Making room for mistakes
I will not learn a thing by only ever doing everything right. “The concept of meeting mistakes with acceptance runs counter to the societal standard of avoiding errors at all costs. It contradicts the conventional wisdom that there are those who are good because they are doing things right and those who are bad because they are doing them wrong. Against the backdrop of this norm, admitting errors becomes difficult. Making room for mistakes in teaching therefore requires a conscious effort. Everyone needs to be liberated from the pressure of always having to do things right and of having to be perfect. Only after we have ceased demanding from ourselves (and others) that things are to be done right can we truly confront our own contribution to the reproductions of power relations.” (Urmila Goel 2016)
Change originates from mistakes, they are necessary for reflection and for personal development.
Musings of a female lecturer
“Development always also connotes risk, new paths and uncertainty. In order to be willing to accept these factors, I need to be allowed to make mistakes from which I can learn and grow. The German term for rehearsal is Probe, which literally refers to the process of ausprobiereren – “ trying out”. This means that I am trying something with my art, potentially but not necessarily bringing me closer to my artistic ambition.
Joyfully and confidently trying out both invites and requires aspects of open-endedness, of moving towards a goal rather than arriving at it. If the rehearsal brings me closer to my artistic ambition it can be classified as a success. However, the process may still have been successful, even if I do not notice any immediate progression on my artistic path. I may have become aware of my current limits on a subtler and probably less goal-driven level, prompting me to push them by intensifying my practice. Or I may have become conscious of the fact that certain environments and/or conditions are not conducive to my artistic development, challenging me to change them.
If those participating in rehearsals or lessons are in a position to allow these notions, freedom for experiments will grow and courage to introduce novel elements of expression can increase. With the danger of potential shaming or belittling removed, these newly introduced aspects can then be reconceived, revised, expanded, specified and developed in a joint process. If this room for mistakes is lacking, however, the question of whether my trying out will be met with approval or not will remain in the back of my head. This being the case, the very essence of trying out, i.e.: curious artistic development, will be lost and replaced by an external focus aiming for outside confirmation, potentially closing off the very possibility of generating artistic development.
In order to be similarly open for new pedagogic processes as a teacher, I require assurance that the room for making mistakes extends to me as well. (mh)
Ideas to inspire reflection
How I handle mistakes as a teacher is often influenced by how errors were handled during my time at school and/or my professional training. Addressing one’s personal educational biography in relation to error culture can be conducive to revealing subconscious patterns and to develop an understanding attitude towards student’s mistakes.
- How were mistakes handled during my time at school/my professional training?
- Are there any key moments that come to mind?
- Do you remember any role models and/or negative examples in relation to handling (one’s own) mistakes?
- How does the error culture you experienced influence your attitude towards mistakes?
- Is anything from that time [still] present in your current pedagogical conduct?
- What was the method of instruction you experienced? Does it reflect your view of good teaching?
Further links and tools
for reading and exploring