The Use Of Self-Correcting Materials

Student practice math skills using materials in which the problem and solutions to each problem are provided.

Requires prior knowledge of the students.

Provides immediate feedback even without the teacher.

What is this strategy?

Purpose

provide students an independent practice activity

What are the critical elements of this strategy?

Materials provide both appropriate math skill prompts and solutions.

Materials provide easy to follow directions.

Materials are inexpensive.

Provides students multiple practice opportunities.

What are the critical elements of this strategy?

Students should demonstrate at least an initial ability to perform the math skill independently.

Response record is required.

Students should use a variety of self-correcting materials.

Student performance using self-correcting materials should not be graded.

How to implement the strategy?

1. Identify appropriate math skill for student practice.

2. Incorporate materials that include the features listed in Critical Components.

3. Model how to perform the math skill using each self-correcting material.

How to implement the strategy?

4. Ensure that students clearly understand how to use the self-correcting material.

5. Periodically monitor students who are using self-correcting materials.

6. Provide students with a way to record their responses.

How to implement the strategy?

7. Evaluate student responses by examining student response sheets.

8. DO NOT grade student performance using self-correcting materials.

Examples Of Self – Correcting Materials

A math problem or some other math learning task is put on one side and the solution is provided on the opposite side.

FLASHCARDS 

A milk carton or juice carton can be turned into a "robot" by cutting two slits at the top and bottom of one side. Students first read the math fact that is on one side. Then they say/write the answer. They put the fact into the "math fact robot," who then "spits out" the answer. The student can then compare their answer to the robot's answer.

MATH FACT ROBOT 

It is made out of tag-board or drawn on a manila folder. Math learning task prompts are written on one side. Students say the fact and "think"/write down the solution. Then they place the point of their pencil in the hole, turn the figure over and see the correct answer.

PUNCH-HOLE MATERIALS   

How does this instructional strategy positively impact students who have

learning problems?

Provides students a way to practice a particular math skill a multiple number of times while receiving immediate feedback on their performance.

Provides students a "risk-free" environment to practice skills they have initially acquired through teacher instruction but for which they have not mastered.

Students can evaluate their performance privately.

Provides "modeling“.

Immediate feedback provided by the self-correcting materials helps the students.

The response record allows the teacher to evaluate the student's performance.

Classroom Application

The use of flashcards for the lesson on “The formulas in finding the area of a polygon”.

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