April 24, 2025

Errors, Mistakes, Missteps, and Setbacks: How They Are Different and Why It Matters

It can be tempting to group student errors, mistakes, missteps, and setbacks together and treat them all in the same manner. It is true that they share some characteristics, but each of these experiences include unique elements.

Knowing which behavior-related experience is involved is crucial to deciding how to respond. Each has unique causes and calls for different types of action. There are risks in treating all four as the same; students can become confused, decide to shut down, and be reluctant to keep trying.

Consider these four types of behavior experiences and how they are unique:

Errors: Errors point to opportunities for learning and teaching. They are typically caused by deficiencies in students’ knowledge, skill, or understanding. They reveal confusion, misunderstanding, or the need for more learning. If left unaddressed, errors can become calcified and resistant to later correction.
Mistakes: Mistakes are typically due to carelessness, deciding or acting too quickly, inattention, overconfidence, or feeling pressure. Mistakes are the result of a lack of execution, not a lack of knowledge or understanding. Usually, students know better but fail to use the knowledge and skills they possess to inform and guide their actions.
Missteps: Missteps usually occur when students neglect to give adequate attention to the context within which they are acting. They may be the result of a lack of judgment, inattentiveness, or failure to follow existing norms, procedures, or expectations.
Setbacks: Setbacks are unique in that they typically result from some external cause and are beyond students’ control. Setbacks often create disappointment and frustration that can lead to giving up. Overcoming setbacks requires understanding of what caused the setback and adaptation to achieve future success.

Our support for students in response to each of these conditions must begin with an understanding of whether what we observe is an error, a mistake, a misstep, or a setback. Once we are clear about which experience is involved, we can tailor our feedback, encouragement, instruction, and coaching to achieve the best outcome. Let’s examine each of these experiences and how we might best match our response to what our students will likely need.

Errors

Need revealed: Learning

Tailored responses:

Make it safe to try and not always succeed in the first attempt(s).
Be careful not to overcorrect and risk doing more harm than good.
Reteach with a different approach or adjusted explanation.
Provide scaffolding support until the student can be independent.
Provide additional practice to raise the student’s confidence.

Mistakes

Need revealed: Self-discipline

Tailored responses:

Coach for acceptance and accountability.
Encourage attentiveness and self-awareness.
Teach self-monitoring techniques such as concentration and appropriate pacing.
Share precision strategies such as double checking and process review.
Teach metacognition strategies to help students be aware of their thinking.

Missteps

Need revealed: Awareness

Tailored responses:

Coach reflection to understand causes and plan for accuracy.
Reinforce the need for awareness of context.
Encourage situational thinking such as what is best or acceptable in a situation.
Highlight the need to consider the perspectives and needs of others.
Teach the importance of noting and responding to norms and cues.

Setbacks

Need revealed: Insight

Tailored responses:

Encourage analysis of situational elements such as obstacle, forces, and factors.
Teach coping strategies.
Coach adaptation strategies.
Nurture persistence and resilience.
Reinforce flexibility without losing goal focus.

When we take the time to understand students’ experiences and tailor our responses, they feel our personal commitment, experience higher levels of support, and grow in response to our efforts.