I hate seeing the defeated look on my students' faces when I tell them an answer is wrong. I hate it even more when I watch them shut down because they didn't do something perfect the first time the tried it. Why do they think they will get everything right? Why do they think they have to? Part of it is our fault, part of it is their age, part of it is human nature.
We as adults sometimes react very harshly to wrong answers. We excpect them to be perfect so that rubs ofon them. We need to be ok with them falling then helping them get back up. We need to remember ourselves as students, especailly when we are having bad days, and not let that influence how harsh we grade or treat our kids. We need to stopusing grades as punishments. Grades matter, but assignments are supposed to be formative. "Bad grades" shouldn't end at just that, but rather should lead to conversations and practice to help students master skills and concepts.
Teenagers are self conscoius and generally speaking have low self esteem. Even the ones that seem confident are trying to fit in or maybe even trying to create a group and lead it. That causes pressure on thier end towant to be better or perfect. The competitiveness that many of them have drivesthem to put pressue on themselves. We have to harness that energy as teachers and show them how to make that energy healthy and productive, not harmful and stress inducing.
Human nature plays a part because, generally speaking, we want to please someone who has "power" over us. This puts pressure on our students too. That may not be your teacher, it may not be your boss, it may not be your parent, but there's someone you want to tell you you're doing a good job. Everyone has had someone like that. If you think you don't you're lying to yourself. Maybe that person is not around anymore, but at some point you wanted to please someone. Wanting to prove someone wrong is the same thing. Different side of the samecoin.
I try to help my students see that being wrong is ok. Continuing to be wrong about the same thing is not OK. Get better. Learn. Improve. This is the goal. There's no way to do that if you don't try, fail, speak up, and get help.
We as adults sometimes react very harshly to wrong answers. We excpect them to be perfect so that rubs ofon them. We need to be ok with them falling then helping them get back up. We need to remember ourselves as students, especailly when we are having bad days, and not let that influence how harsh we grade or treat our kids. We need to stopusing grades as punishments. Grades matter, but assignments are supposed to be formative. "Bad grades" shouldn't end at just that, but rather should lead to conversations and practice to help students master skills and concepts.
Teenagers are self conscoius and generally speaking have low self esteem. Even the ones that seem confident are trying to fit in or maybe even trying to create a group and lead it. That causes pressure on thier end towant to be better or perfect. The competitiveness that many of them have drivesthem to put pressue on themselves. We have to harness that energy as teachers and show them how to make that energy healthy and productive, not harmful and stress inducing.
Human nature plays a part because, generally speaking, we want to please someone who has "power" over us. This puts pressure on our students too. That may not be your teacher, it may not be your boss, it may not be your parent, but there's someone you want to tell you you're doing a good job. Everyone has had someone like that. If you think you don't you're lying to yourself. Maybe that person is not around anymore, but at some point you wanted to please someone. Wanting to prove someone wrong is the same thing. Different side of the samecoin.
I try to help my students see that being wrong is ok. Continuing to be wrong about the same thing is not OK. Get better. Learn. Improve. This is the goal. There's no way to do that if you don't try, fail, speak up, and get help.
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