“It’s OK to make mistakes . . . ” Dr. Merrill Harmin

June 16th, 2010 |

It’s OK to make mistakes; that’s how we learn

When this “truth sign” was first posted in a teacher’s classroom, some people complained that the teacher was condoning, and even encouraging, bad behavior on the part of students. “Not so, ” say Dr. Merrill Harmin and his predecessor in classroom effectiveness, Grace Pilon.

When students lose fear of failure as they are encouraged to risk giving wrong answers, they become more involved in their own learning, and they not only learn more, they enjoy learning more.

Likewise, teachers enjoy the daily teaching-learning activities more.

Dr. Harmin, in his book entitled Strategies to Inspire Active Learning: Complete Handbook (1995-2002), for teachers and students, acknowledged his deep indebtedness to Grace Pilon’s pioneer work in increasing student achievement. Using active learning strategies means that not only are students getting higher marks, both teachers and students are enjoying the daily learning processes more.

Dr. Harmin repeated this acknowledgment of Grace Pilon’s leading-edge work in his expanded 2nd edition, entitled Inspiring Active Learning: A Complete Handbook for Today’s Teachers (2006).

Photo of Expanded 2nd Edition below is from Amazon.com

This is the type of practical book that teachers need to be a better teacher tomorrow, not down the road somewhere.

Dr. Harmin’s book is packed with suggestions for high involvement lessons that keep students on task–and enjoying learning–both. It has hundreds of specific strategies that help teachers and students move from “pouring subject area content into buckets [students]” towards a community of learners who not only know their teacher cares about them, they also care about each other and help each other to succeed in classroom life.

“I don’t care how much you know, until I know how much you care.” – Student

Someone said that students don’t learn from people they don’t like.

Another way of saying this is that students will learn from people who genuinely care about them, their person, their pathways in life, their learning.

All of us who teach [facilitate learning] or parent can benefit from using the types of strategies elucidated in Dr. Harmin’s books.

To Inspired and Active Learning,

Doc Meek, Wednesday, June 16, 2010 (2nd posting, evening)

At Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA; not at South Jordan, Utah, USA

Posted in Learning Difficulties, learning solutions |

Tags: active learning, brain rules, change, changing your behavior, changing your mind, Doc Meek, docmeek, failure, fear of failure, happiness, self-involvement in learning, success

Doc Meek

“It’s OK to make mistakes . . . ” Dr. Merrill Harmin

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