Learning from Mistakes

This author gives a funny account of a mistake made on purpose so that students could learn that making a mistake is okay. A lot of science discoveries are a result of mistakes being made a... See More

This author gives a funny account of a mistake made on purpose so that students could learn that making a mistake is okay. A lot of science discoveries are a result of mistakes being made and the investigation of "why" leading to the discovery. Another lesson learned by students is that teachers are human and can make mistakes. This helps students know that it is okay if they make mistakes. Who knows, they may make a scientific discovery themselves!

A Teachable Moment

A failed demonstration leads to a valuable classroom discussion about making mistakes, something everyone does on a daily basis. This author’s tale led her students to better understand tha... See More

A failed demonstration leads to a valuable classroom discussion about making mistakes, something everyone does on a daily basis. This author’s tale led her students to better understand that mistakes often lead to new approaches or discoveries in science. Better yet, she and her students tried to find out what went wrong. This teacher helped her students understand that troubleshooting steps, checking variables, and using the process of science can help to determine what went wrong. This in itself is a great teaching moment.