Eyes Wide Shut: Why We Fail to Recognize Our Mistakes

The main goals of this ESL lesson plan are to:

– develop B2-level vocabulary,

– enhance students’ speaking fluency,

– improve discussion skills.

This upper intermediate speaking lesson explores why people struggle to acknowledge their mistakes and how different approaches to admitting errors lead to different personal and professional outcomes. 

Warm-up:

The lesson starts with students discussing why we fail to admit our mistakes.

Video:

Students watch a video called “Own your mistakes.” Afterward, they discuss the key ideas from the video using helpful phrases.

Speaking Activities:

Students rank a list of responses to making a mistake from most effective to least effective and justify their choices. They then talk about their approach to mistakes by choosing preferred options for combating this problem from a provided list. Next, learners match terms to their definitions.

Discussion:

The lesson concludes with students debating a dilemma related to owning up to mistakes.