A strategy I use in my maths tutoring is instead of pointing out the answer straight away, I will make a student go through their working in order to figure out their mistake.

When a student gets something wrong, I will never tell them the answer straight away. I will point out that they have done something wrong, but get them to step me through their work in order to ensure they understand where they went wrong. This not only helps me see exactly where things went off but also helps them think more about the process which is very important when attempting similar questions.

Once we figure out where the mistake happened, we go back and talk about why it didn’t work. I’ll guide them, but I try not to jump in too quickly as I want them to be the one who fixes it. Then I’ll give them a really similar question straight after to see if they can apply it properly on their own. If they can, it shows the concept has actually clicked.

I’ve found this works really well because it changes their mindset. They stop getting stressed about being wrong and start seeing mistakes as something helpful. It also builds their confidence because they realise they can work things out themselves.

Over time, they become a lot more independent and careful with their working and their overall understanding improves a lot too.

Annaliese Lakis