Debate
Should teachers have students correct each other's papers?

The Supreme Court recently ruled that teachers don't break the law when they have students correct each other's papers. NEA, which filed a motion supporting the ruling, has taken no position on whether this grading process is good practice. But here, our members have.

YES
Janine Riggins currently teaches the third grade at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where she has taught for 13 years. She was published recently in Memorable Moments from the Classroom (The Master Teacher Inc.).

Here's why: Teachers are urged to focus on "higher order thinking skills." Being involved in evaluation helps students synthesize and take ownership of their learning. When my students correct papers, their faces light up, and I hear whispered cheers of "yesssss!" They are mentally confirming their own learning as we go over the work.

Students benefit from immediate, specific feedback. They cannot get it if the teacher must correct all the papers, all the time. I would not ask students to mark tests, but correcting each other's classwork or homework is fine.

Sometimes I have students correct their own papers, but I often find this takes too long because students are so focused on reviewing their errors. Instead, I have them mark each other's papers, circling wrong answers. Then, they return the papers and I give them time to fix mistakes.

Does this practice embarrass those who don't do well? It doesn't have to. Learning is all about taking chances. You learn from your mistakes. Students take risks every time they ask a question in front of the class or offer an answer. Kids are keen. They know who is at the top and who isn't, whether they see each other's mistakes on paper or not.

In my class, we openly admit that we all have weaknesses. My students know I am a terrible speller and often correct my work! I ask them how to spell words, I flagrantly use the dictionary, and I teach them about my best friend--Spell Check! We help each other over the hurdles and celebrate each other's successes. The class is a team, and I am just one of many cheerleaders. Constructive criticism is allowed, ridicule and teasing are not. It doesn't matter if you have 1 wrong or 20 wrong on your homework because we are all there striving to reach our goals. We know success is possible, progress will be made, and all the small steps along the way are just as important as crossing the finish line!

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NO
Harvey Erikson taught for 36 years in Illinois and Michigan, mostly teaching fifth and sixth grade in Moline, Illinois. For three years, he taught special education at the junior high school level. He is now retired, but still subs in Pleasant Valley, Iowa.

Some kids, no matter how hard they try, will usually be on the bottom looking up. Keeping the student's work as private as possible will not cure this problem, but it will help immensely. Every time a low score is made public in a classroom, another hole is shot through that all-important area of self-worth.

This is not a one-time event. For kids with marginal abilities, these situations occur over and over, sometimes daily. Should we be surprised that some kids hate school and quit? These kids aren't falling through the cracks, they're shoved.

I practiced this form of correcting papers until the effects became obvious. At the extreme, I saw more than one student turn their pencil into a weapon and attack their failed paper with hard scribbles until either the pencil point broke or the paper ripped. Right or wrong, the students view the quality of their schoolwork as a measure of their worth.

I've often heard the argument, "Well, the kids all know where one another stands anyhow, so what's the big deal?" The big deal is that the mark on the paper makes it more official. Their status moves from being an opinion into the "fact" category. The problem is multiplied when it is made public.

As for the idea that exchanging papers and correcting serves as a good, immediate review, I agree. And it's also true that good teachers try to teach respect in situations like this. When the teacher is no longer on the scene, however, it's another story. Recess and after school are "open season" for kids intent on teasing or getting even with someone. Have we forgotten how cruel kids can be to one another?

Kids correcting kids' work is not only a thoughtless practice, it is not necessary. It is far more effective to have kids correct their own work.

Papers used for important evaluations should be corrected by teachers anyway. Teachers must make the final judgment as to whether the time they save is worth eroding the self-concept of those students who are always looking up.

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