In our achievement-obsessed culture, we’ve developed an unhealthy fear of being wrong. Students often freeze when they’re unsure, choosing silence over the risk of an incorrect answer. But it is in fact that ‘wrong’ answers are actually a tool that drives improvement and thus confidence. one of the most powerful moments in a child’s education come from the wrong answers. For primary school students especially, mistakes are not failures—they’re opportunities to think, reflect, and grow. For this, as tutors our challenge isn’t to eliminate mistakes, but to embrace them. Because in every wrong answer, there’s a right opportunity to learn.

There are multiple reasons why these ‘wrong answers’ matter”:
– A wrong answer shows how a student is processing information. For example, with my year 5 student who is currently focusing on multiplication, if a child answers 16 to 3X5, it can hint to us as tutors that they are close to the answer, and that they are simply missing an extra step. It tells us that they have the right understanding, just need a little more clarification on it. Without that “mistake,” we’d never see where the misunderstanding lies.

– It encourages confidence in the way that we make our tutoring space a safe one, where mistakes are okay, and even encouraged to be made because that is how we all learn. Learning is about progress and not perfection.

– it builds upon problem-Solving Skills: Wrong answers spark discussion. “Why might someone think this?” or “What else could we try?” These questions help children develop resilience and creative thinking—skills they’ll use far beyond the classroom.

Airi Yamanaka