Math teachers Claudia Mathison and Katelyn Hayes presented virtually at the 2020 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics on Wednesday, August 26.

Their presentation, “Self-Assessment in Math? How? (Grades 10-12),” centered on the self-assessment and reflection system they have built in their math classrooms over the past few years. Their system empowers students to embrace the process involved in math learning as opposed to the end result.

“Math learning requires practice, and making mistakes is a vital part of the process” said Mathison. “The analytical work of finding and evaluating mistakes inspires deep learning. One cannot understand a mistake without a rich understanding of its root. How do we get our students to “embrace discomfort” to allow this learning to happen?”

Self-assessment builds student agency, empowering students to drive their own learning and development. Self-reflection requires students to identify their own strengths and opportunities for growth. This reflection process enables students to be more authentic and honest about their learning, which in turn, provides teachers with valuable insight into ways to best support their learning. 

They created the model, “Do-Evaluate-Reflect-Revise-Connect” to provide opportunities for students to benefit from the self-assessment and reflection process. 

“Our goal is to coach them through this process, guiding them towards mastery of the concepts learned in class,” said Hayes. “We see this self-assessment journey as a vital component of the deeper learning we strive to instill in our students.”