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Kids Learn Better When They're Allowed to Be Wrong, Research Says

Research has found that students actually accept and retain more knowledge when their teachers allow them to explore their own misconceptions.

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A reading assistant reads on the classroom floor with a small group of fourth graders at Wanke Elementary School in San Antonio on March 9, 2012.
Credit: Jennifer Whitney for The Texas Tribune

Philip Sadler, a professor of astronomy and director of science education at Harvard University, studies the importance of wrong answers. His research has found that students actually accept and retain more knowledge when their teachers allow them to explore their own misconceptions. (NPR)

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