In my math teachable course this week, we had some guest speakers that came to talk to us about some online resources and differentiated instruction for our students. Some of the online resources were very helpful - the Khan Academy being one of them. I wanted to talk about some of the hands-on activities that were discussed. They introduced two activities - "I have, Who has" and a paired worksheet. The "I Have, Who Has" game I've seen before, but they explained it in a different way to make me understand better. If you make the game properly so that the last person matches with the first person, the result will be a loop, and students can see if they have correctly completed the game if they return back to the first person.
Secondly, they introduced a worksheet that has two columns on it - one for Partner A, and the second for Partner B. The worksheet is to be designed so that each question for both Partner A and Partner B result in the same answer, so that they can self-correct again. If there are any discrepancies in their solutions, they will be able to look to see where the mistakes were made.
Giving students the ability to identify and solve their own mistakes is crucial. First of all, it takes away the negative stigma that a bad mark gets when the teacher is assessing someone. Students often feel more comfortable around their peers and are more willing to make mistakes and learn from them if there is no fear of failure. Secondly, students that self-correct will develop a deeper understanding of the material, because the activities provide immediate feedback. Students don't need to wait a day or two for the teacher to mark something and return it back, the results are immediate.
Self-correcting activities should be used frequently in the math classroom, and frequently throughout a unit to develop understanding and boost confidence in student work.
