1
$\begingroup$

I am a HS math teacher and just started a job that adopted a new curriculum at the last minute. It gave us the tasks but did not provide any answer keys. Of course, I know how to work through the math but I would prefer not to spend the 1-2 hours every single week creating the answer keys for my 3 separate courses.

The tasks are freely, publicly available online to anyone so it not proprietary stuff that I shouldn't be sharing. I have heard about sites like Nerdify where freelancers can assist. Does anyone have an opinion on them or have any other advice for what I am trying to do?

And yes I know plenty of math educators who will hate every word of my question here and would tell me to work through every single example myself :). I have a busy year and was hoping to find a solution to save me time even if it costs me some $. Thank you for reading

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
11
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ Why do you feel compelled to provide answer keys? $\endgroup$
    – user52817
    Jul 30 at 16:13
  • 6
    $\begingroup$ You can also try some math. major at a local university, if you have one nearby (graduate students are especially well-suited for the task and, as far as I can tell, are always looking for some extra money-making options). $\endgroup$
    – fedja
    Jul 30 at 17:18
  • 9
    $\begingroup$ The publisher of the curriculum won't provide answer keys? They usually have teacher's guides with all sorts of suggestions, including answers. $\endgroup$
    – Sue VanHattum ♦
    Jul 30 at 17:48
  • 8
    $\begingroup$ "The tasks are freely, publicly available online to anyone so it not proprietary stuff that I shouldn't be sharing." -- I recommend sharing the name of the curriculum and/or a link to it. Perhaps someone here knows of an existing solution set, etc. $\endgroup$
    – Nick C
    Jul 30 at 20:55
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ So you want to grade tasks that you hand out using answer keys instead of doing them yourself? Oof. $\endgroup$
    – Rusty Core
    Jul 31 at 16:27

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
6
$\begingroup$

Don't underestimate the value of working through the problems yourself. When I assign problems to students, I am not just checking to see if they got the answer correct or not -- I am looking for patterns, common mistakes, thought processes, etc. If you create your own answer key, you can write up your answers from the perspective of your students, showing the steps. I do the same with my middle schoolers, and it helps me anticipate what kinds of mistakes they might make. Hope this helps!

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.