“The Greatest University is the University of Trial and Error, by Shervan K Shahhian.”

“The Greatest University is the University of Trial and Error, by Shervan K Shahhian.” is a possible metaphor for the idea that some of life’s deepest learning comes from. Mistakes or bad experiences rather than instruction alone.

Why?

1. . Mistakes turns information into knowledge. You may read about swimming your whole life, but actually getting into the water teaches you things a book may never fully convey.

2. Mistakes provide feedback. When things doesn’t workout they way we expected, but if we receive feedback about what needs to change. Failure becomes a form of learning.

3. Trial and error may develop judgment. Repeated mistakes and bad experiences might help us recognize patterns: What may work? What doesn’t work? When should we persist? When should we change directions?

4. . Mistakes may develop resilience. Learning that mistakes and bad experience’s are survivable at times, they may reduce the fear of being wrong. We may become more willing to experiment?, learn, adapt, and try again.

5. . Mistakes may promote metacognition. After bad experiences, you may ask yourself:

• What just happened?
• What things did I assume?
• What things did I get wrong?
• What things did I learn from it?
• What things will I do differently next time?

That may turn mistakes and bad experiences into wisdom.

But there may be an important qualification

Trial and error may not automatically promote good learning. Repeating the same mistake without reflection is simply repetition.

A more accurate formula may be:

Experience...feedback…reflection…adjustment...new experience…learning

So the “University of Trial and Error, by Shervan K Shahhian” is really the University of Experience, Feedback, Learning and Adaptation.

In psychological terms, this may closely be related to experiential learning: We may learn by acting, observing the consequences, reflecting on what happened, and it may modify our future behavior.

And perhaps the most important lesson may be:

Mistakes may not necessarily evidence that we failed; it may be evidence that our current strategy needs updating, improving and changing.

“The Greatest University is the University of Trial and Error, by Shervan K Shahhian.”

Shervan K Shahhian