Do you use errorless learning tasks in your classroom? Have you heard the term errorless learning and wondered what it even means?
In this blog post, I will break down what errorless learning is, why it is so beneficial, and how to implement it.
What are Errorless Learning Tasks?
Errorless learning sounds just like what it is. It is a task or activity that a student can not “fail” or will always get right. It is without error.
As long as the task is completed, then the student has been successful.
This can look like a put-in task, sorting, and matching. It can come in the form of adapted books, file folders, worksheets, and manipulatives.
Truly, you can make an errorless learning task out of almost anything.
Why Implement Errorless Learning Tasks?
Promoting school readiness
When we think about our early learners, they need to build stamina to sit and attend to learning tasks.
They also need to learn the concept of persisting through a task from start to finish.
Errorless tasks help introduce this idea without adding so much pressure. It allows students to build their confidence and their endurance for more complex tasks.
If you have a student who hesitates to complete the errorless task, incorporate something they like.
Do they get excited about cars? Have them put cars in a bin. Paw patrol lover? Make a file folder where students place character pieces into a scene. Make it fun and inviting!
Introduce working independently
Many students need multiple prompt levels to complete a task.
When we introduce a simple errorless learning task we typically see students participate in the activity more independently.
Being able to complete a task independently is HUGE!
By using errorless tasks to familiarize students with independent work we build up their confidence making it much easier to generalize this skill to other tasks and activities.
Where Do I Start?
First, determine when you want to implement them. Errorless tasks can be implemented at any time such as morning circle, story time, etc.
I always liked incorporating them into more structured parts of our day like morning bins or rotation stations. The time of day may impact the length of the activity/task or the components it comprises.
Next, prep your errorless task. You can make them yourself or assemble the ones I already have (linked here).
Lastly, introduce the task to the student. When teaching the task make sure to give immediate feedback to students.
This allows you to reinforce the task, build up a student’s self-esteem, and check for understanding.