Today we had a difficult discussion as a class. It stemmed from some recent poor math test grades. Many kids, most of whom often excel on their math homework, got C's and D's. There were only 4 A's, 7 B's, and the rest were C's and below (9 in total). This came as a shock, as these students are typically very high achieving math students and seem to understand the concepts both on their homework and in class for the most part!
As I began to look at the tests, I saw many silly mistakes. Forgetting labels, adding instead of subtracting, etc. Things that could and would be avoided with a little extra care. I even had each student do the problems twice this time around, as a means to catch these little errors (an instruction that many students ignored).
Now I have told the kids many times that if they TRULY do not get something and, therefore, miss it on the test, this is MY fault. However, if it is because they are being lazy or sloppy, this is THEIR fault. So, I had students stay in at recess and re-do the problems that they missed and... guess what... they ALL received A's and B's. Can you believe it? I said that they would receive credit for their new answers once and only once, and from now on their silly mistakes would cost them.
Because of this, we have set the bar higher for ourselves as a class. We have made a commitment to working carefully, taking our time, and doing our best. We understand that this will be more difficult and time-consuming, but we think it is worth it to become better as a class. We have learned that those who work slowly may not win the race, but they will become smarter and stronger for taking their time and paying attention to detail.
We can do it! We rock!
As I began to look at the tests, I saw many silly mistakes. Forgetting labels, adding instead of subtracting, etc. Things that could and would be avoided with a little extra care. I even had each student do the problems twice this time around, as a means to catch these little errors (an instruction that many students ignored).
Now I have told the kids many times that if they TRULY do not get something and, therefore, miss it on the test, this is MY fault. However, if it is because they are being lazy or sloppy, this is THEIR fault. So, I had students stay in at recess and re-do the problems that they missed and... guess what... they ALL received A's and B's. Can you believe it? I said that they would receive credit for their new answers once and only once, and from now on their silly mistakes would cost them.
Because of this, we have set the bar higher for ourselves as a class. We have made a commitment to working carefully, taking our time, and doing our best. We understand that this will be more difficult and time-consuming, but we think it is worth it to become better as a class. We have learned that those who work slowly may not win the race, but they will become smarter and stronger for taking their time and paying attention to detail.
We can do it! We rock!