Children 's Knowledge And Understanding Of Place Value

Assessment is an imperative part of the learning process. According to Stiggins and Chappuis (2012), “Assessment is, in part, the process of gathering evidence of student learning to inform instructional decisions. This process can be done well or poorly.” To learn more about assessment I sat down for a one on one interview with Jim Libretti. Coach Libretti is the head coach of the freshman football team at Paradise Valley High School. Also, he is a math teacher.

Assessments are vital to the educational process. They provide feedback about what the students know and what they may need to learn in order to obtain the content within a given curriculum. It provides teachers with a glimpse into the student’s readiness on a particular topic or subject. One of the six key principles of having an effective differentiated classroom is having a formative assessment that informs teachers on the effectiveness of their teaching. It also provides teachers with the readiness levels of their students and shows them exactly where the students’ readiness, interests, and learning profile needs really are (Tomlinson, 2014).

It is important to have an understanding of the mathematical concepts from years one through to three. By completing the Early Years Mathematical Competency Test [EYMCT] I was able to see my strengths and weaknesses and compare them to the Australian Curriculum Assessment Reporting Authority [ACARA]. I was then able to look at the four elements questioning, play, the on-going nature of assessment and planning for teaching and using hands-on resources and manipulatives. By comparing my EYMCT results

The function of assessment in learning and development is primarily to provide a measure of the

The article from Angelo and Cross, while dated, is a valuable lesson and read for educators (and myself). Many of the concepts covered in this article highlight the ways that assessment can help college teachers gain useful feedback and analyze student learning. The article encourages educators to review the central aim of college which is to help students become more effective and efficient learners. Additionally, by focusing on the characteristics of classroom assessment (learner-centered, teacher-directed, mutually beneficial, formative, context-specific, ongoing, and firmly rooted in good practice) educators can see what students are learning. Learning is a collaborative effort, both the educator and student need to work together.

Assessment, assessment, assessment, it is not fun and no student in their right mind would argue otherwise but testing is necessary. This one word has become the centerpiece of education not only in the United States but in the entire westernized world. Standardized testing has been used to measure teacher quality and student achievement since the mid-1800s. Within the last two decades standardized testing has taken on an important role in education in all 50 states since its mandate by President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act. The use of standardized testing to measure progress, identify strengths and weaknesses, and help professionals reach competency in their careers are critical to improvement of the educational system. There are many facts about standardized achievement testing: the public wants it, other nations may do it better, and many critics offer no viable alternatives to it (Haladyna, 2006).

Assessments have been used in the classroom throughout the years as feedback to educators on how effective they are at teaching and how well students are learning. Since school’s decision-making is being predicated off assessment scores, they are increasingly becoming more important. “Assessment affects decisions about grades, placement, advancement, instructional needs, curriculum, and, in some cases, funding” (Edutopia, 2008, para. 1). With more and more reliance on assessments, it forces educators to take a step back and reflect on their lessons in order to ensure that all accommodations and strategies are in place to promote student success. Among those strategies, teachers must be able to “demonstrate skills at selecting, developing, applying, using, communicating, and evaluating student assessment information and student assessment practices”(Buros, 2014, pg.1). While reflecting on my own skills or competencies involving student’s assessment, I have found that my strengths lie in administering, scoring, and interpreting assessments; and choosing assessment methods appropriate for instructional decisions. On the other side, my weaknesses lie in developing valid grading procedures that incorporate assessment information. This paper will analyze these strengths and weaknesses and examine how they impact the development of assessment inside the classroom.

22). In this case, a diagnostic one-on-one interview was conducted to assess the student’s level of place value understanding and to discover what they had difficulty with and if they held any misconceptions on place value. Moreover, the interview helped determine the point in which the student had difficult learning the topic and which areas in place value learning needed further development. A diagnostic interview is an efficacious way to gain information on a student’s comprehension of a specific subject learnt in class and facilitates the implementation of future learning activities that tailor to the specific learning needs of the student. The diagnostic assessment fulfills the role of a teacher, which according to Reys et al., (2012, p. 37) involve four basic functions that are planning, teaching, assessing and analyzing. Similarly, the diagnostic individual interview satisfies the requirements of the Professional Judgment Cycle as stated in the First Steps in Mathematics Overview resource by the Department of Education (Department of Education WA,

A reflective report which discusses key issues related to the successful inclusion of all learners in mathematical activity and enquiry.

Furthermore, as recently as 2011, renowned leaders in the field of Australian mathematics research and education, Merrilyn Goos and Bill Atweh entered into the argument surrounding mathematics curriculum. Stating the curriculum goal of developing “an appreciation of mathematics for its beauty and elegance, and developing mathematics that is useful for careers and jobs and further study” should be “secondary to the development of mathematics that has the capacity to understand and transform aspects of the lives of students, both as current and future citizens.” (Atweh & Singh, 2011, p. 3) Therein lies the dilemma, for teachers of mathematics, is the discipline of mathematics about acquiring deep conceptual understanding for further study or building solid foundations and confidence for everyday problem solving or a balance of both? My personal ethos is that mathematics education should enable all students, from whatever background, to understand the role of mathematics and acquire awareness into

The value of children engaging with their local environment and using real locations provides a learning experience in a real, known context that engages and motivates. The project, having an authentic audience, provides a purpose to their learning with outcomes that uses skills and knowledge learnt in a real context. Rogers suggests that children are leading learning and having control over it when undertaking a project such as designing a leaflet to improve a local area. He also suggests that they develop teamwork and collaboration when making the leaflet as a group.

Location and transformation is a concept taught in the early years of school, children are taught simple concepts such as under, over or next to. Exploring location and movement of objects provides children a way to describe their environment and give directive to their surroundings. Location progresses with the introduction of directions and distances travelled such as moving forward or backward, this is further developed into directions such as north, east, south, and west which is explored through movement (DoEWA, 2013). Learning about location provides an opportunity for children to build mathematical concepts such as that of positive and negative numbers and skills connected to other subjects, such as map skills

This particular experience shapes my current understanding of how children learn mathematics. Through this experience, I realized not all children learn the same. Also, a subject that may come easily to one person may be difficult for another, as algebra was for me. Also, not all children feel confident to ask questions. Therefore, as a teacher, I need to be aware of all my students and understand the way each individual learn

Mathematics is a social discipline involving the exchange of ideas at its very core. I designed my lesson plans to incorporate standards and goals that offer and teach the students ideas, strategies, justifications, and solutions for others to evaluate. In turn, peers

The assessment process is one that an educator often contemplates while planning a curriculum, implementing instruction, and after the assessment. Creating an assessment that helps students continue their learning should be the main goal. One way to help foster an assessment environment of continuous learning is to provide students with authentic assessments that they play an active role in. Performance assessments that give students authentic tasks to complete help teachers assess what students know and are thinking (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). It is important that students are able to demonstrate their learning in a way that suits them. In order to do this, assessments should be aligned with the standards and should be