Making Mistakes
I've taught dozens of courses to thousands of students at three different law schools. I still make mistakes in every single class. There was a good piece of advice in this module: use humor. I try to show my students that mistakes aren't the end of the world, and if you can laugh at yourself for a silly mistake, it allows you to move forward and make progress.
Hi Debra,
There are some students that really struggle when there is gray. Some of our students are perfectionist, and they want it to be in black in white. Sometimes you just have to accept the best answer at that point and move forward.
Patricia
Hi Keelan,
I concur! Use each mistake as a lesson learned, and do not beat yourself up because you have made a mistake.
Patricia
I agree with you Deanna, I also teach Medical Coding and many of them are perfectionist's and can't seem to understand that coding is a skill that gets developed over time and practice and that not everything is defined in a clear precise manner and they have to settle for the best answer not necessarily the correct one due to no documentation.
I use humor and make sure they know we are all human and subject to make mistakes.
mistakes are meant to be made. thats how we learn from them. make mistakes, learn from them and move on to pefecting the mistake that was made
Hi Rodney,
I love this quote! Each mistake should be looked at as a lesson learned.
Patricia
Eric, you are correct and you must be familiar with the following quote: "We are not final because we are infallible, we are infallible because we are final." Robert H. Jackson. We are all human. Its not that we make mistakes, its how we react to them.
Hi Deanna,
Very valuable information to share with students! Even folks on the job make mistakes. Mistakes are bound to happen, simply learn from them.
Patricia
I am fairly new at teaching and was so glad to hear we should laugh at ourselves because this is exactly what I have been doing. I also relay this to my students when it comes to the real world. I do not teach a subject that is life or death so I tell them learn from your mistakes and move on.
I also use humor and encourage my students to laugh about mistakes. I teach Medical Coding of diagnoses and procedures, and I keep telling them over and over again that they have to get some wrong in order to get them right.
So many adult students are perfectionists that it distresses them tremendously to not get all of the homework right.
I make sure they understand that we can laugh about our mistakes and yet learn from them.
Hi Susan,
I hear you loud and clear. I have taught 22 years in a career school, and I too still make mistakes. It's life, mistakes are inevitable.
Patricia
I have taught for 11 years in a career school. I still make mistakes and let my students know I am human also. We discuss the mistake and I try not make it again.
Hi Yuliya,
That's right! Don't sweat your mistakes, simply learn from them.
Patricia
I agree. We all make mistakes. Make a note of it, learn, laugh, and move on.
I think that is the advantage of having career professionals as teachers. In the real world, mistakes happen and have to be dealt with. It would be unfair to our students to create an unrealistic expectation or a fear of owning up to their mistakes.
Maureen
Hi Maureen,
I concur! Each mistake should be used as a learning experience.
Patricia
I completely agree with you. It is important for students to understand that everyone makes mistakes- what matters is how you handle it and resolve any problems that result from the mistake. This helps them prepare for real life work situations.
