To start 2011 on the right note, check out this video from TED Talks.
Diana Laufenberg is an 11th grade teacher of American History at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia.
In her speech, she emphasizes the importance of learning from mistakes.
According to her, we "have to be comfortable with this idea of allowing kids (students) to fail as part of the learning process."
I totally agree with her.
As a Microbiology major, I have acquired the skill to think of different approaches in order to get a specific result.
All important technologies and discoveries have gone through the same thing... trial and error.
Scientists and researchers abide by just one process, the Scientific Method.
In Science, it is the usual process of finding out information.
This involves testing your ideas by performing experiments and making decisions based on the results.
Trust me, this is not a one-shot deal.
As a foreigner living in Japan, the words I learned through experience are the ones I could remember easily as opposed to the ones I have studied through rote memorization.
Using a totally inappropriate word for a situation is surely the best way to learn something new.
The people who heard of this "inappropriateness" are very eager to supply the correct phrase or word.
The idea of repeating the same boo-boo in front of the same crowd (heaven forbid!) is so embarrassing that I'd do my best to never make the same mistake.
In my opinion, students also learn faster through trial and error.
The learners who are not afraid to commit mistakes can improve faster because they learn the correct words instantly unlike those who pretend to understand what was being taught.
In Dela Cruz English Club, we always encourage the learners to speak despite the mistakes they might make.
It's the only way to learn.
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