Learning from Errors

Although error avoidance during learning appears to be the rule in American classrooms, laboratory studies suggest that it may be a counterproductive strategy, at least for neurologically typical students. Experimental investigations indicate that errorful learning followed by corrective feedback is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of psychology Vol. 68; p. 465
Main Author: Metcalfe, Janet
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States 03.01.2017
Subjects:
Formative Feedback
Humans
Learning
Memory
Students - psychology
feedback
hypercorrection effect
formative assessment
error management training (EMT)
errorless learning
generation effect
after-action review (AAR)
prediction error
reconsolidation
ISSN:1545-2085, 1545-2085
Online Access:Get more information
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Summary:Although error avoidance during learning appears to be the rule in American classrooms, laboratory studies suggest that it may be a counterproductive strategy, at least for neurologically typical students. Experimental investigations indicate that errorful learning followed by corrective feedback is beneficial to learning. Interestingly, the beneficial effects are particularly salient when individuals strongly believe that their error is correct: Errors committed with high confidence are corrected more readily than low-confidence errors. Corrective feedback, including analysis of the reasoning leading up to the mistake, is crucial. Aside from the direct benefit to learners, teachers gain valuable information from errors, and error tolerance encourages students' active, exploratory, generative engagement. If the goal is optimal performance in high-stakes situations, it may be worthwhile to allow and even encourage students to commit and correct errors while they are in low-stakes learning situations rather than to assiduously avoid errors at all costs.
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ISSN:1545-2085
1545-2085
DOI:10.1146/annurev-psych-010416-044022