Middle Schoolers Make Mistakes: Building a Model for Mistake Literacy

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 4:55 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Reflective Practices in Support of Student Learning in the Middle Grades (Table 8)

Abstract

In an age widely defined by change, one thing is for sure: People will make mistakes. What is uncertain is whether people will learn from them. As common as mistake-making is, learning from mistakes is not common at all. This concurrent mixed methods case study constructed and tested a conceptual framework composed of the processes that mediate middle grades students’ inclination and ability to learn from their mistakes. Using mixed methods, this conceptual framework—referred to as “Mistake Literacy”—articulated the proximal and distal conditions that exert a meaningful influence on mistake-learning, resulting in a proverbial playbook to guide educators in elevating and embracing the vital role that mistakes play in the learning process.

Authors

• Zachary Cohen, Drexel University

• Mary Jean Tecce DeCarlo, Drexel University