In life we accept, even expect, mistakes as part of learning new skills and attempting new tasks. We know that experiencing what does not work can be as important as understanding what does. Success rarely comes on the first, second, or other early attempts to master complex and challenging new behaviors.
Academic learning is much the same. We should expect missteps and setbacks as a natural part of the learning process. Yet there are often expectations and pressures present during academic learning that can skew the learning process, especially when it comes to making mistakes.
Mistakes in school are often seen as evidence of failure rather than symptoms of learning efforts and progress. Mistakes are to be avoided and making mistakes come with consequences rather than celebration. Mistakes are often considered to be faults to be penalized. Mistakes lead to lower grades and diminished social status.
In truth, mistakes in learning at school can lead to enhanced learning or, depending on the conditions present, can interfere with learning progress. Let’s explore three times and conditions when mistakes can build learning and three contexts when making mistakes may not contribute to learning.
Learning can accelerate when:
Students are aware of a mistake, why it is not correct, and how to fix it. When students understand the source and nature of an error, they can make adjustments, use the experience to build understanding, and increase their focus on getting their learning correct. Analysis and understanding of what happened improves learning far more than being provided the correct answer.
Mistakes are seen as a natural part of the learning process and are honored as ways to get better. In this context, students are more likely to see struggle and setback as part of learning, not evidence of a lack of potential. When learners see learning as creating and growing rather than compliance and following directions, they are more likely to accept errors and setbacks as building blocks for success.
The focus is on learning, not grades. When grades are seen as the reason for learning, mistakes work against the ultimate goal. Mistakes lower grades. On the other hand, when the focus is on learning and grades are seen as nothing more than a reflection of progress, mistakes can be part of the process that leads to improvement and ultimate success.
Learning can be stifled when:
Mistakes are the result of underlying misconceptions that go unaddressed. Finding or being provided a correct answer is of little help when confusion and misunderstanding about structures, relationships, and processes are present. In fact, unless the underlying misconception is addressed, the problem that led to a mistake can become even worse.
Mistakes are seen as evidence of a lack of intelligence and capacity to learn. Students are less likely to take learning risks when “smart” is seen as having the right answer. Under these conditions, mistakes are seen as reasons for embarrassment and shame and are to be avoided.
Mistakes are not accompanied by feedback or examination. When instruction moves forward and students are expected to keep up, mistakes can go unnoticed and unexamined. Further, feedback on how to correct and learn from the experience can be neglected. Consequently, the opportunity to learn from mistakes is lost.
Unfortunately, students often come to us with experiences and perceptions about learning that can work against their willingness to make and learn from mistakes in school. Our challenge is to create in our classrooms the conditions that enhance and accelerate learning. We will also need to help our students examine their attitudes toward academic mistakes and learn to leverage mistakes to make their learning more successful.
Affirmations have long been known to be effective ways to shift thinking and pursue important goals in our personal lives. They have been shown to create clarity and focus our thinking. Affirmations can also help us to align our energy and attention in ways that produce tangible results.
However, we don’t often think about affirmations as contributing to leadership success. Yet, the same factors that can make affirmations useful tools to achieve personal goals can help us focus our professional attention, align our energy, and see opportunities that we otherwise might miss.
Regardless of life context, our thoughts are powerful shapers of how we see reality. What we tell ourselves influences our perceptions. What we think drives where we invest our energy and how we respond to experiences.
Affirmations help us to form intentions and shape goals. Of course, affirmations work when they are repeated, reflected upon, and regularly applied in our actions. The more frequently we say, think about, and act on affirmations, the more powerful their impact can be.
When affirmations become part of our leadership thinking and actions, they can help us to gain new insights, discover new strategies, and form stronger, more influential relationships. Let’s explore five leadership affirmations worth tapping in our daily thinking, actions, and routines:
Keep the main thing the main thing. This affirmation can help us to remain focused when we face myriad issues and challenges and are at risk of becoming distracted by detail or overwhelmed by demands. Remaining focused on what matters most, whether student learning, health and safety, or instructional effectiveness, can help us to ignore what does not deserve our attention and energy and prioritize what does. This affirmation can prompt us to ask, “What really matters here?”
The most important step in any journey is the next step. When beginning major projects or undertaking a challenging change process, we can become so focused on potential problems, strategies to employ, or what will be required that we forget that every journey is a series of steps and actions. We may want to immediately be at the end point. Or we may become overwhelmed with what lies ahead. Yet, what we do next will often play a key role in determining whether the ultimate outcome will be reached. The truth is that each step matters and the opportunity to make progress lies in taking the next step. We need to ask ourselves, “What is the next step that will move me forward?”
Intentions matter more than motivation. At first, this affirmation might seem counterintuitive. Motivation creates energy and excitement for what may lie ahead. Yet, while motivation can be useful in getting started, it can lack focus and wane as the reality of the work and struggle necessary for success becomes evident. Intentions, on the other hand, position us to commit. Intentions can help us to focus our energy and carry us through when our motivation may not be as strong as it was at the beginning. We can “power through” even when our motivation wanes by asking, “What am I committed to and why does it matter?”
Time is my most important resource. Each day we face requests, distractions, opportunities, and expectations that compete for our time. We may be inclined to respond as much and as often as we can, believing that engaging with people and responding to their needs and interests are important. While to an extent, this perspective makes sense, it overlooks an important fact. We have a limited number of hours and minutes each day. How we choose to use the time we have will determine our success and the extent to which we can serve the needs of those who depend on our leadership. We do well to ask ourselves often, “What is the best use of my time in this moment?”
Gratefulness makes everyone’s day. Life is often hectic, even chaotic at times. We face multiple demands and must respond to varied situations. It can be easy to fall into a habit of finding fault, lamenting problems, and regretting actions taken, or not. Yet, during even the most difficult times, there are opportunities, experiences, and relationships for which we can be grateful. Reflecting on, appreciating, and sharing what we can be grateful for can immediately change our attitude, help us to reframe a situation, or lift the spirits of those around us. When gratefulness becomes part of each day, it makes each day better. We can summon these feelings by asking ourselves, “What can I be grateful for right now and who needs to hear it?”
Now is a great time to begin tapping the power of these and other leadership affirmations, if you are not already doing so. We change our behaviors by changing our thinking. We ensure our success by the choices we make, actions we take, and habits we practice.
Share your story and the tips you have for getting through this challenging time. It can remind a fellow school leader of something they forgot, or your example can make a difficult task much easier and allow them to get more done in less time. We may publish your comments.
