Mindprint Toolbox

Search Results

Please wait...

Check Work on Tests

Tags

Social-Emotional Learning Study Skills & Tools All Ages Strategy

Skills

Working Memory Attention Processing Speed

Check Work on Tests

All students but particularly if your student has a lot of scattered errors or inconsistent performance

Teach It!

  1. Objective: Students will learn strategies for checking their work based on how much time they have, so they can use their time efficiently and effectively.
  2. Instruction and Practice: Introduce and model the approaches for checking work on the next slide. Offer practice with each assignment so students can become comfortable gauging which checking strategies to use in different situations.

Student Guide: Approaches To Checking Work

  1. Gauge which approach to use depending on time remaining after finishing an assignment or test. (Note: Find specific strategies to double-check math problems here.)
  2. Limited Time Remaining: After completing a test or assignment, go back and scan to be sure that every question is answered.
  3. Medium Time Remaining: Go back to the first question, cover the answer, and ask yourself what the correct answer should look like, in general terms. Should it be a fraction? A large number? A name? Then uncover your answer and see if it makes sense. If the answer makes sense move to the next problem. If the answer does not make sense, re-work the problem. Continue for each problem.
  4. Plenty of Time Remaining: There's no better way to check work than to re-do a problem from scratch. Cover your answer and re-work or re-think the problem. Then, compare your new answer to the first attempt and see if they match. This approach might be most beneficial if you tend to rush through your work or finish well ahead of time.

Why It Works (the Science Of Learning)!

Adults often tell students to check their work. However, they might be surprised to know that many students have never been taught how to check their work efficiently. Add to that, the approach will change somewhat depending on the subject, the amount of time, and the student's learning profile. Knowing how and when to use each checking strategy will help all students improve the quality of their work.