A common
practice these days is not to return students’ math tests nor allow students to
take the tests home. This prevents students from studying areas in which they
are weak and does not allow the tutor or parent to help the student to correct
and understand their errors.
Perhaps this
comes from teacher laziness because by not letting students take their tests
and sometimes quizzes home they can recycle the tests year after year. However,
I think students have a lot to loose by not being allowed to review their tests
and make test corrections.
In teaching
Algebra for special education students, I go over the homework and give my
students the correct answers so they can check their work and ask questions on
how to solve problems that they missed. This is another practice that many math
teachers do not do. There is no point in assigning math homework for the sake
of assigning it if students are not able to learn from this practice.
In regards to
tests, I give small quizzes almost daily on every section we cover and grade
them. I allow students to make quiz corrections, but in order to earn points
that can help their original quiz score they must explain the cause of their
mistake. This is an essential component that students can analyze their work
and understand their errors to prevent them from continuing to make the same
errors. This can also help students learn to slow down, show their work and see
if their errors come from carelessness or lack of understanding how to solve
the problem.
These
practices are nothing new; but as a teacher and tutor, I see the frustration of
parents who want to help their children, but can’t because never see their
child/teen’s test. Hopefully, more teachers can see extreme benefits of
learning from our mistakes and begin changing these harmful practices. I know
teachers are under a lot of stress and pressure, but in the best interest of
our students, allowing them to see their weaknesses and learn to analyze their
errors can not only help them in math, but in life.
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