In this post, I will discuss the above quote by Albert Einstein in relation to the significance of making mistakes and what it means for the human experience during the process of learning and developing.
Ask any successful person if they have ever made any mistakes on their journey to the achievement of their goals, whatever that version of success may be. I guarantee that all of them will say 'yes, I have'. That's because an integral part of the human experience and journey to success always involves making mistakes. Without making them, learning and success becomes limited and narrow. Every successful learner learns and grows from their mistakes and if they accept and follow constructive feedback, they grow even more. Of course, everyone's learning journey will vary. Not everyone has a teacher or mentor that provides constructive feedback that aims to enable them to grow. Some teachers and mentors can be very damaging to their learners through their negative feedback that aims to intimidate rather than encourage growth. However, what I would like everyone to realise is that making mistakes, when perceived as an integral part of learning and developing, will actually contribute to the educational progression of a learner.
Anyone that is scared of taking risks for the fear of making mistakes will limit their learning and development as they are missing out on the effectiveness of the 'trial and error' method of learning. They are also missing out on development of problem solving which is a key cognitive skill that is imperative for all humans to possess. It is how they survive in this world. Without problem solving skills, human beings are at a great disadvantage in all aspects of their lives. Mistakes are, therefore, part of the achievement of these essential cognitive skills and should be embraced and used as a learning method. It is a sign that the learner has tried to solve a problem and achieve a task but has taken a wrong turn. However, when this wrong turn has been reflected upon and the task strategy revised as a result, the successful outcome will be achieved as long as a positive attitude to learning is present.
When it comes to learning effectively, making mistakes is the sign that new information and experiences are in process. If a person always focuses on playing it safe, then there is little room for progression. Anyone that avoids mistakes altogether is not embracing new experiences. As Albert Einstein suggests, anyone that states that they have never made a mistake has never tried anything new. Part of new experiences, knowledge and skills involves making mistakes and growing from them but if you claim not to have made any mistakes in the learning process, you are not engaging in new experiences and, therefore, you are inhibiting your personal and educational growth. You must experience new content, events and processes for your cognitive skills to be taken to the next level.
The next time you make a mistake when trying to learn something new, embrace it! Know that you are actually experiencing a new level of knowledge and skill :)
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