Fail Forward: Students' Mistakes as Teachable Moments

Abstract

This study was undertaken in five public sector and five private sector universities in Lahore, Pakistan. One hundred students from each institution were randomly identified and asked to write an essay at the start of semester 1 and end of semester 8. All essays were analyzed for errors. All errors were then categorized into eleven general types for each round. The results showed no major change from semester 1 to semester 8 in the number of errors made. Also, not much variation was evident between the public sector and private sector universities. This indicates that the remedial English courses designed by the institutions were not helping the students improve. These were either too general or were taught with no specific purpose in mind. The universities should look into the eleven broad categories in which most of the students‟ errors fall in order to design remedial English courses that are meaningful and benefit students. Errors and mistakes made by students should be treated as learning opportunities for students with plenty of practice work. It is high time universities look at their course offerings with an open mind and the student as the prime beneficiary of their work.