Student Spotlight: Learning from Mistakes
Once a month the College Ready on Track team interviews a student at a school that is trying a change idea. This month we caught up with Jackson Taylor, a 9th grade student at Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy. We asked him how he has experienced math in the past and during the current year within Dr. Al-Islam’s integrated math 1 and statistics classes. Here’s what he had to say…
Tell me a time when you felt successful in math.
“I remember how excited my mom was when she said I ‘aced’ my CMAS test in 5th grade. I’ve always been successful in math and it made it feel like it was noticed. I enjoy being in Mr. A’s class and always asking for more challenging work.”
Tell me about a time when you found challenges in math.
“During the pandemic, it was really hard to stay up on things. My grades started to drop and I had to work to get caught up again. Because we were remote, I was always getting distracted and feel like being in school keeps me focused.”
What do you think about the changes Dr. A is trying in class (learning from mistakes)?
“I kind of like it because it helps me to see what not to do. It is a bit of a reminder to think, ‘how do I check my answers?’ Sometimes the mistakes are just little things to catch.”
Finish this sentence, “Mistakes are…”
“Mistakes are, for me, when I’m not focusing or all the way into what I am doing. Usually, they are just little things I need to keep an eye on.”
When have mistakes helped you learn or take risks?
“I play basketball and baseball. Whenever I make a mistake it's important that I just get up and get right back into it. Like, for instance, if I make a turnover, I have to think, ‘what can I do now to make up for it and get the ball back?’ In math, mistakes help me to see what I need to do to get back to the correct answer. I think, ‘what do I need to remember for next time?’”
What would make math class better?
“More projects and hands-on trying things. For example, in probability class, we did an experiment where we were actually rolling the dice and making predictions. I liked this and thought it was more engaging than always being in the textbook.”
