Reframing is where we take something learners say, something they think, or something with which they are familiar, and cast it in a different light.

It is a semantic exercise, in which we seek to change the meaning of something by altering how it is presented.

Reframing mistakes means re-presenting them to learners in a positive light.

This gives them a different way to think and talk about mistakes.

In addition, we redefine the norms of our classroom, specifying, as we do, how we would like mistakes to be viewed and spoken about.

Here are some examples of how to reframe mistakes.

Example 1

• Learner: It’s just wrong, isn’t it, so why bother?
• Teacher: I wouldn’t expect you to be getting it right yet – we’ve only just started. Getting it wrong is the first step to getting it right, so let’s see what we can learn from the mistakes.

Example 2

• Learner: It’s no good, miss. Look at all the errors. I can’t do it.
• Teacher: Errors are a good thing, Sarah. They show us where we need to focus our effort. That will help us improve. If you weren’t making any errors, the work would be too easy. And I want my lessons to be challenging for you!

Example 3

• Learner: Why should I try again if I’m wrong all the time?
• Teacher: Well, Arlo, let’s use being wrong as our starting point. If we know where we went wrong, then we know what we need to think about to get better. Let’s sit down together and discuss how to get it right next time.

In each example, the negative connotations learners attach to mistake-making are not outright denied.

Doing this could cause conflict and make the learner feel their voice is being shut down.

Instead, the teacher reframes the language in which mistake-making is couched, providing an alternative model through which the learner can think.

It also sees the teacher setting the agenda.

How they reframe learner language sets the scene for what comes next – persistence and trying again.

Without reframing, our example learners may be more likely to give up.

This will reinforce the negative narrative in their minds, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In summary, reframing sees the teacher giving learners a different way to think about mistakes, without denying their voice or sense of agency.

It signals a positive perspective on mistakes and, through doing so, offers a way forward that leads to growth, development, and learning.

Good Mistakes

A more general reframing technique involves redefining mistakes made in the classroom as ‘good mistakes’.

This can take one of two forms.

First, you can redefine all mistakes as ‘good mistakes’.

This results in a shift in the language of the classroom.

The hope is that a concomitant shift will follow in the minds, thoughts, and actions of your learners.

To achieve this, it is best to consistently explain to learners why mistakes are good mistakes.

Otherwise, they may see the linguistic change as purely superficial, as opposed to what it really is – a genuine attempt to redefine what mistakes are and what they give rise to.

Second, you can redefine a certain subset of mistakes as ‘good mistakes’.

This means choosing to rename only some mistakes.

The most obvious example here is to refer to mistakes that have a significant impact on learning as ‘good mistakes’.

Misconceptions are a good example.

We might find a maths teacher deciding to call learner misconceptions ‘good mistakes’, before using these as teaching points.

As part of this, the teacher would explain to their learners why they are calling these mistakes ‘good mistakes’, drawing their attention to the reasoning that underlies the change.

When using either of these approaches you should aim to be consistent over time.

It may take a while for some learners to get used to talking about mistakes differently.

Another tool you can use is referring to your own mistakes as ‘good mistakes’.

These can be accidental mistakes or mistakes you make deliberately.

Either way, you are showing learners that we all make mistakes and that we can all choose how we perceive them – as opportunities, threats or things to be avoided.

A nice starter activity through which to reinforce the idea involves collecting a set of good mistakes, displaying these on the board, and asking learners to discuss the following question in pairs:

• Why are these good mistakes and what can we learn from them?

Here, the emphasis is on getting learners to articulate why the mistakes are mistakes.

In so doing, they analyse the thinking that has given rise to them, as well as the information they reveal, and the learning this facilitates.

If a maths teacher used this technique, it might look like this:

• 10 + 4 = 104
• 20 x 2 = 22
• 300 – 1000 = 700
• 2.2 x 6.6 = 145.2
• Have a look at these mistakes. Discuss with your partner why they are good mistakes and what we can learn from them.

In this example, each of the good mistakes illustrates a common error or misconception connected to the relevant type of calculation.

The mistakes reveal information about the processes from which they arise.

This is information we can learn from, teach from, and use to avoid making such mistakes in the future.

It is also information that helps us to better appreciate our own understanding of the processes in question.

Trial and Improvement

A final reframing strategy is to start talking about trial and improvement.

Promoting trial and error means promoting the idea that mistakes are OK.

It also means lowering the costs of failure.

If learners know we expect them to try things out, make mistakes and then try again, how they perceive failure will likely change.

When introducing a greater degree of trial and error into your lessons, you might like to rename it ‘trial and improvement’.

The logic is clear.

It echoes the points made previously around the idea of ‘good mistakes’.

You can weave trial and improvement into your lessons in all sorts of ways.

Here are seven examples.

Example 1

Include a trial and improvement success criterion when asking learners to complete an activity or create a piece of work.

For example: I want to see evidence that you have tried and improved at least two different layouts before settling on your final leaflet design.

Example 2

Mark the working out that learners do.

This approach is common in maths.

You may remember being asked to ‘show your working’ when you were at school.

You can extend across the curriculum.

For example, by asking learners to plan their writing in their books, before doing it.

You then have a rough plan to mark, as well as the final product.

Example 3

Discuss learners’ work with them during the ‘working out phase’.

For example, a dance teacher might circulate through the room while learners are preparing a new routine.

As they do, they discuss ideas with learners and encourage them to try things out and then improve them.

Example 4

Give learners time in which to test ideas and problem-solving strategies.

For example, a geography teacher might ask learners to design a tourism map of the local town centre but first give them a testing period in which trial and improvement is the focus, rather than the creation of the map.

Example 5

Regularly include planning time in activities and teach learners how to use this.

For example, show them how to try ideas out and then improve them, explaining why this matters and how it leads to better results.

Example 6

Encourage the use of supplemental thinking tools that give learners space to try things out.

The three simplest examples are mini-whiteboards, scrap paper and rough books.

Each provides an additional space in which trial and improvement can happen, in advance of the main piece of work.

Example 7

Build verbal rehearsal into your activities.

This sees learners discussing and debating ideas before using them in their writing or to complete a practical task.

Discussion provides a space in which learners can edit, refine, and clarify their thinking prior to using it – a clear example of trial and improvement.