Self-Monitoring: Catching Your Own Mistakes
Self-monitoring means a child checks and keeps track of their own work. A 2022 review of school studies found methods including self-monitoring helped on average. Most of those children had trouble with behavior or attention in class. We hold no study of parents teaching self-monitoring at home. In our view, start with one check, done after each problem.
TL;DR
- Self-monitoring means a child checks and keeps track of their own work or behavior. In our view, self-monitoring is a skill a child can practice.
- A 2022 review pooled school studies of self-management, including self-monitoring (Smith, Thompson and Maynard, 2022). On average, the review found gains in behavior and schoolwork. Most of the children in these studies had trouble with behavior or attention in class.
- These studies were done in school, mostly with one or a few children at a time. We hold no study of parents teaching self-monitoring at home.
- In our view, start with one check, not five. Write it on a card. Your child marks it after each problem. This step is our own practice.
Self-monitoring, as we use the words, means checking your own work as you go. It can also mean keeping track of your own behavior. A school report may use the same word. Our position: self-monitoring is a skill built by practice.
”Self-monitoringWhat it looks like at the table
In our view, self-monitoring is the checking part of the work. It means checking the work against what was asked. It means catching a wrong turn before the end.
In our experience, many children finish and hand the work straight over. Checking is a separate step. In our view, it has to be taught like any other step.
What studies of self-monitoring found
A 2022 review looked at self-management in school (Smith, Thompson and Maynard, 2022). That covers a child checking, rating and tracking their own behavior or work. The review pooled 75 studies of one or a few children. It added four studies of groups. The students were from kindergarten to grade 12. The review says these methods "on average have positive effects across behavioral and academic outcomes."
A 2018 review looked at self-monitoring and reading (Guzman and colleagues, 2018). It pooled 19 studies of 67 students, aged about 7 to 18. Its authors said the results support "self-monitoring as an evidence-based reading intervention for students in Grades K-12."
A 2005 review pooled studies of children with ADHD (Reid, Trout and Schartz, 2005). It looked at self-monitoring and methods like it. It found more time on the task, and better behavior. It also found more accurate work, and more work done.
A 2015 review looked at 41 studies of self-monitoring (Bruhn and colleagues, 2015). In them, students kept a record of their own behavior. This often came with rewards, feedback or tech. The summary does not say which parts matter most.
We could read only the summaries of these reviews.
These studies were done in school, mostly with one or a few children at a time. Teachers or researchers ran them. We hold no study of parents teaching self-monitoring at home.
Most of the children in these studies had trouble with behavior or attention in class. That tells you who was studied. It does not tell you about your child.
Nothing in these studies tests Learning Success.
Checks a child can ask
Here are checks we suggest. They are our examples, not from a study.
- Did I read what the question asks?
- Did I check each answer?
- Does my answer make sense?
- Did I start each sentence with a capital letter?
- Was I working when the timer beeped?
Pick the one that fits the work your child is doing now.
How we start at home
These steps are our own practice.
One check, not five. Choose one question from the list. Write it on a card by the work.
A mark after each problem. Your child asks the question, then marks the card. The mark is the record. It shows the check was done.
Look at the card together after. Talk about the marks before the score. Say what you saw: "You checked every one."
Do it with them first. Ask the question out loud for the first few problems. Then let your child ask it.
Add a second check later. Wait until the first one happens without a reminder.
When to ask for help
Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.
- Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
- Schoolwork well below what school expects.
- A teacher who raises a concern about learning.
- Extreme upset about schoolwork.
- Complete avoidance of school or learning.
- Hopelessness about learning.
- Sadness or worry that lasts.
- Significant delays in speech, language or motor development.
- A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
If no skill has gone, start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, delays in speech, language or movement are worth raising with your child's doctor. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.
Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.
Key Takeaways
A 2022 review pooled school studies of self-management, including self-monitoring (Smith, Thompson and Maynard, 2022). On average, the review found gains in behavior and schoolwork. Most of the children in these studies had trouble with behavior or attention in class.
These studies were done in school, mostly with one or a few children at a time. We hold no study of parents teaching self-monitoring at home.
In our view, start with one check, written on a card. Your child marks it after each problem. Look at the card together after. These steps are our own practice.
Tonight, try one of our checks, like "Does my answer make sense?" Write it on a card. Ask it out loud after each problem. Mark the card together.
”What to do tonightWhat to use next
Common questions from parents
How do I teach my child to check their work?
In our view, start with one check, not five. Pick a short question, like "Does my answer make sense?" Write it on a card. Your child asks it after each problem and marks the card. Ask it with them at first, then let them ask it. These steps are our own practice. School studies support teaching children to check and record their own work or behavior. Most of those children had trouble with behavior or attention in class. We hold no study of parents teaching self-monitoring at home.
Does self-monitoring work?
In school studies, methods including self-monitoring helped on average. A 2022 review pooled many school studies (Smith, Thompson and Maynard, 2022). In them, children kept track of their own work or how they acted. On average, the review found gains in both. A 2018 review also found support for self-monitoring in reading (Guzman and colleagues, 2018). Most of the children in these studies had trouble with behavior or attention in class. These studies were done in school, mostly with one or a few children at a time. We could read only the summaries of these reviews. We hold no study of parents teaching self-monitoring at home.
Will checking stop my child from making the same mistakes?
In our view, checking catches slips but will not fix work that is too hard. A mistake that keeps coming back may be about the work itself. Ask the teacher whether the level is right. Say what you see at home, and what you have tried. School studies support self-monitoring. Most of those children had trouble with behavior or attention in class. We hold no study of parents teaching self-monitoring at home.
What about trouble switching from one task to the next?
A visual schedule is one common strategy for this. It lists what comes next, in words or pictures. A warning before a change is another common step. One review looked at ways to help autistic students switch tasks (Lequia and colleagues, 2015). In those studies, activity schedules were used most and helped most. That is a finding about autistic students. It does not tell you about your child. We hold no review of these steps for other children. That is a gap in what we hold, not a finding either way. We could read only the review's summary. In our view, start with a list of what comes next.