My lightbulb moment? Even teachers make mistakes

Authors

Eamon Light, St Peter's Primary School, East Keilor (Vic)

Abstract

Did James Cook know exactly where Australia was before he arrived there, or Thomas Edison know exactly what he was doing when he invented the lightbulb? No, they used trial and error, and tried, tried again. Many of our students, however, seem to be afraid to make mistakes. A pivotal moment in the author's teaching helped him realise that he needed to target their hesitancy about putting their ideas forward during classroom discussion. He had scaffolded student learning to the point where he thought all of his students had been provided with enough information to contribute to a discussion, but when he looked around the classroom he found the same students, hands anxiously waving in the air, ready to have their say. The remaining students simply looked confused. This was the moment that prompted he to take action.

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