Reviewing one's work for mistakes

The process of making sure that one is on the right path to solving a problem is called reviewing. It is important to be humble and accept that one can make mistakes and that there is nothing wrong with making mistakes as long as one learns from them. In mathematics one can go back and correct one’s mistakes… it’s not like woodwork where a cut irrevocably changes the shape of the piece of wood and cannot be undone. In maths a simple line through the offending number or expression is sufficient. Of course sometimes, as in woodwork, it is better to start all over again, but it is not forced on the mathematician in the same way, and there isn’t the loss of resources that losing a piece of wood entails. At Puppet Maths we teach that it is OK to make mistakes, providing that you learn from them. We teach that mistakes are a natural part of doing maths, and that the pupils should check their work for mistakes as they go along. We teach that when a mistake is found, that the pupil shouldn’t lose heart and give up, because maths is a puzzle solving activity and very few people navigate their way through puzzles flawlessly every time.