Mistakes are fundamental to the learning process. They illuminate the horizons of our knowledge and lend a meaningful sense of the discrepancy between what is known and what is left to be known. Mistakes sharpen self-monitoring, judgement, and skills, and stimulate questioning and curiosity. Mistakes are the atomic unit that future learning comprises. 

The thing is, existing research only tells us how to minimize and avoid mistakes altogether.  But, mistake-making is so unavoidably human that we can’t reasonably be expected to go through our day-to-day lives trying to avoid mistakes. The issue at hand really should not be whether we can eradicate mistake-making. Instead, we should seek to understand how learning can be something sought from the mistakes we make, rather than being something denied.

We’ve all experienced learning from a mistake. We’ve been able to reflect on what went wrong, pocket those lessons, and move forward with greater confidence. On the other hand, we’ve all also made mistakes that we didn’t learn from. In those instances, we made a mistake, grew frustrated, and took nothing away from the experience. So, what actually accounts for this difference? Why is it that sometimes we learn and sometimes we stagnate or even regress? 

Well, that’s where Mistake Literacy comes in -- a mindset that builds students’ capacity and capability to recognize, react to, and repair their mistakes. Mistakes are an inevitable part of the learning process. And, that’s what Mistake Literacy is all about, making the most of what is most natural and unavoidable – the process itself.

Want to read more about Mistake Literacy? Click here.

Conference Recordings

Zak Cohen is a frequent presenter at conferences in the United States and across the globe, focusing on personalized learning practices that empower educators and school leaders to innovate with confidence, affirm student voice, and cultivate an equitable learning environment.

How to Create a Culture of Mistake-Learning in Your Classroom

Student Achievement Partners
This webinar teaches three simple shifts you can make to your daily instructional practice that will bring mistake-learning to life in your classroom.

Achieving Perfection Without Being Perfect

ASCD Leadership Summit
This session predominately focuses on the what, why, and how of supporting faculty in learning from their mistakes. It is designed to revolve around wellness and wellbeing.

Learning From Our Mistakes

ASCD Empowered Principal Conference
A look at why it’s important for us to encourage faculty to experiment; and how to create conditions wherein such trial and error is not only likely, but likely to lead to learning.

How We Learn From Our Mistakes

KIE Conference
This presentation advances a new theoretical construct called Mistake Literacy. Mistake Literacy is about becoming fluent about how to learn from mistakes.

One Mistake at a Time

ASCD New Era of Education Symposium
Using the research-driven practice Mistake Literacy, this session equips teachers with the skills, dispositions, and competencies to become innovative, resilient, and self-efficacious.