The Fix Is In

In my last post, Better Late Than Never, I described why I allow students to complete assignments after the due date. In short, I believe there is instructional value in completing the work even though the due date has passed. But students will get the most instructional value from the assignment when the assignment is completed correctly. And that's what this post is about; why I let students redo assignments.

I have seen students receive graded work back and immediately toss it in the recycling bin without so much as glancing past the score they received more times than I can count. If the student was making a mistake that I commented on, they never saw it. If they were doing something especially well that I commented on, they never saw it. I could have drawn funny pictures of cats for all they knew. They never would have seen them. Once the assignment was graded it was over. The students felt there was no more learning to be done.

But there was. I made comments about what they could do better the next time and they never even saw them! It was as if the students didn't even care. If I wasn't going to allow them to fix their mistakes and let them rework those problems using the suggestions I had given them, and give them credit for doing so, why should they care? I wanted them to put in more effort to learn the material better, but I wasn't willing to give them credit if they had, in fact, learned it better. That didn't make sense to me. So I stopped doing that.

When my Pre-Calculus students would turn in assignments, I would grade 5 questions from a cross-section of the problems. If they were correctly worked, I would circle them. If they were not, I put a line through them. When comments were necessary, I made comments. I did not write a score on the assignment. When they got the first assignments back I explained how I scored them and what I expected them to do with the returned assignments. Students who had incorrectly worked problems began asking questions and seeking feedback on what they did and how they could do better. They weren't just asking me. They were asking their classmates. And their classmates were willingly helping them. Questions were being asked, discussions were being had, communicating mathematical ideas and concepts was taking place. And for the most part, the students were doing all of it.

My Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 classes work a bit differently. In those classes I try to give students as much time as possible to work on assignments in class. Their assignments are hosted online through a platform provided by the textbook publisher. The site includes access to various tools students can use to help them through the problems. They are given instant feedback as they complete each question, but only if the question was answered correctly or not along with a short explanation of how to do the problem correctly. The site does not offer feedback specific to the student's mistakes. And that's o.k., because they know that wasn't their only opportunity. As they work, and rework, they can ask questions of other students or they can ask me as I walk around the room. The feedback students would be getting after they received their assignments back from me several days later is now being given as they worked when it is of much more value.

The old workflow used to be; teacher teaches, students listen / take notes, students do assignment, students turn in assignment, teacher grades the assignments, teacher returns the assignments a few days later. And for many, many students, that's where the process ends. Now the workflow is; instruction takes place, students work on the assignment, students check their work, students ask about mistakes, teacher / student explains mistakes, students rethink their work, students rework the assignment, and the process may very well repeat itself.

There is a great deal more critical thinking that the student does when they analyze their mistakes, ask about how to correct them, and then rework the problems than there is in making only one attempt at applying the new skill and not giving it much thought after that. Those moments are the most valuable for learning. If we want our students to graduate with the problem solving skills they will need to enter the workforce of tomorrow, they will need more of these moments, not less.