Control Of Error.

Control of error is among the popular phrases associated with Montessori philosophy. So what is it? A control of error is another way to say self-correcting. Maria Montessori designed scientific materials that each had a control of error built-in; meaning, children could check their own work without asking or needing the adult near them to intervene. In an authentic Montessori classroom, there wouldn’t be a work available that didn’t offer a control of error. 

Why does the control of error matter?

Well, because criticism hurts and we don’t want to break a child’s spirit. Honestly. Imagine you’re learning something for the first time and someone keeps telling you it’s wrong. Or you make something for the first time and someone tells you it isn’t good. Or you build something for the first time and someone tells you what you should have done instead. Sure, it’s well-intentioned and feedback is important for growth. But these comments won’t encourage you to keep trying. They cause frustration, annoyance and maybe even avoidance. There’s a time and place (and a developmental period) for that kind of assessment and unless a child asks for help, or asks how to do something, it’s best to just observe their technique and then reintroduce the concept at a later time if they need a refresher.

How does the control of error work?

With authentic Montessori materials, the control of error is visible. Pieces in the Sensorial curriculum (towers, puzzles, shapes, colors) won’t fit/match if completed incorrectly. Boxes that hold the materials won’t close if the pieces aren’t placed in properly. Or the tower won’t stand tall, or the pattern won’t be complete. In Practical Life, pouring works, if done incorrectly, will spill and will need to be cleaned up. In Geography and Math and Science there are control charts on the shelves all children have access to, at all times. A child checks their own work, on their own time, every time.

How do you incorporate this at home?

If you’re already using Montessori materials, you won’t have to change anything. The control of error will already be present. But if you have other learning materials and activities available there are some ways to ensure the material has a control of error like visual tells and natural consequences.

Here are some examples:

With matching activities, place matching stickers on the bottoms of pairs so that after your child completes the work they can flip over the objects and check for the matching colors on each item. 

You can use dot stickers and number the pieces into the correct sequence (if you have a child who is already counting.) This way, they don’t need to ask you if the sequence is right. They can check their work by making sure the numbers are in order.

If you don’t have stickers, many times you can just write on the back of the material itself! Here is a sorting activity around seasons. I’ve written the words on the back of each card that correspond with the correct season. This way after a child sorts the cards, they can flip them over and check their own work.

With counting works and transferring activities, make sure you’re offering the exact number of objects they’ll need to complete the work. No more, no less. That way if they have some left over, or too few, they’ll know a mistake has been made and can work to fix the error themselves.

In the classroom and in at-home environments, you can also offer control charts. They offer insights to how things should look. Whether it’s an answer on the back of math operation card, 3-part matching cards, or nomenclature — having it available will only encourage your child to work with these activities. 

Other times, the control of error will extend into natural consequences within the environment. There are some ways to help control this, as the adult. With a pouring work, you can limit the amount of water in the pitcher so that even if it spills, a child can clean the spill independently. If the child is filling the pitcher themselves, you can use a marker to draw a “fill line” on the pitcher or, what I do is, place an elastic band around the pitcher where you want them to stop. Trays also help with the control of error because they contain the inevitable spills and make clean-up a breeze.

When children have the ability to correct their own work, including their mistakes, they hold the control over the learning happening. They are free from the judgement of others, especially adults. When you aren’t thinking about being judged by your mistakes, you’re free to make mistakes. Making mistakes is a good thing! It means you’re trying and willing to take risks. That’s how we all learn!