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’ surprisingly sophisticated learners copying skills. 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.
...
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 the learner 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. 
...
We make assessment for learning accurate, as each learner is randomly assigned an assessment question, so the possibility of copying is dramatically reduced, and since learners soon spot this, they generally don't even try to copy. We make assessment for learning low stakes, concentrating on what learners know, we . We appear disinterested in what learners don't know until we are ready to teach them. However once we teach some new learning, we do everything we can - teach on firm learning foundations, remind learners of similar skills they already have , and give help within the lesson and if necessary give feedback after the lesson - to ensure that the new learning becomes embedded learning.
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.
Since we track the depth of embedded learning, the teacher only needs to assess a topic once, when they return to teach the topic again they will find really accurate assessment for learning data which makes planning teaching quicker and easier.
...
| Info | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
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 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." |
| Info | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
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 the message that it doesn't matter what the learner doesn't yet know. Whereas with the learners' timely practice assignments we will return the assignments 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. |