Making mistakes in the classroom

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REFLECTION:

“El uso del error en los ambientes de aprendizaje: Una visión transdisciplinaria”

Name: Carla Alvarado Pino

                                                                                          Subject: VISE II

                                                                                          Date: April 20, 2015

I have found very interesting and relevant the article considering that as a teacher I will several situations where students will make errors; and it will be my responsibility to look for the best way to encourage the students to learn from them and move forward with their studies.

I want to stop in some interesting ideas which emphasize the importance of errors in learning environments, the learning process and student-teacher interaction. Below, I’m pointing out the most significant ones from my perspective:

Firstly, it is needed being a teacher who helps students to search rather than follow, that is, act as a mediator of students and environments, not simply as a giver of information (behaviorism theory). This also refers to motivate students in any learning environment to be active participants in the construction of their knowledge and be teachers to serve as a facilitators (constructivism theory).

Secondly, since students can learn from their mistakes, then teachers have to motivate them and not prevent them from making mistakes. If our students are afraid of mistakes, then they're afraid of trying something new, of being creative, of thinking in a different way. It is a fact that students may perform better if they are told that failure is a normal and often very helpful part of learning.

Thirdly, the technology has become an important tool in the teaching and learning process because not only enhance the educational environment but also generate a greater level of interaction between teachers and students which provide enrichment in the learning experience.

Finally, in society, we associate failure with weakness, lack of ability or skill. In the education field, failure takes on even worse implications; it can prevent students from moving forward in their studies.

Although the correction of errors is definitely needed in the learning process and as a teachers should encourage students to take risks and make errors, it is also necessary to do so in an affective way, thinking in each student as a unique individual with a complete and different time of learning in order to prevent demotivation and lack of interest.

This point really caught me because I think that we must let our students know it is natural to make mistakes; it becomes relevant the fact that it is also our task to create a connection with students in order to push them to interact with us and learn. As teachers we really need to create a learning environment where students are comfortable with making mistakes, knowing it is a part of the learning process. This will make students more opened and learn more.

What I have observed so far in the classroom it’s that the making of errors is part of the teaching process and it’s used as a learning tool. The students feel comfortable and motivated to answer every time they are asked.  

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