We’ve all said it:

It’s okay. Mistakes help us learn.

And yes, it’s better than punishing mistakes. It’s a well-intentioned message, aimed at building student confidence and creating a safe environment for learning.

But it’s not entirely true.

Not all mistakes help us learn. Some are careless. Some are confusing. And some—particularly in performance situations—can have serious consequences.

If we want students to truly benefit from mistakes, we need to teach them something that sounds almost contradictory:

Not all mistakes are helpful.

When “it’s okay” backfires

A few months ago, a Grade 3 student made a mistake in a maths task—he’d skipped a step in his working and ended up with the wrong answer.

When his teacher asked what happened, he shrugged and said, “It’s okay, everyone makes mistakes. Mistakes are part of learning.”

Sounds like a win, right? Growth mindset in action?

Not quite.

Because when the teacher pressed further, he admitted he hadn’t checked his work. He wasn’t stretched. He wasn’t confused. He’d just rushed.

It was a careless mistake—one that could’ve been avoided with more attention. And in that moment, his well-rehearsed “mistakes are okay” response was actually getting in the way of his growth.

The mistake we’ve made about mistakes

For years, schools treated mistakes as bad. We punished them with red pens and grades. We taught students to avoid them, cover them up, or feel ashamed of them.

Then came the backlash. Mistakes became good. Celebrated. Posters went up: “In this classroom, we make magnificent mistakes!”

And while the intent was right—the message was incomplete.

Because mistakes aren’t good or bad. They’re sources of information. And the real question is:

What does this mistake tell you?

That’s what skillful learners ask. And that’s what skillful teachers help them discover.

The six types of mistakes every learner should know

In Learnership, we teach that there are six distinct types of mistakes—and each one offers something different:

1. Sloppy mistakes – These happen in the comfort zone when we’re not paying attention. They don’t help us grow—and we should aim to avoid them.
2. Performance mistakes – These happen in high-stakes situations where we’re trying to do our best. They can teach us something, but they often come with real consequences—so we want to minimise them where possible.
3. Confusion mistakes – These occur when students push too far into their aspirational zone. The result? Confusion, frustration, and very little usable information.
4. Stretch mistakes – These happen when we’re in the Learning Zone, just beyond our current abilities. They’re incredibly valuable because they help students see exactly what they haven’t mastered—yet.
5. Aha mistakes – These are unexpected insights that emerge when students try something new or explore unfamiliar territory. They can’t be planned for—but when they happen, they’re golden.
6. Design mistakes – These are intentional. Students plan them in advance, like a scientist testing a hypothesis. The mistake isn’t the failure—it’s the vehicle for discovery.

When we teach students this distinction, something powerful happens:

They stop fearing mistakes. And they stop hiding behind them.

Instead, they become more reflective, more deliberate, and more skillful.

The mistake-performance trap

One of the biggest barriers to learning is this:

Some students think every mistake is a performance mistake.

And they’re not wrong—because in many classrooms, that’s exactly how mistakes are treated.

We say, “It’s okay to make mistakes,” but then we mark them. We say, “Take risks with your learning,” but still reward correct answers over curious thinking.

The result? Students stay in their comfort or performance zones—not because they’re lazy, but because they’re protecting themselves from the consequences of being wrong.

f we want students to engage in meaningful challenge, we have to help them distinguish between the kinds of mistakes that should be avoided… and the ones they should actively seek out.

What skillful teachers do differently

Skilful teachers don’t just say “mistakes are okay.” They help students

• Recognize when they’re in the Learning Zone
• Anticipate and embrace Stretch Mistakes
• Anticipate and embrace Stretch Mistakes
• Avoid sloppy errors through focus and checking
• Reflect on what each mistake reveals—and what action to take next

And they move the spotlight away from the mistake itself, and onto how the learner responds to it.

Because in the end, it’s not the mistake that matters.

It’s what the student does with it.

Want to help students use mistakes more skillfully?

In my upcoming workshop, Helping Students Embrace and Succeed at Challenges, we’ll go deeper into:

• The six types of mistakes and how to teach them
• How to reduce fear of performance mistakes without sugar-coating them
• How to reframe mistakes as valuable information—not something to celebrate or fear
• Practical tools to build this language into your everyday teaching

This is the kind of shift that doesn’t just improve outcomes—it changes the culture of learning in your classroom.

📅 Workshop runs in May 2025

🎁 Every participant receives a copy of my book, Learnership

💻 Live and online—join from anywhere

👉 https://www.trybooking.com/CZYGU

Let’s stop treating all mistakes the same—and start using them as the powerful learning tools they were meant to be.