Why
Being able to identify mistakes and correct them is crucial for learning, especially for addressing one’s math misconceptions. However, children tend to interpret mistakes as a reflection of their lack of ability, instead of seeing mistakes as a chance to learn. Therefore they tend to either deny or ignore their mistakes. Adults often don’t feel comfortable addressing children’s mistakes directly either, worrying that such responses will hurt their children’s feelings or self-esteem.
We carefully crafted sets of math problems, some with correct answers and others with incorrect answers. Each set represents a common misconception related to math concepts or procedures. Children are invited to evaluate the answers, followed by a discussion about why certain answers are wrong and how to correct them.
Beyond the advantages of enhancing math proficiency, this learning activity offers children the opportunity to recognize that errors are a natural part of the learning process. When confronted with mistakes, they discover that through careful analysis and correction, these missteps can serve as invaluable sources of new learning experiences
We know all kids are great at finding other people’s mistakes, and they won’t be shy talking about correcting them.
How
Step1. Evaluation
- Print out or write down questions and answers from the provided set.
- Encourage children to assess answers individually. Using markers or stickers to mark the correct and incorrect answers. If they are not sure about the correctness of an answer, guide them to label it as “unsure”.
- *If used in a group setting, suggest that each child take one question to evaluate.
Step 2. Discussion
- Begin by encouraging children to share one or two questions with correct answers. Then progress to sharing questions with incorrect answers, one at a time.
- Prompt children to explain why they think the answers are incorrect.
- Use the discussion questions provided in the set to help guiding the discussion.
- Allow children to modify their assessments of answers (either by re-marking or reapplying stickers). Through the course of discussion, they may realize that they need to revise their initial evaluations.
Step 3. Correction
- Review the misconceptions represented by the incorrect answers, focusing on explaining why they are wrong.
- Encourage children to verbalize how to solve the problems correctly. Focus on the logic and reasoning that underlie the algorithms.
- Applause if children alter or overwrite their initial evaluations during the discussion or review. This recognition is a testament to their correction of their own mistakes–an indication that they have learned something new.
Explore
Challenge Alert!!! For sets with the 
icon, there are actually no incorrect answers. Instead, there will be answers that children often think that are incorrect or unsure. Those answers are great conversation starters on certain math concepts. The discussion questions will help children to understand why those answers are correct. We want to throw them in the collection to make this activity a little bit unpredictable and extra fun.
- Single-digit Addition *Error Type 1
What does the equal sign(=) mean? Do you have to add the numbers in the order given? Is it true that the more numbers you add the bigger the total is? - Multi-digit Addition Error Type 3
Carrying to the right–when the sum of each digit exceeds 10, the value of the resulting tens digit or hundreds digit is not properly combined with the tens digit or hundreds digit. - Multi-digit Addition Error Type 2
Making up extra digit- when the sum of two single digits exceeds 10, the value of the resulting ten’s digit is improperly combined with the sum of the tens digits. - Multi-digit Addition Error Type 1
Ignoring place value-when multi-digit numbers are added, each digit is added without its corresponding place value.