The Magic School Bus (1994, September). Make Mistakes [film]. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/index.htm

When I was in elementary school, my favourite television show was The Magic School Bus. The show featured a class of 8 young students, a sentient bus with transformative powers, an anthropomorphic lizard and a theme song by Little Richard. Little Richard.

Surprisingly, the best part about this show wasn't any of the aforementioned features, nor was it that awesome Halloween special when the class got trapped in a haunted mansion (a close second, to be sure). The real magic of The Magic School Bus lay in the hands of Ms. Frizzle, the class' fearless teacher and bus driver. Every kid who grew up watching The Magic School Bus wished Ms. Frizzle could be their teacher. Ms. Frizzle made an entire half hour of scientific education the most fun and exciting thing on TV; quite often I found myself "ahead of the game" in my actual science classes at school, because "Ms. Frizzle already taught me that".

The Friz (voiced by none other than Lily Tomlin) certainly did teach myself, and many other "90's kids" about everything from biological symbiosis to the inner workings of the human immune system. But one of the less obvious lessons provided by Ms. Frizzle was that of the value of a Growth Mindset. Ms. Frizzle never explicitly preached to her audience class about fostering a Growth Mindset - in fact, The Magic School Bus aired over 10 years before Carol Dweck would go on to publish Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. However, Ms. Frizzle could often be heard reciting one of her trademark catchphrases, telling students not to be afraid to "take chances, make mistakes and get messy!".

I've long since graduated from wanting to be in Ms. Frizzle's class to wanting to be Ms. Frizzle herself. I've always liked her thematic outfits, outlandish earrings, and absolute gusto for learning. I want my students to be just as engaged as Ms. Frizzle's class (and audience). I want my enthusiasm for education to be just as infectious as The Friz's was to her students. And most of all, I want to be just as encouraging to my students as Ms. Frizzle was to thousands of young children across the world.

I think Ms. Frizzle's challenge to "take chances" and "make mistakes" in education should be applied to the ways in which modern educators approach teaching Mathematics in the classroom. We know that many students are intimidated by Mathematics. Too often they feel pressured to only produce speedy and correct answers. The work that is put into finding an answer is often dismissed; only the final product, and only when produced with accuracy, is believed to be of value. Students may shy away from exploring Mathematics because they feel they are "too stupid" or "too slow" to truly apply themselves.

Take Laurent-Moïse Schwartz for example. Schwartz won the Fields Medal* in 1950, but as a student he was not considered strong in Mathematics because his approach to Math was more slowly paced than that of his classmates. Schwartz believed himself to be "stupid" because he could not solve Math problems as quickly as his peers.  It was not until much later in his educational career that Schwartz realized that rapidity had no correlation to intelligence.

As teachers, we have to remind our students that it is far more useful to think deeply and to fully understand how things relate to one another than it is to simply speed through Mathematical problems. Although producing a quick and accurate answer can be gratifying, there is nothing to be ashamed of when taking one's time to solve a problem. And if that problem cannot be solved correctly, it is no matter of disgrace. Making mistakes and taking educational risks is one of the best ways to learn - as a teacher, I would much rather see my students attempting to find the right answer, and making mistakes while trying, than to see them not try at all.

Students who feel that they cannot do well in Math class because they are "not math people" must be reminded to slow down, and to embrace the fact that things may "get messy" at first. Developing a skill of any sort - artistry, musicianship, or even Mathematics - involves putting in time and practice. Making mistakes shows students where to focus deliberate practice and where they need to take the time to slow down. Teachers ought to encourage students not to shy away from mistakes, but rather to feel comfortable enough to embrace the potential for mistakes and to view them as a natural part of learning.

There's a phrase in Latin that can be applied to this Ms. Frizzle / Carol Dweck way of viewing mistakes. Known as the "felix culpa", the phrase can be roughly translated to a that of a "lucky fall" or "happy fault".  In literature, it is used to describe how a series of mistakes or unfavourable events can eventually lead to a happier outcome. In my future math classes, it will be used to describe the wonderful opportunity to improve that only derives from making happy little mistakes.



*In our Math Class modules for this week, I was amused to hear the Fields Medal likened to that of "winning an Oscar in Math". The Fields Medal actually originates from my hometown; its namesake, John Charles Fields is a Hamiltonian :)

I Love Hamilton Ontario (2017, September 22). An Absolutely Real Photo of John Charles Fields [not photoshop]. Retrieved from John Charles' Fields' diary, I think.