The majority of us considers mistakes as negative actions and tries to avoid that. Well! Avoiding mistakes is good but that doesn’t mean they are negative. On the contrary, mistakes are rather important. For, they help us learn better and get better.
In short, they help us improve in the respective field. We all make mistakes but its proper handling to use it to our advantage is what distinguishes great leaders from the crowd. While mistakes are important, what is even more important is handling the mistakes.
Those who own the mistake handling skills know well how to turn them into breaks. The same goes for students as well. Here, we will discuss how making mistakes push you to learn better and what are the most common mistake handling skills.
The Top Five Ways Mistakes Help Us Learn Better
- Gain Better Clarity into the Subject
When you make a mistake, you try to solve the question from different perspectives. And, when you try to solve it from different perspectives, you learn different laws, rules, etc. As a result, your knowledge spectrum becomes wider. So, while by not making the mistake you would have learned a given pattern of the lesson, now by making it you could learn a lot. You could get better clarity on the subject.
- Deal With Fears
New skills can be learned during the summer break by children. Children can also learn a new language during their summer break. Multilingual skills can be helpful for children in the long run. For learning a new language, children can opt for an online method of learning instead of looking for classes outdoors. Children can also take up cooking classes and learn to bake to develop culinary skills. Children also have a chance to learn playing a musical instrument, learn dancing skills and other skills that are of their interest during summer vacations. This is a productive way of using the summer vacations for children.
- Become More Creative
As we discussed above, if you make a mistake you try to solve the problem from different perspectives. However, when you do so, you become more creative. This is how you learn the art of creativity even more. Remember, innovation and creativity is something that can help you stand out from the crowd.
- Develop Research Skills
When you make a mistake and try to handle it, you carry out thorough research for handling your mistake. Let’s say, you are unable to solve a maths question and are recurrently making mistakes. Now to solve it somehow, you conduct deep research of the laws and theorems. So, in the meantime, while you solve the question, you have gained two advantages. First, you learned new things, and second, you developed research skills, which are quite crucial in today’s educational landscape.
- Become a Mentor
All the advantages of making mistakes are correlated. When you make a mistake, you conduct deep research on the subject to solve the mistake. When you carry out the research, you learn new things and gain better knowledge of the subject.
Now when you have gained a better knowledge of a subject, you may even become a subject matter expert and can mentor someone on it. Isn’t that wonderful!
The Stepwise Process of Handling Mistakes
- Acknowledging the Mistake
Until and unless you acknowledge your mistake, chances are you will repeat it over and over again. Admitting to the mistake is the first step towards rectifying it and not committing it again. Some people try to escape from the mistakes they have committed by blaming others or the circumstances for it but that’s not going to help. So, first thing first, admit your mistake.
- Taking the Responsibility
After you have admitted your mistake, the next step is to take the responsibility of rectifying it. Take ownership of the problem and be your boss when it comes to leading the game of mistake rectification. It doesn’t mean you should not consult others on how to rectify the mistake, just that you put your efforts honestly. Don’t admit the mistake just for the heck of admitting it. Work towards the mistake handling properly.
- Carry Out the Research
You must work upon the 5 Ws and 1 H of problem-solving: who, what, why, when, where and how to solve the problem. Though sometimes, somewhere not all the We are required, still you should consider all those that are relevant to the problem.
You must work upon the 5 Ws and 1 H of problem-solving: who, what, why, when, where and how to solve the problem. Though sometimes, somewhere not all the We are required, still you should consider all those that are relevant to the problem. - Plan the Solution
Now, when you have conducted in-depth research of the mistake and found out why it was happening, you could work upon finding the solution. This is the time when you can create an action plan for rectifying the mistake. When you plan the solution you will see the mistake from different perspectives to have the ultimate solution to it. In this way where you had to learn one thing by not making the mistake, you learned multiple things in your effort to solve it.
- Take the Action
Now, you have the reasons behind your mistake and an action plan in place. So, go ahead and rectify your mistake and turn the mistake into an opportunity to become a game-changer and a leader. Stand out from the crowd. Let everyone know your qualities and potential.
- Reviewing the Action
You have taken action and proved your worth. However, don’t forget to review the solution you have found before sharing it with anyone. This is how you can be double sure that you are not committing the mistake again. Remember, while confidence is a boon, overconfidence can act as an impediment to your improvement. Don’t be overconfident and always review your solution before sharing.
The Final Words
“All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes.” - Winston Churchill
The above proverb by Winston Churchill is as true as the truth that we are human beings and are bound to make mistakes. Mistakes are inevitable as we are Omniscient. We do not know everything and being unaware of a lot of things we make mistakes. But if we wish to learn, we can learn anything in this world. So, don’t consider mistakes as big errors. Rather take them as opportunities to learn new and more things.
Remember that mistakes are bound to be there if you are learning a new chapter or a subject. But how soon you pick up and work upon your mistake decides how easily you will grasp the concepts. No matter which subject is that, making mistakes while learning is healthy? All you need is to admit your mistake and work upon rectifying it. Just keep in mind the process of mistake handling we have discussed to solve each problem quickly and easily.
There is nothing wrong with making mistakes if you made one. Just admit it and work upon it so that you don’t commit it over and over again. Ziyyara is an online tutoring platform that is renowned for helping students work upon their mistakes effectively and efficiently. Every tutor at Ziyyara ensures that the students do not fear making mistakes and they learn to convert their mistakes into opportunities.