LEANING FROM/THROUGH MISTAKE

What is mistake?

Mistake can mean to commit unintentional error or to do something in a wrong way. Mistake may look negative but it has its positive side which is learning. That is, we can learn from/through mistake.

Mistake is another form of learning. This form of learning mostly occurs when trying to learn new things.

Statistics has shown that 99% of every new discovery passes through the phase of mistakes before they actually become a theory or reality. Often time, we make mistake in the process of learning new things which mostly necessitate the need to try and retry until learning is achieved. For example, it was said that the production of light bulb by Isaac Newton passed through the stage of mistakes for ninety-nine (99) times before it eventually became a success.

Though learning through mistake is inevitable, yet we must not intentionally choose to learn through this means because it comes with pains.

What should then be our disposition/approach towards this form of learning?

(1) As much as it lies in our hands, we should always try to minimize making mistake in the course of learning.

(2) The fear of making mistake should not stop us from taking adventure in learning. Every learner must see mistake as a phase in learning rather than as an obstacle to learning. Nobody learn new things at first trial. Most times, new things are learnt after several trials/mistakes/errors/attempts. It is only those who persist in learning in the midst of mistakes that mostly end up bringing forth new discoveries. I.e. Every learner should see and go beyond the phase of mistake to the phase of learning/discovery. Never give up learning due to mistake.

Mistake is inevitable in the course of learning. Those who are always afraid of making mistake limit their growth. These set of people never become the best version of themselves because they are not open to learn new things, explore new potentials and new opportunities. They prefer to stay within the boundary of what they already know. This is because they don’t want to make mistake and mistake is inevitable in the course of learning especially in the course of learning new things.

It is to this end that we seek to bring everyone to see mistake from the right perspective of being a means to learning than as an obstacle to learning.