Developing assessment for learning in mathematics...

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Developing assessment for learning in mathematics – classroom practice in action Information to support use of video material on the DVD-ROM (00101-2008DVD-EN)

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Developing assessment for learning in mathematics

– classroom practice in action

Information to support use of video material on the DVD-ROM (00101-2008DVD-EN)

First published in 2008

Ref: 00101-2008BKT-EN

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© Crown copyright 2008 00101-2008BKT-EN

The National Strategies | Primary


1

ContentsIntroduction Page 2

Information about the schools and lessons on the DVD Page 2

CPD activities on assessment for learning in mathematics resourced with excerpts from the DVD

Developing questioning to support effective assessment ●

for learning (AfL) practice Page 7

Involving children in their mathematical learning Page 11 ●

Assessment informing mathematics planning and teaching Page 13 ●

00101-2008BKT-EN © Crown copyright 2008

2 The National Strategies | Primary


Introduction

Assessment for learning has been identified in a multiplicity of research projects as key in improving learning and thereby achievement and attainment.

The DVD that accompanies this booklet captures a range of developments in assessment for learning practice in the schools featured. The video excerpts of lessons and interviews with teachers and pupils provide stimulus material to support continuing professional development focusing on assessment for learning in mathematics.

Schools and lessons on the DVD

The headteacher of a primary and nursery school (number on roll 266) 1. in an urban area with high indicators of deprivation reflects on the impact of assessment for learning practice on attainment and achievement in her school.

Year 1 teacher, Trevor, teaches in a primary and nursery school in an urban 2. area with high indicators of deprivation. Trevor leads a lesson for his Year 1 mixed-ability class which he describes as an example of one of his weekly assessment for learning lessons to inform his day-to-day assessment. During this lesson he leads the whole-class lesson and works with a guided group of children on extension activities. He also directs his teaching assistant to lead a guided group. The children in this latter group he has assessed as needing further work on addition strategies involving pairs of numbers up to ten.

Leadership team members (in this instance the headteacher and her 3. deputy who is also the SENCO) work with Trevor on their termly progress review for his class. The headteacher takes the opportunity to focus on particular children including those with special educational needs.




3

Mathematics subject leader, Georgina, teaches in a large primary school in 4. an area where there is a high level of deprivation, with one third of pupils being eligible for free school meals. About half of the pupils are from minority ethnic groups, with most having an Asian or Black African Caribbean background. The school has well above average numbers of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and a significant proportion has a statement of need. Georgina works with a guided group developing self-assessment to support the planning of next steps for both pupils and the Year 3 class teacher. Year 3 teacher, Lizzie, then adjusts her planning to take account of points from her discussion with her colleague and the misconceptions identified. This collaborative partnership then extends to reviewing the lesson and informing further planning.

Year 3 teacher, Caroline, leads a guided group in this one and a half form 5. entry school that serves a community with high indicators of social deprivation. The school has developed effective conditions for learning that have impacted positively on children’s learning, self-esteem and independence. This approach is encapsulated in the substantial use of a learning wall that this teacher has developed with the group. A particular feature of her work with this group is her use of self-assessment strategies as an integral part of her teaching.




Year 3 teacher, Nicola, teaches in a primary school within a large city estate 6. with high pupil turbulence. There are currently 330 pupils on roll, with 39% of pupils receiving free school meals, 38% have SEN and 41% of the pupils are from minority ethnic families. There are 21 languages spoken in the school. Part of this teacher’s work with her guided group includes supporting the children to understand their learning objective and developing the associated vocabulary.

Year 3 teacher, Emma, teaches in a primary and nursery school in an urban 7. area with high indicators of deprivation. She sets up an assessment task for her mixed-ability class. This involves a ‘scale hunt’ in her classroom and the corridor outside to give them a wide experience of scales in a real-life context and inform her ongoing planning and teaching of this area. As a result of this activity she identifies a group needing further support. Using the Primary National Strategy Supporting children with gaps in their mathematical understanding (Wave 3 Mathematics) Tracking Chart she selects and tailors an appropriate activity to support their development of the early stages of reading scales. An extended plenary with the whole class is used to explore her pupils’ understanding further and establish next steps.

Year 5 teacher, Debs, teaches in a school with a wide range of ethnic 8. groups. British heritage pupils form 60% of the total. Most other ethnic groups are represented but each accounts for a small percentage of the total population. The proportion of pupils with English as an additional language is above average. Debs works with a guided group to develop their understanding of the mathematics through self-assessment, peer assessment and peer marking. The group is asked to articulate their assessments of each other’s work.




5

Year 5 teacher, Joseph, teaches the upper set in Year 5 in a large urban 9. school. The school has been developing assessment for learning practice and has high expectations of children’s active involvement in their learning. During the lesson he works with a guided group selected as a result of their self-assessment in the previous lesson. The children give further insight into their understanding in their discussions with their teacher after the lesson.




Continuing professional development activities

The following three groups of CPD activities provide some prompts for staff sessions:

Developing questioning to support effective assessment for ●

learning practice

Involving children in their mathematics learning ●

Assessment informing mathematics planning and teaching. ●

They draw on the video excerpts on the DVD as examples to stimulate discussion and reflection.

Each group of prompts is designed to provide the basis for a staff CPD session. A longer session could be made up of a selection of these groups.

The following documents which offer further insight into the practice of the featured teachers are available on the DVD:

Year 1 Trevor Long-term overview Block B

Year 1 Trevor Weekly plan Block B Unit 1 (Monday and Tuesday completed)

Year 3 Emma Long-term overview Block D

Year 3 Emma Weekly plan Block D Unit 1 (Monday and Tuesday completed)

Year 3 Caroline Talk partner prompts

Year 5 Joseph Daily plan (Thursday)

Year 5 Pupil 1 targets

Year 5 Pupil 2 targets

Assessment Reform Group Assessment for learning: 10 principles




7

Developing questioning to support effective assessment for learning practice

In your school, what questioning strategies do you currently use to ●

support effective assessment practice in mathematics?

What do you identify as potential areas for improvement?

Discuss the following in the context of your school:

‘Put simply the only point of asking questions is to raise issues about which the teacher needs information or about which the pupils need to think…’

Working inside the black box Assessment for learning in the classroom Paul Black, Christine Harrison, Clare Lee, Bethan Marshall & Dylan Wiliam

© nferNelson 2002

Select the ● Questioning menu on the DVD and view the range of questions selected from the teachers’ lessons. Consider the extent to which they support effective assessment practice.

Identify, where appropriate, the information that the teacher has been given by particular pupils in response to questions that will guide that teacher’s next steps for the pupil or pupils.

As you view, make a note of a particularly effective question and a question that could be developed further so that it supports ongoing assessment more effectively.

You could continue by selecting a longer excerpt via the Lessons and interviews menu and focus on the questions that the teacher uses.




Review types of questioning that support effective assessment for ●

learning practice in mathematics.

Here are some examples:

How are you going to tackle this? –

What equipment will you need? –

What questions will you need to ask? –

Can you explain what you have done so far? –

How did you get your answer? –

What do you mean by…? –

Can you think of another method that might have worked? –

Do you think this would work with other numbers? –

Have you thought of all the possibilities? How can you be sure? –

Is there something you already know that might help? –

Have you compared your work with anyone else’s? –

If you were doing it again, what would you do differently? –

Highlight the questions that are often used. Consider how effective these questions are in supporting assessment for learning. From the unhighlighted questions, select one or two to add to your repertoire.

Modify the following questions to provide more opportunities to find out ●

what pupils know, understand and can do:

Can you tell me an addition calculation whose answer is 7? –

What is this shape called? –

Is three eighths greater than one half? –

How do you know? (This question has been included because – although it appears ‘open’ and helpful, pupils often have difficulty answering the question fully as it needs structuring/scaffolding, for example, ‘How do you know eight packs will be enough?’)




9

A possible extension could be to observe some teaching which could ●

focus on:

response time –

improving constructive feedback to pupils –

asking fewer but more focused questions to support – ongoing assessment

strategies for developing pupils’ use of probing questions. –

[ Here are some suggestions for developing pupils’ use of probing questions that you may wish to try:

Make up the most challenging question you can about our work on… –

Look at these examples of questions to help us to review our – methods. Can you suggest some further questions?

Think of a question you would ask to help a friend spot the errors in – this calculation.

What question would you ask to find out if your friend understood…? –

Can the pupils suggest some further questions about your current – focus in mathematics that you could place on a display board for the class to try and amend/develop accordingly? ]




The following quote gives further food for thought: ●

‘From hearing about research and from discussing ideas with other colleagues the teachers built up a repertoire of generic skills. They planned their questions, allowed appropriate wait time and gave feedback that was designed to cause thinking. They ensured that pupils were given time in lessons to evaluate their own work and that of others.’


© nferNelson 2002

Select the Year 5 lesson led by Joseph and observe his practice with respect to use of wait time and feedback to promote thinking.

Review some of your current planning and consider the questions you have planned to use. Highlight a couple of these. When you use this planning to structure your next teaching sequence with your class, reflect on your use of the questions you have highlighted.




11

Involving children in their mathematical learningIn your school, what strategies do you use to involve children in their ●

mathematical learning?

To what extent have you developed the use of the following strategies to inform planning and teaching:

success criteria –

self-assessment –

peer assessment? –

Select one or two excerpts from the Assessment for learning themes menu to compare and contrast with your practice. Identify two development points for the schools in the excerpts you choose and a couple of points for action for your school following this reflection.

You may choose to develop the reflection on practice outlined above by looking at one of the longer excerpts from the Lessons and interviews menu.

View Trevor Year 1, Caroline Year 3 and Joseph Year 5 from the ● Lessons and interviews menu. These teachers are all using success criteria to support their pupils’ understanding of the learning that is expected. Compare and contrast their practice.

What do you note as practice that supports the pupils’ learning and what improvements, if any, would you suggest?




‘However, self-assessment will only happen if teachers help pupils, particularly the low attainers, to develop the skill. This takes time and practice…’


© nferNelson 2002

Choose a lesson excerpt from the Lessons and interviews menu to identify how the teacher is trying to develop their pupils’ self-evaluative skills.




13

Assessment informing mathematics planning and teaching

‘Assessment for learning should be part of effective planning for teaching and learning

A teacher’s planning should provide opportunities for both learner and teacher to obtain and use information about progress towards learning goals. It also has to be flexible to respond to initial and emerging ideas and skills. Planning should include strategies to ensure that learners understand the goals they are pursuing and the criteria that will be applied in assessing their work. How learners will receive feedback, how they will take part in assessing their learning and how they will be helped to make further progress should also be planned.’ (see CPD resources menu)

Assessment for learning: 10 principles – Research-based principles to guide classroom practice

© Assessment Reform Group 2002

Choose from the following video excerpts from the ● Lessons and interviews menu: Trevor Year 1, Emma Year 3, Joseph Year 5.

Consider how far the teacher’s practice shown matches the ideals described in the extract above.

You might also choose to refer to the sample planning documents (see CPD resources menu) that these teachers have contributed to accompany the video material.

What strengths do you observe and what might you suggest as a development area?




Reflect on your own practice alongside the principles on page 13 and ●

identify an area to develop further in your own practice. The following could be areas on which to focus your reflection:

strategies for assessing prior learning –

flexible use of grouping –

deployment of the teacher and any other adults –

annotation of planning –

negotiating the meaning of the learning objectives with pupils. –

Choose one of the longer excerpts (i.e. Trevor Year 1, Caroline Year 3, Emma Year 3, Joseph Year 5) to observe the teacher’s practice in the area on which you have decided to focus. What do they do well, what not so well? What do you see as personal or school next steps?

AcknowledgementsAssessment for Learning. 10 principles. © Assessment Reform Group 2002. Used with kind permission.

Black, P. et al. Working inside the black box: Assessment for learning in the classroom. © nferNelson 2002. Used with kind permission.

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Audience: Local authority primary teams, headteachers, mathematics subject leaders, teachers, teaching assistants Date of issue: 03-2008

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