By Jeanne Lazzarini, Math Master Educator/R&D Specialist, RAFT I have often shared with my students that I make mistakes, and I have learned so much because of them! Sometimes I even purposefully made a mistake in a math lesson to see if students take notice! Let your students know it is okay to make mistakes, and when you do, your brain is developing new insights, new ways of thinking, and bursts of conceptual understanding! From an early age many of us are taught that it’s bad to make mistakes, to fear failures, and to avoid them all costs. However, the truth is that failure and making mistakes are a necessary part of growing up and of being successful and should never be avoided! So, you might ask, how do I encourage students to feel okay about making mistakes? Talk with them about mistakes and failures, including: · Have students investigate “famous” people who have made mistakes, then share them with the class! They’ll be very surpri