CLASSROOM Q & A with LARRY FERLAZZO
My Latest EdWeek Blog Contribution:
What’s So Wrong About a Student’s ‘Wrong’ Answer? Nothing
July 31, 2026
‘A Sign of Strength’
The quotation marks around wrong in this question summarize my thinking about “wrong” answers. In my opinion, “wrong” answers should not be seen as a negative. Answers of any kind give me insights into my students’ thinking, the clarity of my instruction, and the needs of my students.
“Wrong” answers allow me to get a glimpse into the thinking and processing of my students’ minds. I take into account what I know about them in terms of their strengths, needs, disabilities, interests, prior knowledge, and lived experience. If a student’s answer is not the one I expected, this information helps me figure out what misunderstanding the student is communicating that I should work to address. I question myself to make sure there is nothing in my instruction that has confused students’ understanding of the content. If they are confused, then I need to reexplain, modeling for students how even adults make mistakes.
My response when a student gives an incorrect answer during a discussion is key to setting the tone for academic discourse. I do not want to react in any way that suggests I am negating their idea. My goal is to develop their thinking and knowledge to lead them to the correct information or understanding. I use a growth-mindset approach, which helps when students tease another student for sharing a “wrong” answer. It is essential that I set the tone so that when we have discussions and share our thinking, we respect each other. I also will privately speak to students after class if they are not being supportive of another student.
The way I respond to “wrong” answers gives me information about the thinking of the student. Sometimes, I need to ask the student to rephrase what I’m asking because I can tell by their answer they don’t understand my question. Sometimes, I need to ask them to rethink a certain bit of information to help them move toward a better answer.
Other times, depending on the student’s needs and what I know about that student as a learner, I may realize that my question was too open-ended. In this case, I can change it to a multiple-choice question, so the student can choose instead of trying to develop the answer on the spot from their memory. Also, some students require me to provide certain words to help them answer my questions because their vocabulary or word-retrieval skills are weak.
I make these choices because I want students to understand that part of any learning activity involves taking risks and sometimes making an error. I model this approach to “wrong” answers by sharing the mistakes and misunderstandings I had and how I had to take risks to develop my thinking. It is a sign of strength and bravery to take a risk to put an idea out there and refine it with the help of others.
An all-or-nothing, good-or-bad dichotomy, being too focused on grades and the right answer instead of learning, can backfire, limiting one’s growth. Students don’t understand that “wrong” answers can be very helpful for developing one’s abilities to reason and problem-solve. I remind students that the goal of our work together is not to get right answers but to learn from our “wrong” answers. That’s the best way for us to grow as learners.