Do you feel bad when you make a mistake? Don't be surprised if the answer is yes. How does your child feel?
We are conditioned to view making mistakes as negative action. However, this attitude can seriously get in the way of learning. In this blog article we examine what mistakes are and how to view them as an essential part of the learning process.
Let's take the example of learning to drive a car. If someone explained to you how to drive a car, would it be reasonable to expect you to get in the car and start driving with no mistakes? Well, I hope you said no! For most of us that have learned how to drive we can remember making a lot of mistakes and relying on our driving instructor to help us out of some sticky situations.
We should try to view learning in a more neutral way. I don't think many people would feel bad or stupid if they could not drive a car and would take the view that it was a gap in their skills that they need to fill.
Children often feel bad when they make a mistake in their learning. In my view, this is not helpful and it can result in them switching off when they meet topics that they find challenging. They may stop trying as they feel that they cannot be successful.
If a child is going to be a good learner, they should feel that they always want to have a go and are not put off by making mistakes as this is a natural part of learning. English and maths are skills to be learned and require practice to become better and achieve expertise.
Parents and carers can help by always encouraging children in their school and homework. Give a lot of praise and encouragement, especially when work is challenging. Imagine if you had never actually started the car when you were learning how to drive. Avoid criticism of getting wrong answers but encourage your child to think about what went wrong in the process of getting to the answer and what they might need to change to get a better answer.
The key things to learn from this example are that learning something takes practice, it involves mistakes and someone we trust to help us correct those mistakes. We need time and patience to build our confidence and expertise. Reward effort and encourage resilience by always getting your child to have a go. Attempting new and challenging learning without fear of failure is the key to success.
At Prize Tuition we view mistakes as learning steps. When a child makes a mistake, we see that there is something to learn that we can help with. We help your child to have the confidence to attempt challenging work.
Contact us now to talk to us about how we can support your child with their learning: 07545 847885
