The joy of being wrong

In teaching it becomes quickly evident both that we learn a great deal from mistakes and that it is hard to create and environment where mistakes are seen merely as a stage on the path of learning. But it is essential that learning facilitators work at creating a 'free to fail' culture /environment. Just how important is highlighted by some new neural/brain research. "'It's a bit of a clich�to say that we learn more from our mistakes than our successes,' said psychologist Professor Andy Wills of the University of Exeter, 'but for the first time we've established just how quickly the brain works to help us avoid repeating errors."
The way the mechanism works also seems to indicate that someone making a mistake should be given an opportunity to rectify it. Thus also underlining the need for immediate feedback as well as opportunity for correct performance.
ScienceDaily: Why We Learn From Our Mistakes: