Article Review 2
The article that I read was Better Being Wrong (Sometimes): Classroom Assessment that
Enhances Student Learning and Motivation by James H. McMillan and Stephanie Moore. The
focus of the article was on the benefits of students getting answers incorrect on an assessment,
and what they could gain from being incorrect. The article argues that being wrong (sometimes)
is an important part of learning, that can increase motivation and enhance one's learning. The
article looks at research in three fields specifically: neurology, mindsets, and self-regulation, to
prove that when learning errors occur it can be essential to the achievement process. It is noted
that Carol Dweck (2006) found that students with growth mindset were able to accept being
incorrect and use those mistakes to enhance their understanding. It was found that children with
a growth mindset attributed bring wrong as part of the learning process.
The authors also mentioned several classroom assessments practices that can help
promote learning, motivation, and self- regulation. I will discuss the two that stuck out to me.
One of the practices mentioned was assessment for learning. In this practice student need to be
made aware that the purpose of the assessment is to help them learn. They aren't just receiving an
assignment, so a grade can be entered into the gradebook. With this purpose students realize that
making mistakes are okay, as it will be something that they can learn from. The test/quiz can
now be seen as a tool to help them grow their understanding of a topic instead of a final measure
of what they have learned over a period.
When the authors talked about the use of high-quality assessments, they also talked about
what could happen if students did not receive high quality assessments. If students are not
presented with high quality assessment, they may view the teacher of not caring about the
assessment. Which can leave the students wondering why they should care about the assessment
