CULTIVATING A CULTURE OF ERROR 1

Signature Assignment: Cultivating a Culture of Error

Emily E. Pompa

Arizona State University: Mary Lou Fulton

SED 322: Classroom Leadership/Secondary Schools

Dr. Monica Eklund

December 2, 2021
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Abstract

There are several texts that suggest the importance of making mistakes within the subject

of mathematics. A strong connection of each text is provided throughout this reading and

evaluates the many effects that making mistakes may have on students. With that, this reading

will dig deeper into how the negative experiences pertaining to mistake-making can be translated

into positive realizations that allow students to connect meaningful mathematical ideas. As a

whole, several texts are analyzed within this paper and used as a basis for understanding what a

culture of error is and how it is successfully implemented into a classroom. Along with the

idealistic suggestions for a successful culture of error, the effect this type of classroom

community may have on students, as well as their supporters, is evaluated with the use of cited

evidence. Furthermore, a formal proposal on how to combat student frustration and implement

comfortability with mistake-making in a unique learning environment will sum up the

overarching purpose of this reading.

Keywords: culture of error, mistake-making, meaningful mathematics, learning

environment, students frustration, productive struggle

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Cultivating a Culture of Error

At some point or another, most people will ponder the significance of the mathematics

they learned, or lack thereof, within their educational experiences. With no avail, students

constantly struggle to produce a single memory in which to use 𝑦 = 𝑚𝑥 + 𝑏 outside of a

mathematics classroom due to the idea that they are “not a math person” (Joe, 2021). With that, it

is worth asking: do the difficulties encountered within the subject contribute to a lack of

understanding and willingness to understand? The large stigma that the subject of mathematics

suffers is the inability to provide an understanding of the content to students in a way that

provides meaning. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2014) supports this notion,

as they believe that students often take advantage of this stigma and use it as a pass for

reproducing the same answer out of confusion: “I don’t know.”

It is too often that students enter a math classroom, already bearing the weight of stress

over content that they have yet to learn. This weight translates into overwhelming anxiety that

mathematics teachers can combat by cultivating a culture that shines a new light on what it

means to make mistakes (Vukovic, Roberts, & Green Wright, 2013). The cultivation of a culture

of error can be seen as a pathway to showing students what it truly means to learn from their

mistakes. More specifically, teachers can provide strong questioning and guidance when students

are frustrated to aid them in thinking meaningfully about mathematics. This type of environment

is crucial to the learning process as it builds confidence in students’ ability to recognize that the

mistakes they make in problem-solving are merely opportunities for better understanding the

how to achieve the desired result (NCTM, 2014).

The Importance of Error

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There must first be an understanding that a culture of error is a community where error is

embraced, rather than made an embarrassment. Furthermore, placing frustration amongst

students is not the answer, as the struggles that they endure are needed in order to be productive

(NCTM, 2014). Fostering a comfortable environment, where students can willingingly share

mistakes, is where we can begin to change students’ mindset on what it means to make mistakes

(Lemov, 2015). This is best initiated when educators are willing to share their own mistakes first.

As the knowledgeable other, we are expected to never make mistakes, therefore when presenting

them to students, they are given a new feeling of comfortability in the classroom (Joe, 2021).

This issue is consistent throughout all schools, as the previously mentioned stigma

follows students, rather than the content itself. As with any subject, there is a learning process

that occurs and, without the proper strategies and practice, fails to be successful in creating an

understanding of the content (Seifried & Wuttke, 2010). With that in mind, it is imperative that

teachers define the strengths that come from making mistakes. The further we go in representing

the importance of error, the more our students will embrace the sharing of mistakes as a way of

learning (Lemov, 2015).

Environmental Analysis

There is solidarity in supporting students in willingingly presenting their errors, as it

provides a sense of community where all are welcome to be themselves and share their true ideas

on the content. Although easier said than done, Lemov (2015) suggests that the best way of

providing such a community is by presenting students with the proper ideas associated with

mistake making. Furthermore, there is wonder in how such a practice can be incorporated into

the classroom, given that students are commonly predisposed to self-conscious feelings
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pertaining to making mistakes (Joe, 2021). It all begins with the provision of safety within a

classroom, where mistakes are thought of as a way of life or, in this case, a way of learning.

Internal Strengths

There are a few key ways to understand how to build a solid foundation for students to

feel welcomed in presenting their mathematical mistakes. The first practice to help make this

possible is by representing what it means to make mistakes and struggle through problem

solving. Lemov (2015) supports this ideology through stressing the importance of establishing a

culture of error through both the words and the actions of the teacher, as well as the students.

This means that there is a benefit to exposing the mistakes of the teacher in a classroom to ease

students’ minds, yet this idea should translate to the students and their peers. Consistent

encouragement after presenting error in their work can help to strengthen the opportunity of

removing the negative connotations attached to making mistakes (Lemov, 2015).

Internal Weaknesses

There is a wide range of outcomes that are possible when attempting to implement a

teaching practice. With that, it is crucial that teachers evaluate how to best implement a practice

such as this one or there will be no avail. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

(2014) emphasizes the importance of holding back from “rescuing” students. More specifically,

it is imperative that educators refrain from providing information that is disadvantageous to the

students' learning. Misinterpreting frustration and providing an out for students only impairs their

ability to productively struggle through a problem (NCTM, 2014).

Another key factor that may alter a students’ ability to learn through error is the inability

for a teacher to plan for possible error (NCTM, 2014). This ideology is present amongst those
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that feel procrastination is irrelevant in the presence of a successful lesson. More specifically,

Lemov (2015) firmly believes that procrastination does nothing more than make educators ill

prepared for the worst when implementing a lesson. As a way of combating this, both Lemov

(2015) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2014) believe that an immense

amount of planning is necessary in order to properly divert students’ away from frustration that

leads to giving up. As an educator, Lemov (2015) stands by the fact that cultivating a plan for

success begins with expecting the mistakes involved in the path to such success.

External Challenges

There is one large aspect that could potentially alter the effect of a productive struggle

within a classroom. This, of course, being the students’ parents. More often than not, parents are

able to persuade their children into believing what kind of learner they are, as well as what kind

of learner they can be. This is best described by the National Council of Mathematics (2014),

where they describe parents as being a factor in telling students to feel good about mathematics,

rather than helping them achieve success within the subject. This can be detrimental to students

and their ability to fit into the culture of error as the habit of mistake-making may be discouraged

when within the confines of their own home (Filippello et al., 2018).

External Opportunities

As parents are seemingly the only significant external influences or possible “problems,”

they can also be the ones to help their children succeed. The ability to build confidence within

their child helps to translate this idea to the classroom, as they are less likely to be confident in

false achievements (Filippello et al., 2018). Furthermore, as mathematics teachers aim to build a

culture of error, it is crucial that they communicate this ideology to parents. It is for this reason
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that the likelihood of a productive struggle will naturally come about, as parents become factors

in the students’ ability to feel confident in learning from their mistakes.

Stakeholder Analysis

When attempting to alter a student's mindset on learning, the accountability of those

around them needs to be upheld. Teachers, parents, schools, and, above all, the students have

large roles to play in keeping the culture of error alive within the classroom, as well as at home.

Without the proper facilitation of a productive struggle in and out of the classroom, students

could potentially fail to place meaning on the mathematics that they are learning (NCTM, 2014).

Therefore, the importance of sustaining a mindset that is adaptable to the ideology of learning

from mistakes must be continuously enforced in and out of the classroom (Joe, 2021).

Teacher and Student Impact

Teachers are the ones that initiate the idea of creating a successful learning environment

from mistake-making. Furthermore, they bear the weight of how students will perceive the

ideology of error being a strong factor in learning (NCTM, 2014). The comfortability that the

teacher provides in presenting their mistakes, aids students in seeing the importance of such

errors within learning (Lemov, 2015). This ties into the ability of the teacher to understand when

student frustration from error should be used to leverage such learning. Rescuing students from

the learning process due to frustration holds the students back from making strong connections

(NCTM, 2014).

This is where the role of a strong facilitator is important for teachers, as they must

practice what it means to grow and learn from mistakes (Joe, 2021). Mistake making is not

simply forced, rather it is made as an example, given the mistakes that have been made by the
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educator. Sharing mistakes as educators redefines the meaning of error in the classroom and

refines students' mindset on their own mistake making (Joe, 2021). The tone that is set by the

teacher translates to providing the best possible environment for students to make mistakes

comfortably. Therefore, students must actively take on a role as the learner by initiating their

own growth, as well as their peers when endealved in a culture of error.

School and Parent Impact

While teachers and students are reimagining what mistake-making does for learning, it is

important that schools and parents support such an idea. Fostering a culture of error must be

carried out everywhere students go in order to continue their growth. This support role provided

by parents and schools will sustain a successful learning environment for the school and the

students individually. The presence of motivation in a school from teachers, as well as

administration yields a better outcome in learning and growth of both the teacher and their

students (Bekkegard, 2021).

The school as a whole has much to gain, yet only if their supporting role carries over to

the parents. As students are not in school, they are absorbing a lot of their personal ideas and

influences from parents (Filippello et al., 2018). This means that there is a lapse in understanding

of the importance of error when out of the classroom. The National Council of Teachers of

Mathematics (2014) reiterates this idea by acknowledging that students are often trapped by the

“feel good” mentality that parents bring on. More specifically, rather than encouraging a

productive struggle, parents give their children an out by feeding into their frustrations.

Review of Literature
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Cultivating a culture of error takes a village to accomplish, given the extensive support

needed in order to aid a student in learning from their mistakes comfortably. Research has started

to make its way into the classroom in terms of this ideology and benefits the spread of

opportunity of learning in a unique way. More specifically, the aim of such research is to

dismantle the stereotypical negative connotations within mathematics. As anxieties increase, so

does the need to subdue the fears that lay within the subject itself. The research provides solid

evidence of the significance of mistake making within student progression in mathematics.

The articles included in supporting a culture of error provide research for how

mistake-making may be supported by the teacher, student, and the parents of the student.

Shaughnessy et al. (2020) define effective ways of responding to student’s incorrect work.

Teachers are placed in a scenario that simulates a possible incorrect answer to a problem and

how they might elicit student thinking. The results uncovered that a majority of educators were

able to properly define a student's mistake as a way of learning through elicit questioning.

A separate article identified a similar cause for research, where teachers were evaluated

on their ability to respond to error in the classroom effectively. Seifried and Wuttke (2010) use a

method pertaining to lessons that are recorded and evaluated for student comfortability and

educator competencies pertaining to a culture of error. The results provided a confirmation of the

success that yields student learning when exposed to a comfortable environment that leverages

error as a way of learning mathematics.

The final study evaluates the correlation between mathematical anxieties, as well as

parental involvement and how they may affect a student’s mathematical success. This was done

through the use of a survey for parents on their involvement in their child’s education and the

students were provided mathematical problems to assess anxieties. Vukovic et al. (2013) found
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that anxieties within mathematics are very much present in students and parental aid can help

them to succeed given the proper at-home practices. In all, every article concludes that

mathematics is anxiety-filled and, therefore, a significant candidate for the positive effects that a

culture of error can provide in students’ mathematical success.

Ability to Present Error Positively

Mathematics is largely based on the conceptualization of the problems at hand, where

students work to place meaning upon such problems as a means of producing the correct answer.

Without this way of thinking being present within students, they will need guidance through

elicit questioning provided by a mathematics teacher to learn from their previously made errors

(Shaughnessy et al., 2020). As a way of implementing a strong practice for regulating mistake

making, teachers must put forth the positivity that comes from a culture of error. Seifried and

Wuttke (2010) support such a notion as they find a positive culture of error to be critical to any

learning environment. This is taken even a step further when they present the idea that a

teacher’s competency in evaluating student mistakes is the foundation needed to support this

positive culture (Seifried & Wuttke, 2010).

Student Response to Productive Error

There is a continuous growth of a negative mindset within mathematics that stretches the

anxieties that students have on the subject itself (Vukovic, Roberts & Green Wright, 2013). This

is where the positive environment that teachers cultivate is crucial to the success of a culture of

error. Furthermore, Seifried and Wuttke (2010) emphasize the fact that competence needs to be

present in teaching practices, as its absence will cause students to feel “foolish.” With these

aspects in mind, the probing of why particular mistakes may have been made aid students in
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recognizing and revising their incorrect work (Shaughnessy et al., 2020). The more that error is

welcomed, the stronger connection students have to a comfortable mathematical environment.

Parental Support and Guidance

The final portion of research that supports mistake making in the classroom is the

parental involvement of student learning when at home. It was found that the proper practices

being implemented at home will progress student learning in ways that can aid in removing some

of their anxieties (Vukovic et al., 2013). Furthermore, as the findings from Shaughnessy et al.

(2020) and Seifried and Wuttke (2010) support positive teaching practices in terms of error

within the classroom, Vukovic et al. (2013) conclude that these same practices should be

carefully considered by parents when taking part in their child’s mathematical progression.

Statement of Conclusion

There is much to take from the research that was conducted within these articles. The

largest aspect of them all is the ability for the teacher to sustain the proper practices in cultivating

a culture of error. When the errors are focused on too much, students might present insecurities

in their mathematical abilities, further suppressing their opportunity to succeed (Seifried &

Wuttke, 2010). This is where teachers must plan for the elicitation of explicit instruction and

questioning that will guide students in recognizing their mistakes and learning from them

(Shaughnessy et al., 2020). This is the start of helping students to see the importance of

evaluating their mistakes and relieve common anxieties (Vukovic et al., 2013).

In continuation with the practices that are executed by teachers within the classroom,

parents must also adopt such practices to provide consistency in learning from error. Vukovic et

al. (2013) stress this importance as the improper support of mistake-making at home can hinder a

students’ mindset on being successful within mathematics. There is no need for parents to
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become experts within the subject, yet must understand how to aid in their child’s learning of the

subject (Vukovic et al., 2013). In all, there is a large support system that must be created to

effectively cultivate a culture of error. Prior to a student ever expressing comfortability in making

mistakes, the teacher must elicit proper guidance and help parents in continuing this process at

home.

Proposal for Change

All types of change come from one direct source that will start the thread of possibilities

that allow change to become a reality. In this case, the teacher is the key facilitator in ensuring

that students have a deeper understanding of what it means to make mistakes. The ideology that

learning is unsupported without error is pertinent to a student’s ability to come to a productive

struggle (NCTM, 2014). Such a struggle can cause frustration and folding under pressure, yet

conditioning their minds to see their mistakes as good can help students to conceptualize

mathematics in new ways (NCTM, 2014).

As a way of securing such beliefs within students, there is a large amount of support that

must come from all branches of the student’s life in and out of school (Joe, 2021). As teachers

are the main proponent of cultivating a culture of error, their support must be extended onto the

parents, as well as the school administration. The level of support that parents conceive when

their child is at home will aid in spreading the positivity needed to help students, as well as

administrators believe in learning from error (Vukovic et al., 2013).

Utilizing a Direct Support System

As the teacher starts the notion of a productive struggle, they must also be the ones to

carry the idea on to the students, as well as their parents and the school as a whole. Seifried and

Wuttke (2010) believe that a teacher's capacity to properly evaluate and leverage mistake-making
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in the classroom provides a foundation for building a strong support system. Furthermore,

Seifried and Wuttke (2010) concur that without such doings, there is no basis for a productive

struggle amongst students. Without such a foundation, there will be a lack in ability to

accumulate the proper support needed when learning mathematics.

This foundation is best carried out when a teacher has taken the time to analyze their

lessons and evaluate possible mistakes that students might present during a lesson (Lemov,

2015). As such error arises within students’ work, the teacher should be implementing

in-the-moment guidance that allows the student to discover where the mistake occurred, as well

as why. Seifried and Wuttke (2010) support this ideology with their strong belief that a

facilitation of strong questioning aids students in reaching a desired result. This also provides

students the sense of what it truly means to productively struggle (NCTM, 2014). As these

actions are followed through, the teacher must relay such actions outside of the classroom by

encouraging other faculty, as well as parents to support the student in a productive struggle.

When successfully carrying out the implementation of a culture of error, students begin to

take the idea of learning from error home with them. When bringing this ideology home, parents

make a choice to support their child through the frustrations of making mistakes or they take

every opportunity to rescue them from struggle (NCTM, 2014). This is where the parents must

aid in relieving student frustration through learning, rather than rescuing (Vukovic et al., 2013).

Tying the support from home into the support from the classroom can start a visible incline in

student success within mathematics and further bring administrative support into the culture of

error (Curwin, 2014).

Combating Frustration
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As mentioned previously, there is importance in the ways that students are delivered

content by means of a productive struggle. Without the elicitation of strong questions and

discussions when aiding students in making mistakes, there will be no learning that comes from

such errors (Shaughnessy et al., 2020). This reason alone calls for a teacher that is well versed in

identifying possible mistakes before they occur. Lemov (2015) supports this, given that they

discuss the importance of planning and how being prepared for possible error allows for better

questioning and guidance when error occurs.

Through proper planning and execution of a productive struggle amongst students,

teachers can provide new ways of thinking for students. The National Council of Teachers of

Mathematics (2014) believe this to be true as well, so long as the teacher can provide support,

rather than answers. A student cannot rely on the provision of answers, as it takes away from the

importance of working through a difficult problem (NCTM, 2014). Frustrations are to be

expected, yet embraced, as the reward of solving a difficult problem translates into great

problem-solving skills.

Initiating a Strong Culture of Error

With all of these ideas taken into consideration, a strong culture of error can be

implemented in any classroom. The ability to expect struggle and frustrations is critical in the

support that students need in order to succeed from making mistakes. The anxieties that present

themselves amongst students within mathematics can be relieved given immense support in and

out of the classroom (Vukovic et al., 2013). Encouraging determination within a student’s

mindset can allow them to push their limit on learning and reach new bounds within

mathematics. Embracing frustrations in learning mathematics makes way for the possibility of
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taking strides towards a world where students can conceptualize mathematics in ways that were

once unimaginable.
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Curwin, R. (2014, October 28). It's a mistake not to use mistakes as part of the learning process.

Edutopia. Retrieved November 8, 2021, from

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/use-mistakes-in-learning-process-richard-curwin.

Filippello, P., Harrington, N., Costa, S., Buzzai, C., & Sorrenti, L. (2018). Perceived parental

psychological control and school learned helplessness: The role of frustration

intolerance as a mediator factor. School Psychology International, 39(4),

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mathematical success for all. NCTM.

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