When we wish to do assessment for learning - to ensure we are teaching efficiently - we often find that our data is inaccurate due to learners copying. If we decide to use test conditions to assess learners we may have difficulty ensuring test conditions because of lack of space in our classrooms or lack of cooperation from our learners or we may find that our data is inaccurate because our learners are unable to think clearly in test conditions.
solution: collect accurate assessment for learning data
If we want assessment for learning data to be accurate, we need to take care when collecting it, however this takes time ...
timely practice's well presented, accurate assessment for learning data and targeted resources, make more time available for assessment for learning
To collect accurate assessment for learning data we need to work with the learner - but initially many learners will resist our efforts. Most low attaining learners are more motivated by avoiding shame in maths lessons than they are in learning more maths. 
See maths anxiety box below.
If copying is possible our data won't be accurate. If we have to enforce exam conditions, we won't be able to use that time for teaching - so timely practice takes a third way.
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Once learners feel that we genuinely want to find out what they know in order to be able to teach them better and they see we value what they know already they are less resistant to assessment. See two types of assessment box below.
Since we track the depth of embedded learning, the teacher only needs to assess a topic once, when they return ; when the teacher returns to teach the topic again they will find really accurate assessment for learning data which makes planning teaching quicker and easier.
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- planning is quicker (we know what learners know and so what to teach them next),
- resourcing of lessons is quicker (as practise-learn worksheets are available for each layer),
- assessment is quicker than marking (single code - no other writing),
- we have less behaviour management problems (learners are less stressed and more engaged in learning).
Later we see more benefits
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Maths Anxiety can be described as “the panic, helplessness, paralysis and mental disorganization that arises among some people when they are required to solve a mathematics problem” (Tobias & Weissbrod, 1980). https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.753619!/file/Maths_anxiety_strategies.pdf Christie Blazer says "A number of researchers have hypothesized that math anxiety disrupts performance because it reduces students’ working memory, leaving them unable to block out distractions and irrelevant information or to retain information while working on tasks (Sparks, 2011; Legg & Locker, 2009; Ashcraft & Krause, 2007; Cavanaugh, 2007; Beilock & Carr, 2005). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED536509.pdf ... I would add that often low attaining learners already have smaller working memories so for them this is a an even larger problem to overcome. https://blog.heinemann.com/confronting-shame-in-the-math-classroom Gerardo Romirez: Motivated Forgetting in Early Mathematics. "Educators assume that students are motivated to retain what they are taught. Yet, students commonly report that they forget most of what they learn, especially in mathematics ... this proof-of-concept study suggests that children may deal with threatening classroom experiences by forgetting important course relevant knowledge." |
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We suggest teachers do not return learners' pre-assess assignments, as they have served their purpose, we have found out what the learner knows. We also are sending This sends the message that it doesn't matter what the learner doesn't yet know. Whereas with Similar questions to those that the learner could do will appear in the learners' timely practice assignments we will return the assignments - we explain these are to embed the learners existing learning more deeply, so the learner won't forget what they have learned. We return learners' timely practice assignments the next lesson and give feedback to the learners if necessary - so that we can ensure that the learner is better able to do similar questions the next time they meet them. We are sending the message that we want our learners to be 100% successful in what they can do and we will give them enough help to ensure that they are. When we feedback, we work along side the learner to help recall the perceptual cues of the lesson or the appropriate numeracy skills so that they can independently and accurately answer another similar question. We reassure the learner that making mistakes on "easy maths" often happens when we are learning "harder maths" because of working memory overload and that this will reduce with more practice, and that in the meantime the learner can show their workings out and check them after they have finished their question. Maths teachers reading this and thinking "in your dreams" not with my class - will I hope go on to be pleasantly surprised, it may take 6 months but even the most "workings out avoidant" learner will begin to show their workings out with this approach. |