From Br Steve Hogan fsc
Greetings,
Thomas Edison said that he did not fail at making the light bulb one thousand times, but rather that 鈥渢he light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.鈥[1]
Michael Jordan said 鈥淚鈥檝e missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I鈥檝e also lost more than 300 games. I鈥檝e been trusted to take the game winning shot 26 times and missed. I鈥檝e failed over and over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed.鈥[2]
Making mistakes is a natural part of learning.
The latest research shows that mistakes are a very important part of learning. When a person makes an error and they have the opportunity to learn from it, they actually develop a much stronger understanding. In fact, the research states that students learn more from making mistakes than from getting all the right answers. Mistakes allow the teacher or parent to talk to the child about what they know and ask questions to stretch their thinking around where they are currently developing their understanding. This conversation helps to develop the crucial skills of reasoning and communication. When you support an attitude that values learning from mistakes, you are telling the child that mistakes are a valuable and a natural ingredient in learning and lead to deeper understanding. Research shows that this attitude supports stronger achievement.
Recently I read a report from the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) 鈥楾he New Work Smarts: Thriving in the New Work Order鈥. The report tries to predict what work will be like in 2030 in terms of the change in the skill set required in many of the present occupations. This is always hard to predict when there are so many variables over such a long time. What I remain committed to is that if our young people leave secondary school at the end of Year 12 with a strong foundation across English, Mathematics, Science and the Social Sciences, AND have the attitude and ethics that learning is lifelong, and are inspired to always achieve their best, then they will be ready and able to learn what is required, when required. Of these a positive attitude, can do spirit, and passion are the most significant.
It is hard to believe but Year 11 and Year 12 are approaching the home stretch. Many images are conjured up as we consider the term 鈥渉ome stretch鈥濃攖he final segment of the race, the big push to the finish line, the excitement of watching how fast and how far one can go. It is the same with the end of the academic year, just as in any race, we don鈥檛 want to saunter over the finish line; we want to run our hearts out, look forward, stretch ourselves right up to the finish, and then celebrate that we did our best. I encourage everyone鈥攕tudents, staff, and parents鈥攖o keep this analogy in mind as we navigate through these last weeks for Years 11 and 12.
I would also like to encourage all students, particularly Year 12 at this stage, that mistakes in Trial Exams or practice tests are opportunities. If we are positive and resilient and take the approach that from these mistakes, we now can focus our learning on those aspects which will enable us to improve our overall grade in the test that counts. Also, I remind students that the Trial Exams are a trial and everything is possible, there is everything to gain after the trial - 10%, 20%, 30% more. Like preparation for a very important high stakes race or game, don鈥檛 peak too soon, stay the course so that you are at your best on the day of the HSC.
Wishing you well.
Br Steve Hogan fsc
Principal
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