Why You Should Use Short Practice Activities in Math -

Teachers know that practicing a new math skill is very important to help students retain the skill. But how much practice is the right amount? Read on to learn the disadvantages of long practice assignments and the benefits of using short practice activities in math.

Disadvantages of Long Practice Assignments

Did you ever have a math teacher assign you a homework assignment with an endless amount of equations to solve? And even worse, did all of the equations look exactly the same? Even a self-proclaimed math nerd like myself hated when this happened.

Ten-year-old me hated this because there were so many other things I wanted to do, besides solve basically the same equation over and over again. Adult me hates the idea of this because there are so many issues with long practice assignments.

They lead to burn out, and even hatred of math. Ever wonder why a lot of adults out there don’t consider themselves “math people?”
If a student doesn’t know how to properly solve a math problem, solving 20 of them incorrectly isn’t going to make them understand it better. In fact, it’s going to solidify that misconception in their brain even more.
When we see a long practice assignment, teachers and students immediately think “busy work.” Busy work is defined as “work that keeps a person busy but has little value in itself.”

Benefits of Short Practice Activities

Now that we know the disadvantages of long practice assignments, let’s talk about the benefits of using short practice activities in math. Short practice activities can be anywhere from 1-10 questions, depending on the purpose of the activity.

Students get a “quick-win” when they complete their work. When a student sees 8 questions instead of 20, they are more likely to think “I can do this!”
They are much easier to grade and you are able to catch student errors quickly. It is a lot easier for students to unlearn a math error after repeating it 3 times than it is after repeating it 20 times.
They leave a lot more class time to use for hands-on activities or practicing with manipulatives.

Types of Short Practice Activities

There are so many types of short practice activities! Here are a few types you can easily get started with:

Exit Tickets- Exit tickets can be as simple as a blank sheet of paper that students write what they learned in the lesson. Or they can be a little more structured and include a few questions directly from the lesson.
Individual Whiteboard Practice- Practice can be as simple as displaying one or two questions on the board. Then have students solve on an individual whiteboard!
Short Worksheets or Textbook Assignments- You can still use your worksheets and your textbook! Just pick and choose a few key questions for students to complete, instead of having them do all of the questions provided.