The culture of teaching demands that you correct every wrong answer for every student for every assignment AND ensure they understand what they did wrong.
It’s on you.
This is, of course, time-consuming. It’s also stressful and frustrating given that most students don’t seem to care one way or the other.
Furthermore, and most critically, because it comes from you and thus is forced upon them, it doesn’t stick. They don’t learn from their wrong answers.
If it’s corrected homework, for example, that you return to them, it’s unlikely they’ll even look at it.
In other words, you’re wasting time on something that doesn’t move the needle on academic skill, motivation, or ownership.
In fact, it does the opposite. When students aren’t required to have skin in the game, then it doesn’t matter to them. This isn’t their fault. It’s human nature.
So what’s the solution?
Stop doing it. No, this doesn’t mean that you won’t provide answers. But the corrections and thinking through mistakes must come from them. Otherwise, you’re just wasting time.
They can check their own work. They can ask questions. They can request explanation, guidance, or direction. In fact, this is an essential part of learning and being a successful student.
It’s also a way of providing feedback to the teacher, who must provide the steps and skills for them to be successful.
But won’t students just sit there?
If you don’t change the culture of responsibility in your classroom, then yes, they’ll just sit there. But making this change isn’t difficult, and the results can be life-changing for students.
Here at SCM, we believe strongly in the power of shifting responsibility for listening, learning, and behaving over to students in toto. Anything and everything they can do for themselves—which initially takes detailed teaching from you—you must require them to do.
The more weight on their shoulders, the more purpose and motivation they have and the better they do. Therefore, the more you’re able to give them, defined by how well you prepare them, the more they’ll eagerly take on.
In regard to assigned work, they must correct it. They must figure out their mistakes. They must ask for clarification.
If you’re doing your job setting and pushing hard your expectations, and teaching the precise skills and content needed to be successful, then this is a quick and efficient process.
The methods through which you review finished work, be it in partners or answers simply displayed on a smart board, will have to wait for a future article.
But the responsibility must be continually pushed back on them.
“How did you arrive at your answer?”
“Why do you think you got it wrong?”
“Go back and look through your work.”
“Redo the problem and prove it.”
“Circle where you went wrong.”
“Show me where your mistake was.”
“Check it again, then again.”
They must do it.
Otherwise, they won’t pay attention to your lessons. They won’t take responsibility for their learning. They won’t develop grit or ownership or want-to.
They just won’t care.
So you must shift, shift, and shift some more. Every day.
Setting students up for success with great lessons is your responsibility. Doing the work, which includes correcting, dissecting, and learning from their mistakes, is theirs.
PS – Check out my new book Unstressed: How to Teach Without Worry, Fear, and Anxiety.
Also, if you haven’t done so already, please join us. It’s free! Click here and begin receiving classroom management articles like this one in your email box every week.
I recently used a scavenger hunt finding slope. I went from problem to problem and every student who had a question didn’t have the 4 page notes packet i told them to use. I had them bring the notes to me and I would highlight the words that matched the problem they were working. Some kids had a slow start. But the activity set the majority with a far better understanding after all the dust settled. A to student admitted she didn’t understand two days ago, now it all made sense. WIN! IT WORKS!
I teach 6-8 remedial math. I make a practice of giving them the answers in the beginning. Once they work the problem, they can see instantly if they did something wrong & seek to find why. They know from day one that their grade comes from the work they must show to get credit. It was a game changer once I started doing this. I strongly recommend it. I agree that they only look at the grade on the returned work & throw it away. Very few ever ask how they missed something.
So, provide the correct answer or just mark it wrong?
You can do it in stages:
Stage one: mark it wrong – they know what question they got wrong, and try to fix it with zero outside help.
Stage two (for the ones they don’t finish on stage 1): they get the correct answer to work from or an explanation about what went wrong.
Stage three (for the ones they don’t finish on stage 2): they get the other piece of information that they didn’t get during stage 2
Stage four, for any stinkers; they get direct guidance for seeking the relevant principles for making decisions about what went wrong, how to recognize it, test it, revamp it. Any principles hit upon in that stage go into their “book of principles” they use as a personal reference for problem solving.
This way of working is well-proven, and the students who practice identifying a correcting mistakes in review… start identifying and correcting mistakes before they turn in the homework or finish the test. I’ve taught hundreds of students how to ace the SAT, ACT, GRE & GMAT, and the tactic of repairing your own mistakes was always a critical feature.
Warning: students using this method will start correcting their teachers and finding mistakes in their textbooks. Some go on to learn advanced material with zero help from any resource. It can blow up into activism that alters school policy… which is a good thing, even if the teachers or principal doesn’t like it, but … fixing your own mistakes isn’t just for students, is it?
PS: The idea of a book of principles can be traced back to Euclid, in the most influential book ever written (The Elements) which evolved into our modern academic, legal and scientific traditions. And all the people making standardized tests and textbooks also use it.
I think this is an excellent idea! Way easier for the teacher and way better for the students. Win-win all around!
Hi Mike! I’ve been a subscriber since 2012 and I want to start by thanking you for saving my desire to stay in teaching, especially through your new book, Unstressed. It has totally given me a new attitude and outlook and I feel that my students are calmer and more cooperative. As for the topic of correcting mistakes, I just tell them, “watch punctuation,” or “What should be capitalized here?’
Mike, could you please reflect on your expertise and insight and write an article on this topic: The same three or four kids asking to leave for the restroom every day – they’re back within reasonable time, they’re not disruptive nor falling behind in their work, but I have the vibe that they may be taking somewhat advantage. Maybe I’m reading too much into it. I feel awkward saying “no”. What is your insight on this scenario? Thank you so much for your time, Andrew H.
In my class they can leave one at a time. I explain that the next person is waiting for them in order to be able to leave, so they shouldn’t stay out to long.
Not Mike, but what works for me is to say, “We’re covering something crucial here. Are you able to wait 5 minutes (or 10) until we get to independent work?” Most of the time students will say yes. I always tell them to ask me again if it becomes an emergency. They trust me to let them go when they truly need to, but I’m also reinforcing that instruction is vital.
Failure is not the option nor an option value integrity to get to wisdom.
Michael says it exactly how it should be done. As a sub, in math, for example, if the students are stuck or rusty, I sometimes like to work thru a problem on the board, as a sample—or have a student go to the board and do the problem—and maybe briefly review some fundamentals—and then give the ball to the students. Note that there must be zero tolerance for cellphones or playing video games on chrome books while class is in session. This is a serious problem that increasingly is allowed by teachers and weak admins., greatly hindering the learning process.
LOVE this article! I teach 4th grade and have seen the decline of problem-solving and critical thinking in students. Technology, especially now with AI, has provided kids with a perpetual path of least resistance. In my classroom, I combat this with all of those questions you mentioned in your article and then some! Now that it’s spring, I am seeing amazing progress in my students’ motivation to figure out where they went wrong and fix it. The pride my kids feel when they’ve tackled something they previously didn’t get is palpable. We, as educators, MUST provide a space where we are creating and allowing struggles for our kids.
Thank you for another amazing article.
Hello! I’m a huge fan of all you do. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. I’m wondering if your book will be available anywhere else. I’m no longer ordering anything through Amazon, since I’m done lining billionaires pocketbooks. I’d love to read it, so please let me know if it’s available anywhere else. Thank you!
I agree. Students should correct most all of their work with the exception of quizzes, exams and test with immediate feed back and explanations. They can figure out the errors they are making. They should learn the process and then they can solve any example.