Maths Discussion Forum (Assessment)

 Marie Hirst discussed the purpose of each assessment: 

JAM - Multi-strand - Non-standardised

GLOSS - Mental number strategies - results are subjective, but it creates lots of opportunities to talk to the students and hear what they are thinking. It was not designed as an end of year test. Non-standardised

IKAN - Timed test - trying to see if students know the facts or whether they are using strategy. Valuable as a formative assessment. You could scribe for students. Non-standardised

Lomas Test - Non-standardised

ARBS - Non-standardised

e-AsTTle - Standardised

PAT - Standardised

Additional information: 

GLOSS: Problems needs to be solved mentally, you could ask, can you do it in another way? You need to give the students time. If in doubt, continue with the interview to see if the students can cope. 

What if the strategy is right, but the answer is wrong? The expectation is that the answer should be right, you could give another example.  When students solve with an algorithm, ask them to solve it in a different way, or ask them to explain the algorithm. 

Do not use pen and paper accept if they got the answer right but struggles to explain how they got to the answer. ELL students might need a different test. 

Students need to practice Basic Facts. 

Modelling books could be digital. 

Number Talk (Jo Boaler) silent strategy practice. 

What stood out for me? 

It was really helpful to get an understanding of the purpose of each test and how to apply them. 

Next step: Developing using Number Talk in my class, looking into Jo Bouler's strategies. FIne tuning how I use the GLOSS as an assessment tool. Using ARBS as an assessment tool especially for strand. 

Leadership Coaching Workshop

 I had the privilege of attending a leadership coaching workshop with Roween Higgie and Tom Hullena. What stood out for me? 

The difference between mentoring and coaching, both powerful conversations for learning, but different. Each one has it's placed depending on the receiver. 

Growth Model Framework: 

Mentoring: Let's set up a goal for you. 

Coaching: Tell me about what's on top for you. What do you need to achieve? 

Mentoring: What is not going well? 

Coaching: If we think of a scale 1 - 10, 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest, where do you think you are at towards this goal? What would it look like if you were at a 10? 

Mentoring: This is what you need to do. 

Coaching: What will you need to do to get this done? What steps can you take towards this goal? 

Mentoring: Speak to person X, they will tell you how to do it.  

Coaching: Who might you talk to? If I was a student in your class, how will I know what the goal is? 

Mentoring: I think this is a good place to start, this is the first step. 

Coaching: Looking at your options, are you going to focus on all three? What are you hoping to see when you are successful? 

Mentoring: You need to have this done by the end of the week. 

Coaching: We are meeting again in 3/4 weeks, you should have met the goal by then. I'm looking forward to hearing about your success. 

When setting up a goal, use the following framework: 

By ______________________________________

I am / have ________________________________

so that ____________________________________

e.g. By the end of week 3, I have a clear Maths planning sheet where I plan for number knowledge, group work, follow-up activities and problem-solving opportunities so that my students will get better at using different strategies to solve problems independently. 

Always remember that goals should be ISMART: Inspiring, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. 

Feedback Framework: 

Something else I found really helpful and would like to use as soon as I have the opportunity is the Feedback Framework. 

What I value in the work you do... _____________________

And it would be even better if... _______________________

Because/9or) so that... _______________________________

How do you see it? __________________________________

e.g. What I value in the work you do is that you do a great job on the facilitation and presentation of your course,  and it would be even better if you complete the paperwork and follow-up after the workshops, that will ensure our admin is accurate. How do you see it? 

Concern-based Feedback:

And finally, the concern-based framework. You will use this to address a persistent problem. E.g. I've noticed during Maths you are using mass-produced worksheets as the follow-up activities, the expectation at our school is that our students get opportunities to practice and apply their learning. How do you see it? 

This workshop was amazing, I learned so much, especially as it was all new learning for me. I'm hoping to practice this on a regular basis before I actually have to use it in a real-life situation. My next step will be to practice using it in a safe zone like my daughter or husband. Getting used to the framework and flow of the conversations. Then practice using it in our leadership team. I will ask Michelle or Gretchen to support me through this.