My PhD student is exploring conceptions around failure in (computational) tinkering, particularly in family learning contexts. We’re using ‘failure’ in a rather academic sense here, but that presents clear challenges when talking to children, parents, carers and facilitators, because the everyday meaning is much more pejorative.
Today, in conversation with a colleague, I accidentally used the phrase ‘micromistakes.’ You know what? I think I like that.
- Doesn’t dodge that a mistake has occured
- A ‘mistake’ is a smaller thing than a failure
- Readily understood.
- Draws attention in an unfamilar and slightly funny way; invites extension. One can imagine conversations:
- “Did you have any micromistakes today?”
“I dropped a cocktail stick”
“OK, if that’s a micromistake, did you make any megamistakes?”
“I hot-glued the framulator to the rully sprocket, had to throw it all away and start again.”
…which of course is the conversation we’re trying to have.
- “Did you have any micromistakes today?”
- Emphasises that mistakes are ephemeral things to be moved beyond.
I’m going to start using this, see how it feels.