more ways to correct or go over math Homework

Personally, I don’t like kids to exchange papers. If you go over the work in class, let each child correct his own paper. I do not see the benefit in correcting someone else’s paper. They need to see thier own errors and how to correct them.

Janis

Nice idea, Janis, but it depends on the students. A lot simply will not go over their own papers; they resent having to admit that they made mistakes so they act up. Others do correct their mistakes and then demand higher grades because see, my homework is perfect so it must be you the hateful teacher, who makes me fail the tests. Having friends grade the work is not great either, but it’s the only way for the teacher to cover the amount of work that has to be graded for students who don’t believe it is real if it doesn’t get a grade. It also makes the student doing the marking actually pay attention to the solution of the problem so he can read the other student’s work.

if i were to just collect them myself and correct, the next day go over the repeated mistakes? i co teach in 8th grade math, which i have never taught before and dont’ feel comfortable. i want to put my expertise to some use because, although i have taught a few lessons, i feel that i am making the students more confused. i would like to see how all the students are doing and go over what they don’t understand. right now the reg. ed. math teacher i co-teach with is having the students exchange homework or do other activities, but that isn’t a good assessment of how they are doing. so instead of worrying about teaching a bad math lesson, i want to focus on how they are doing….(i am hoping to not teach math next year)thanks

I am just rambling here because I have never taught regular classroom math ;-), but I would not grade the homework (just check if it was done) which would reduce the temptation to cheat and change answers. I just have always had an aversion to the low children having to have the humiliation of their peers checking their work.

Yoopergirl, I see nothing wrong with your last idea of checking the papers yourself…except, you have to do a lesson the day they turn in the homework and you can’t exactly go on to new skills if they need to review the current ones.

Janis

How about reinforcing kids for finding their own mistakes? I don’t mean you give out M&Ms or something, but you ask the kids to go over their papers and see if they can locate their mistakes. Then you say basically “great job”, now can you find what your error was? How did you do it, that sort of thing. Mind you I have NOT done this for math, but I use to do this for other types of work requiring acuracy (handwriting with an ADHD kid). Also of course they have to know HOW to do the work. If they don’t the exercise is meaningless.

—des

I’d collect them myself and go over the operation(s) that many didn’t seem to understand.

Homework to me is a good place to assess what they understood and what they didn’t understand. I don’t grade homework myself as I see homework as a place to practice and a place where mistakes can be made as they’re still learning how to do the operation. I do write effusive comments on their homework like “Wow! Great work!” Or “Something wasn’t working for you here. We’ll go over it in class” so they and their parents know I check the homework and use what it’s telling me.

janis you are right, we teach a new lesson everyday….we review concepts again and again during their warmup, but a new lesson everyday, so i guess i am still kind of wondering what to do. you see i want an active involvement in the math class, he has had me teach some lessons, but i notice i confuse the kids even more…so i would like to check the work, but just want to find the best way, thanks!

Okay, here’s a new idea. Go over the homework with the class before going to the next lesson. Let them correct their own papers. But instead of having them mark things wrong or erase, have them write corrections in a different color. Explain to them that their errors are not going to count off. But you want to be able to measure whether they are understanding what you are teaching and you can better do that if you can see both the wrong problem and then the correction next to it. Then take up the papers and you can quickly analyze if there is a weak spot for the class as a whole.

Janis

thank you janis!!! i completely agree!!!!!! i have some coloring pencils that will do the trick!!!!! thanks again, i will let you know how it works

Please do ler me know! Brainstorming ideas like this can help us all!

Janis