
Speaking from a math perspective, this is also the case. To me, there are so many opportunities to demonstrate creativity in the mathematics classroom, but fear of failure due to traditional grades (points, percentages, letters) interfere, and so begins the fact gathering race…or more often in math classrooms, algorithmic processing.
What I love about the sciences, at least in my experiences throughout high school and as a biology/chemistry major in college, is that I typically saw my feedback immediately. In biology, I knew when I made the wrong cut during a dissection or if my cultures didn’t grow. In chemistry, if something looked/smelled/sounded funky, something might’ve gone wrong.
In math, or at least traditional math classrooms, it was not as easy to see my errors without explicitly outlined feedback. What I have found to be particularly helpful with my students is collaboration, with students providing peer feedback.
I’m hoping to continue to redefine the way mathematics is presented and handled in my classes so that students can see their feedback immediately.
