The Power of Embracing Mistakes in the ESL Classroom

"Excellent... wrong answer!" Do you cheer for your students when they give you a wrong answer? It’s not exactly what I am trying to advise you to do, but I believe in learning through making mistakes. Students learn when they face a problem and solve it after failing once, twice, or more. So, it’s essential to embrace mistakes.

Embracing mistakes in the classroom means you are transforming your students' approach to learning and their mindset. This makes them more adaptable human beings, ready to challenge themselves and overcome any obstacle they might face throughout their learning journey. Making mistakes must not be perceived as shameful, especially in an ESL classroom.

As ESL teachers, we encounter a variety of situations daily in our classes. However, many language learners lacking motivation often exhibit a fixed mindset. The mindset is built in a certain way, shaped by every individual's environment since they were born and during their upbringing until the moment you teach them in your classroom. So, you can imagine how challenging it is to solve this issue in a short period.

During my learning and teaching journey, I constantly reflected on my learning experience as a student. I tried to find an answer as a teacher to why students are afraid to make mistakes, especially in the ESL classroom. If it lacks a culture of embracing mistakes and celebrating an authentic, natural learning process — one that includes making errors before mastering the knowledge — students will not feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.

In any class, students are concerned about their image among their peers and in front of their teacher. The teacher is not only going to judge them but also evaluate and grade them. In a positive classroom environment, the teacher praises the students when they answer correctly and when they show progress after making mistakes. As a result, the students would feel safe to learn by making errors when the teacher allows them to do so. Therefore, the teacher must create a positive space that enables students to experience complete and fair knowledge acquisition so that students can engage in learning without the fear of failure or the concern of being judged by their peers.

Helping your students is a built-in role you have as a teacher. You would do everything possible to make sure you've taught them and equipped them with everything they need, but sometimes, there is a reason beyond the tangible matters you see that prevent them from achieving goals — such as a fixed mindset. Hence, you should educate your students about brain plasticity and how the brain is a muscle that grows if you train it. They must realise the power of shifting from a fixed to a growth mindset.

One practical tip I make use of in my classes is to ask my students at the end of each lesson to mention, write, or draw two or three things they learned. This opens their eyes to the fact that they are not the same person as before the class, and that helps with unlocking their fixed mindset.

Another fantastic tool I love implementing is "the mistake of the day." In this activity, we shed light on one or more mistakes students remember. We then analyse it together and praise those who made it, as we gain better insight thanks to them. Another way to help your students is to set realistic and achievable goals. Even better, encourage and remind them to have their own goals and purpose; as Dweck's research states, this fosters a growth mindset.

Finally, it's rewarding to be a teacher whose impact students remember for the rest of their lives. To be this kind of teacher, you should start with yourself and then extend this to your students. Be the friendly, compassionate teacher you wish to be, and this positive disposition will naturally extend to your students, creating the type of positive environment every teacher and student dreams of being a part of.

References:

Dweck, C.S. (2016) 'What having a “growth mindset” actually means', Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a-growth-mindset-actually-means (Accessed: 21 September 2021)

Written by: Ohud Alzahrani

Editor: Aziza Khanom