No matter how many times you correct them, your students keep making the same mistakes.
Every. Single. Time.
But there’s a reason for that. Correction alone isn’t enough. The brain needs organized exposure, meaningful encounters, and active recall to truly learn from mistakes.
If your students are stuck in a loop of repeating errors, it’s time to rethink how corrections are processed and reinforced.
Let’s break it down: Why do mistakes persist, and how can we fix them?
1. Why Do Mistakes Stick?
The brain isn’t just a sponge—it doesn’t absorb information just because it’s been told something is wrong. Mistakes often persist due to how the brain processes and stores corrections.
Here are a few key factors to consider:
- Short-term memory lasts only 45 seconds. If students don’t actively use a correction, it disappears.
- Just hearing a correction isn’t enough—the brain needs multiple encounters with the correct form to retain it.
- Stress blocks learning. When students feel nervous about mistakes, they’re actually less likely to remember corrections.
The takeaway: Corrections need to be active, engaging, and repeated for students to truly internalize them.
2. The Error Journal: Turning Mistakes Into Learning Opportunities
One of the best ways to help students break the cycle of repeated mistakes is to make them more aware of their own errors. Instead of passively receiving corrections, students should track and analyze their mistakes over time.
A simple way to do this is through an Error Journal.
How it works:
- Each time students make a mistake, they write it down along with the correct form.
- They categorize their mistakes (grammar, spelling, pronunciation).
- They revisit the list regularly and write new sentences using the correct form.
This turns corrections into active learning instead of a one-time fix. Students begin recognizing patterns in their own mistakes and gain more control over their language development.
Want to try this in your class? Download the FREE Error Journal template here!
3. Using Funny & Relatable Sentences to Reinforce Corrections
The brain is wired to remember what’s funny, surprising, or personally meaningful. That’s why students are more likely to remember mistakes when they’re tied to memorable, engaging examples.
For instance, many of our students used to confuse:
- Live, life, leave
- Desert vs. dessert
- Their, there, they’re
So we came up with a funny sentence to make the difference stick:
«I’ll leave early to go to the best live concert in my life.»
The key is to review these types of sentences regularly so students encounter the correct forms in different contexts.
Try this:
- Encourage students to create their own funny example sentences using their most common mistakes.
- Make it a class challenge—who can come up with the most creative or ridiculous sentence?
- Review these sentences frequently to reinforce learning.
4. Recap: How to Stop Students from Repeating the Same Mistakes
If you want students to stop making the same mistakes, don’t just correct them. Help them engage with corrections in a way that makes them stick.
✅ Use an Error Journal to track mistakes over time.
✅ Create fun, memorable sentences to reinforce tricky words.
✅ Encourage self-correction instead of always giving the answer.
✅ Make mistakes a habit to fix, not just a one-time correction.
So, what are you going to try first? Let us know!