StatusIn preparation · first edition expected after we open
The question behind the wrong answer
When a child gets a question wrong, the mistake is information. A wrong answer to a fraction problem might come from fractions, or it might come from division, multiplication facts or simply reading the question too fast. This report will set out how we tell those apart, so the next thing your child works on goes to the right place instead of being more of the same.
Working backwards, one skill at a time
Skills sit on top of other skills. We map those links, and when a question is missed we step back through the skills underneath it with short, targeted checks until we find the first one that isn’t secure. That’s where we start. The report will show the map we use, how we built it, and where we think it still needs work.
A wrong answer is a clue, not a verdict.
Worked examples from math and reading
In mathematics, we’ll walk through a common case: a learner who struggles to add fractions because equivalent fractions, and the multiplication under them, never quite settled. In reading, we’ll follow a child who seems to have trouble with comprehension but is spending all their attention on sounding out words. Both examples will be illustrative, built from patterns teachers see often, not from a particular child.
What this method can’t tell us
A diagnosis is a good first guess, not a verdict. Children have off days, questions can be unclear, and some difficulties have causes outside the lesson, like sleep, worry or a need for a specialist assessment. We’ll describe how mentors check a diagnosis against what they see, and when we suggest that a family talk with their school or a professional.
What you’ll take away
- 01A wrong answer is a clue, not a verdict.
- 02We fix the first skill that isn’t secure, then check again.
- 03A mentor’s judgement checks every diagnosis.
