What happens when mistakes are celebrated in the classroom? Nicola McMullan Group 1A Rationale Fraser (2018) revealed that the mindset of a child impacts the motivation and achievement of their learning. A mistake in the classroom has been seen to stimulate a fixed mindset and a lack of motivation towards learning. However, Boaler (2015) highlighted that mistakes should be used as opportunities to develop, challenge and motivate learners. Also, embracing mistakes has been seen to be an integral part of the growth mindset process (Rissanen et al, 2019). Blackwell (2018) found that the environment of the classroom can change the mindset of a child. As well this, it has been seen that the teacher altering questioning and feedback techniques can enhance the way children learn. The shift in techniques should focus on the process of learning rather than always focusing on the correct outcome (Dweck, 2006). Hattie (2012) discovered that teachers should scaffold learning and should provide constructive feedback rather than praise. The Scottish Government (2010) also supported this by highlighting that teachers should provide a supportive environment for children. Therefore, it is vital that the teachers create an environment in the classroom where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities to challenge and motivate learners. This topic was particularly of interest to the Practitioner Enquiry group, as growth mindset is an area of development and importance in many School Improvement Plans. Also, many practitioners believed that the interventions would benefit the children in their class. Aims The aim of this enquiry was to discover the impact on children’s learning and mindset when mistakes were celebrated in the classroom. Also, it was to observe what happens when more positive language was used when a mistake was made, as well as trying to learn from the mistakes. Methodology This enquiry was carried out with a primary four class of twenty seven children, with ranging abilities. The research lasted approximately 4 weeks. To gather evidence; questionnaires, pupil voice and exit passes were used. The data gathered aimed to discover if there was any impact on learning and mindset of the children. Method 1 - Questionnaire All children completed a questionnaire about their knowledge of growth mindset and their feelings towards making mistakes. The children scored each question from 0-4. Each number on the scale had an emotion attached. This allowed the children to relate the numbers to a feeling. At the end of the four weeks, the children then completed the growth mindset questionnaire again. All of the data gathered should discover the difference in mindset and learning when mistakes are celebrated. The questionnaire can be seen below.

Growth Mindset

Questionnaire

1. Do you think it is okay to make mistakes?

2. How do you feel when you make a mistake during a task?

3. How do you feel when you make a mistake when answering questions in class?

4. Do you know what it means to have a fixed mindset?

5. Do you know what it means to have a growth mindset?

Method 2 – Exit Pass The children completed various exit passes following maths lessons. The exit passes gathered evidence on the children’s feelings after making a mistake, and what they learned from it. Alternatively, it provided evidence of the children’s feelings if they didn’t make any mistakes. The exit pass can be seen below.

Exit Pass

What did you learn from the lesson? _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ Did you make a mistake during the lesson? Yes No How did you feel? _________________________________ What did you learn from your mistake? _________________________________ _________________________________

Method 3 – Pupil Voice Pupil voice was also used throughout for the children to express their feelings about making mistakes and what they learned. They added their feelings to speech and thought bubbles when they felt like they had learned from their mistakes. The speech bubbles were set up in a “Change Your Mindset” display. Within the display were balloons showing the difference in statements from a child with a fixed mindset to that of one with a growth mindset. The display can be seen below.

Additional Methods Health and Wellbeing (growth mindset) lessons were used in the classroom. The children investigated how many popular inventions were created due to making a mistake, or by accident. The children then created a “My Beautiful Oops” art piece which can be seen below. This showed the children that by drawing lines, they created something creative, and unique.

A recognition board was also introduced to the class, which can be seen below. The recognition board encouraged children to learn from their mistakes. If the children learned from a mistake in the classroom, or outside of school, their name was added to the recognition board and they would receive a class reward. A “no hands” policy was also promoted and teachers used lollipop sticks to choose a name at random to answer a question.

Findings The findings from this study discovered that before the enquiry, seven children chose a score of 0 to show their feelings towards making a mistake during a task, as can be seen below in figure 1. This shows that the children felt sad or angry. Twelve children reacted with a score of 3 or 4, showing that they thought it was okay. Following the study, only one child scored a 0 and eighteen children scored a 3 or 4. This highlights that the children were receiving praise for learning from their mistakes and it was positively promoted that it is okay to make mistakes. Figure 1

Prior to the study, nine children felt okay giving a wrong answer when answering out in class, as seen in figure 2 below. However, after the study this figure rose to eleven children feeling less embarrassed when giving a wrong answer aloud. Before the study, six children coloured in 0 as their answer, but this number dropped to three post study. This reveals that the children were more confident when answering out in class. No hands policy and choosing from the lollipop sticks, as well as positive reinforcement helped to gain this positive outcome.

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Figure 2

As can be seen in figure 3 below, previous to the study, eleven children had a strong understanding of what a fixed mindset was by scoring a 4 and five children scored a 3. Six children scored between 0 and 1, showing that they did not have a strong understanding. In comparison, after the study, nineteen children scored a 4, however, no children scored a 0 or 1 on this question. This promotes the idea that throughout the process the children have gained knowledge of a fixed mindset. Figure 3

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Prior to the study, twenty one children had a strong meaning of growth mindset by scoring 3 and 4. This can be seen in figure 4. Only six children scored between 0 and 2. However, after the 4 week study, no children scored a 0, 1 or 2 and twenty five children scored a 4. This left two children scoring a 3. This strongly displays that the children have gained knowledge on having a growth mindset. The children have gained this knowledge through displays, recognition board and through positive discussions. Figure 4

Examples of exit passes can be found below. In week 1, one child said they felt “bad” after getting an answer wrong, however another child felt “great” as they got everything correct. Other recurring negative word that was displayed was “embarrassed”. During the next few weeks more exit passes were completed. The children were beginning to add positive words “I learned from my mistake” and “I will know what to do next time”. Finally, in the fourth week of the study, there was a positive shift in mindset. Although some children still felt “embarrassed”, most children felt “fine” or “okay” if they got an answer wrong. However, importantly, the children were able to say that “it is okay to make a mistake”, and “I will know for next time”. These statements show that the children’s mindset changed from feeling embarrassed and sad, without learning from their mistakes, to understanding that it is okay to make a mistake, as long as they learn from it.

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Conclusions As previously said, the aim of this study was to discover what happened to children’s learning and mindset when mistakes were celebrated in the classroom. It can be seen from the results that using more positive language and trying to learn from a mistake had a positive impact on their mindset. The children were starting to believe that they could learn from their mistakes, and that mistakes are an integral part of the learning process. They did not feel as embarrassed if they got an answer wrong when answering out in class, or made a mistake in their jotter. However, this enquiry was only conducted over a short period of time. For a more reliable conclusion to be made, and for the impact to stronger, it would have to be recorded over a longer period. Implications for Future Practice The findings from this enquiry, and from conclusions drawn, it can be said that it is important for teachers to create the perfect learning environment for the children in the class. Positive language should be used to allow children to learn from the mistakes, and in turn change their own mindset. This enquiry indicated that celebrating mistakes allowed for the children to have more of a growth mindset, and know they are vital in the learning process.

Bibliography Boaler, J. (2015). Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students’ Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Dweck, C. (2006) Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York, NY Random House Publishing Group. Available from: <https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Mindset.html?id=fdjqz0TPL2wC> [Accessed 25th January 2020]. Fraser, D. (2018) An Exploration of the Application and Implementation of Growth Mindset Principles Within a Primary School. British Journal of Education Psychology. Vol 88 (4) 645-658. Available from: <https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/bjep.12208> [Accessed 25th January 2020]. Hattie, J. (2012) Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximising Impact on Learning. New York: Taylor and Francis. Rissanen, I., Kuusisto, E., Tuominen, M., and Tirri, K. (2019) In Search of a Growth Mindset Pedagogy: A Case Study of One Teacher’s Practices in a Finnish Elementary School. Teaching and Teacher Education. Vol 77, pp204-213. Available from: <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0742051X18307947?via%3Dihub> [Accessed 25th January 2020]. Scottish Government (2010) Building Curriculum for Excellence Through Positive Relationships and Behaviour. Available from: <https://www2.gov.scot/Publications/2010/06/25112828/1> [Accessed 8th January 2020].