The Wizardry of Making Mistakes

Steps to a Coaching Classroom: Newsletter 12

”I might not be able to pay teachers more money, or give them the public recognition they deserve for the amazing work that they do, but I can teach them about a coaching approach. And that will be my contribution to a better world.”, Martin Richards

In the previous article, we looked at how to get feedback from your students.

In this article, we learn how to lead our students towards making mistakes - because that's where learning happens. In our classrooms, we can build a 'safe enough' space around our students so they can make mistakes and learn in safety. In this article, I will show you tools from the world of Coaching and Improvisation.

I am inviting and encouraging you to take steps towards coaching in your classroom. Why?

The inspiration comes from the coach training course that I attended 2004-2006 at CTI, the Coaches Training Institute. Many of their learning activities were experiential and had their roots in improvisation. And it comes from the PGCE teacher training course that I attended at Sussex University in 1977-1978, it was also experiential, for which I will be forever grateful for supporting me as an introvert to be comfortable as the leader in the classroom.

Celebrate Mistakes

A few years ago, I joined an Improv Class. I hoped it would help me to feel more comfortable and better able to improvise during lessons and coaching sessions.

"Improv (also known as impro) is short for improvisation. It’s spontaneous ensemble theatre. It is an art form where the performers make up the theatre - usually comedy - on the spot." from Covert Theatre.

I joined the improv class to develop my ability to connect with others, to improve my awareness of being in the moment and also, to have fun.

In Improv, there's no script to learn. Everything is created in the moment by the actors on stage. One of the first Improv lessons is to Celebrate Mistakes, because if you play safe there will be no spontaneity, and when a group of people are being spontaneous together, there will be a lot of 'mistakes'.

When on stage, it's natural to go blank, to not find any words to say. It's normal to panic, to say or do things that breaks your connection with the other actors. It's entirely acceptable to make a mess of things, indeed that's where a lot of the fun comes from in Improv classes.

Celebrate mistakes!

This is how we celebrate. When you lose connection with the other actors, or you go blank, dry up, or panic (or whatever other variation you came up with) , say out loud, "I FAILED" and everyone will join you in a loud whooping celebration with cheers and laughter, "YAYYY, YOU FAILED". Watch the magic happen here.

The first few times this happens, it can be tough to admit you failed, because ordinary society does not readily allow us to make mistakes. But the improv stage is a safe space and after a few times - enjoying everyone's delight in yet another opportunity to whoop with joy - you get used to making mistakes. And then something magical happens. To find out what, join an Improv class. Tell them I sent you. Don't worry if they go blank. They have no idea who I am. But if they are on the ball, they will say something like, "Oh HIM, we know all about him. Who is he??"

The atmosphere at an Improv course is highly energetic. And that's why, if you are an introvert, you have most to gain from Improv classes.

Introvert / Extrovert

Do you see students who would fit these descriptions?

• Extrovert: a person who is outgoing; sociable or concerned with outer affairs.
• Introvert: often thought of as a quiet, reserved, and thoughtful individual.

For students who are extroverts, school is an excellent place to develop their social skills. However, students who are introverts school is challenging and they need you to use a range of different strategies, such as the ones below, in order to feel welcome in school.

Speaking Up in Class

Do all of your students speak up in discussions? It could be that the potential pain of their speaking up overshadows the benefits of contributing to the discussion. For many students speaking in class fills them with painful thoughts, and even you have told your students how important it is to be able to speak in public. There is a need for you to manage their fears.

One of the most challenging situations for introvert students is when they have to speak up in class, in front of their classmates, some of whom are extroverts and have a lot to say.

When I teach the same class several times a week, for months, I notice, from their responses to my questions, which students might be introverts. They appear to lack confidence, or be afraid, or they say the lesson is going too fast for them to join in actively.

How can I support them?

Here are three strategies that keeps the classroom Q&A conversations going without allowing the extrovert students to dominate, or pressuring the introvert students into performing too much.

Role Play

I pay attention when students say things like, “I don’t know what to say”, or “I haven’t got anything interesting to say”, or “They will laugh at what I have to say”. I use role play as part of a speaking exercise. Shy students get confidence from speaking from ‘behind’ the mask of an assigned role.

I divide students into groups of three or four with one extrovert student in each group as "Speaker" for the group and others as "Supporter" Only the Speakers are allowed to speak to the audience, the rest of the class. Speakers can get support from their Supporters as needed. The Speaker is a buffer between what the Supporters want to say and what the audience will hear.

Shush and Slow Down

I notice if students seem to follow the discussion, but in silence. When I query them, they might say, "By the time I think of something to say, the discussion has moved on, so I prefer to just listen".

I use silence and slow the discussion down. At the start of the discussion, I ask all the students to jot down some ideas, or ask students to discuss ideas with a person next to them. During the discussion, I allow time for students to think before letting them talk. I avoid calling on the first student - usually an extrovert - who is waving their hand in the air, instead I say, "Just take a few more moments to really think about this" and then choose the next person on my list.

Just One Question

Students can be afraid that if they say something, I will follow up with a more challenging question. I often do ask deeper follow up question, but I keep an eye open to see if students avoid making eye contact with me so as to avoid being chosen to speak twice. They may answer “I don’t know”, even when I know that they have an answer.

I tell them, “I will only ask you just this one question...”. Then when the student answers I repeat it and ask the follow-up question to a different student or the whole class, and not to the student who’s afraid.

Counting mistakes

There can be some benefit from counting the mistakes students made during a lesson. Allowing time for your students to realise that you set value on them taking risks, making mistakes and learning from them will prepare them for upcoming class activities that are more risky.

Ask students in turn at the end of the day, questions like these:

• “What risks did you take in your learning today?”
• “What mistakes did you make today?”
• “What did you learn today from your mistakes today?”
• “What did you risk today that you haven’t risked before?”

Let the students give themselves a grade from 1 to 10 on how many mistakes they made.

• “What grade do you give yourself for making mistakes today?”
• “What makes you give yourself that grade?”
• “Why especially a ‘seven’ ?”
• “What would you need to do to get a higher grade?”
• “What do you need to do to give yourself a ten?”

NEXT

In the next article, we will be looking at coaching questions you can use during a lesson.