Hi, it’s Neil Cowmeadow here with episode 439 of The Tutor Podcast, the Monday morning shot of uncommon sense for anyone who wants start, grow and love their own tutoring, teaching and coaching business – the same way I love mine.
As usual I’ve been rummaging through the ragbag of my mind and my notebooks, the ones I’ve made during all the courses, seminars, classes, webinars, conferences, field trips, research projects, books, trade press, videos and a ton of other stuff I’ve done over the years… Boiling it down to get at the good bits so I can give them to you in a no-nonsense, No BS kind of way... So I’m squeezing a little more juice out of it for myself, and –at the same time - sharing it with you here in the hope that it helps you have as much fun at work and in life as I do.
And – of course - I’m not just here to talk, I’m listening - so if you have any ideas that might be worth sharing via the show – get in touch info@neilcowmeadow.com or on X where I am @TutorPodcast, and maybe you can help me to learn something new, something better? Because I’m smart enough to realise that I don’t have all the answers, and if I rely on my own tiny, pea-sized brain to solve all of my problems…. Well.....
If you’re good with that, let’s crack on...
Today I want to share an idea I stumbled on an idea last week – not something I’d heard of before, despite being incredibly nosey and annoyingly inquisitive about learning and how people teach
As we all know, there’s no one system of teaching or learning that suits everyone, all of the time. So I figure that by sticking my nose into other people’s methods I might learn how to teach – if not better – then at least different.
What I stumbled on was somewhat counter-intuitive for me, being dragged-up in the West in a system that stigmatises failure to learn. But on reflection, what I’m going to share with you now makes perfect sense – since we all know that success leaves clues…. And so does failure….
SO - In Chinese and many other Asian schools – the students have an ERROR JOURNAL
I did a double-take when I heard it: to me the idea of recording what went wrong was ridiculous - - -don’t we want our students to get it right?
Well, so do the Chinese and Asian education departments do this and why are their students at the top of the world’s learning scoreboard?
And yes – the data are compelling:
Rank Mathematics Reading Science
1 Singapore Singapore Singapore
2 Macau Ireland Japan
3 Taiwan Japan Macau
4 Hong Kong South Korea Taiwan
5 Japan Taiwan South Korea
That is INCREDIBLE – the only non-Asian country on the list is Ireland – but only placing second for reading alone.
So the results are n and it’s the journal-fiddlers who appear to have destroyed just about everyone else in the field.
Their kids learn really well – across the region.
And a part of what every student learns is the use of their own "error journals" ( cuòtíběn, or mistake notebooks) – a personal logs where the student records, analyzes, and re-solves questions they got wrong on homework or exams to prevent them from repeating the same mistakes.
Purpose and Benefits
Targeted Review: Focuses study time only on weak spots instead of repeating known material. No glossing-over the rough bits: this is bare-naked exposure to the weak areas of a student’s knowledge
Pattern Recognition: repeated looking at their cock-ups helps students spot recurring conceptual or calculation errors.
Active Learning: Moves passive test-taking into active correction and reflection. That’s not what we do here in the UK: not by a long shot
How it Works
The Wrong Answer: the student begins by copying the original question AND the incorrect steps or response.
The student then writes out the Correct Solution: Writing out the proper method step-by-step. Allows pattern-spotting and identification of where their thinking went off the rails
Error Analysis: Categorizing and understanding why the mistake happened (e.g., misreading, formula forgot, calculation slip).and reflection on how to prevent the same error happening again
Key Takeaway: A short summary rule to remember for the future
Ownership and Honesty: Chinese students man-up and deal with their failures, rather than moan about it
It is brilliant.
Those kids in Shanghai or Guanjong own their own learning process and tell themselves the truth about why stuff went wrong. They review and practice doing better… and – over time – the number of entries going into the Mistake Journal dwindles…
The ultimate aim is to make the book obsolete… a skinnier book is envisioned as the frequency of errors falls to near-zero over time…
What would our own school system look differently if the average British kid did that?
What do you think?
I’d love to hear from you, so get in touch!
Drop me an email to info@neilcowmeadow.com and if you have any comments, questions or problems, get in touch - again it’s info@neilcowmeadow.com or on X where I am @The Tutor Podcast
Let’s leave it there for today – I hope this show has got you thinking and has been some help to you and that you’ll join me next time on The Tutor Podcast for more No-BS tips and ideas of how to Start, Grow and Love YOUR Tutoring Business – just like I love mine.
Till then, remember that your time is precious, your life is largely what you make it, so always make it good. Be excellent to yourselves - stay healthy, stay useful, and Have a Fabulous Day!
