Making mistakes and how to reflect

"Don't be afraid. Be flexible. Try different approaches to find one that suits the child."

Wolsey Hall parent

 

TIP 1 (audio clip): 

How to learn from making mistakes:

It doesn’t matter how old you are, we all make mistakes sometimes. For many of us it can be an uncomfortable feeling that makes us feel embarrassed, angry and frustrated or even a failure. However, it has long been established that making mistakes can be a ‘good’ thing.

Here are some reasons why.

  • We learn from our mistakes. If we never make mistakes, then it is likely that we are not pushing ourselves and taking risks in learning and life. We learn through trial and error and mistakes help us develop a growth mindset.
  • We learn about ourselves and grow. How we deal with mistakes is an important aspect of who we are. When we get something wrong our initial instinct may be to give up and move on. Mistakes teach us a lesson in resilience
  • A mistake can lead to a different opportunity. Knocking over your paints may result in a brilliant new colour; misreading your recipe could result in a wonderful new dish. It is not always the case that a mistake has an opportunity but we should embrace it when it happens.
  • Sometimes a mistake is funny and it helps us to be able to laugh at ourselves.

TIP 2 (audio clip):

It is therefore important to allow your child time for reflecting on their learning.

This collection of statements, or feedback fan is to help you guide you child to reflect on their work or achievements. Randomly choose 1, 2 or 3 to use at one time. Do not work through them all at once!

DOWNLOAD - Feedback Fan Download DOWNLOAD - Feedback Fan

 

The feedback fan has been cut up for ease of use in the photo above. 

 

Some effective key reflection questions:

  • What did you enjoy most about the learning today? 
  • Can you share something that you learnt today that you didn’t know before?
  • What did you find the most difficult today? What could we do to help with this?
  • When do you think you were learning at your best today? Why?
  • Do you think there is any of your learning we need to look at again?
  • What made you curious today?