Why Mistakes & Blunders are So Great
This is a Guest Article for ChessKid by Science Olympiad, Inc.
Written for ChessKid by
Katrina Pavlik, Deputy Executive Director of Science Olympiad & Shari Haug, Elementary Director for Science Olympiad
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Edison
Science Olympiad is a national non-profit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers through STEM events and tournaments.
We've been around for almost 40 years, which is even longer than the acronym STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) has been around! You could say Science Olympiad was doing STEM before it was cool to say STEM.
In children, STEM breeds curiosity into why things occur, how things work, and what happens next. These inquiries are behind everything we do at Science Olympiad.
Research shows that science is best learned through hands-on activities
You might have had a Science Olympiad team in your middle or high school, or your science teacher might have led you in a fun activity like Save the Ice or Monster Match in elementary school.
Science Olympiad activities are based on the idea that students can develop a deep understanding of science concepts by actually doing science, messing up, and figuring out ways to make it better.
Inquiry Based Learning
This type of learning is called Inquiry Based Learning, and it's very similar to how students learn chess: you get better by making mistakes, reflecting on them, and then making the next, smarter mistake.
Imagine, if you will, our favorite Elementary Science Olympiad activity: Gummy Bear Long Jump, where students construct mini catapults from which they launch honest-to-goodness gummy bears at a target that's lying flat on the floor.
In your imagining of this scenario, add in a LOT of giggling and some gummy bear munching. Now, if the student launches their gummy bear and hits the middle of the target on the first try, they might have succeeded in "winning," but they have no idea why and no idea how to repeat the result. This is not STEM learning.
Failure is so much more informative
When students can try different strategies to improve, they build deep science understanding. A failed launch means that students will play around with the angle of the catapult and will learn a little bit about angle degrees and trajectory. They might decide that the catapult rubber band was too stretchy and learn something about materials science.
They'll also learn about the variables that don't matter, like how a red gummy bear is no better at hitting the target than the green one… these are important realizations for our little scientists!
Additionally, they may start to look at materials around their home, gathering spoons or clothespins or even popsicle sticks to build their own catapults.
Problem Based Learning
This is Problem Based Learning, where students use what they have learned to solve problems and acquire deeper knowledge. A child who builds a catapult from items around the house may be designing and building houses or buildings or bridges as an adult.
So, parents, we implore you… allow your kids to fail. Let them build a wobbly tower of straws, lose spectacularly in their next chess game, and accidentally melt their My Little Pony's hair with a hairdryer (true story)! If they are allowed to fail, they have a chance to reflect and try a new strategy.
This is the work of scientists, of chess players, and of true innovators.
Read more about STEM here:
Can Chess Enhance STEM Skills?
Chess Education Is A Pathway to STEM Education
Science Olympiad is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of K-12 science education, increasing opportunity and diversity in science, creating a technologically-literate workforce and providing recognition for outstanding achievement by both students and teachers. These goals are achieved by participating in Science Olympiad tournaments and non-competitive events, incorporating Science Olympiad into classroom curriculum and attending teacher training institutes.
Learn more about Elementary Science Olympiad for grades K-6 here:
https://www.soinc.org/programs/elementary and contact us ([email protected]) for more information.