
The lines made from the scrunching represent the synapses firing and the new brain growth.  

References:
Boaler, J. (2016). Mathematical mindsets: Unleashing students' potential through creative math, inspiring messages and innovative teaching. San Francisco, CA, US: Jossey-Bass.

https://www.youcubed.org/resources/brain-science/ 

Picture from: https://www.youcubed.org/evidence/mistakes-grow-brain/