SMEC 2014 | Malcolm Swan

Designing Formative Assessment Lessons in Mathematics

Formative assessment is the process by which students and teachers gather evidence of learning and then use it to adapt the way they learn and teach in the classroom. In this talk I describe a design research project in which we are attempting to develop and integrate “formative assessment lessons” into classrooms across the US and the UK. In this, we have found it necessary to distinguish lessons for concept development, where the focus is on interpretation, from lessons that are intended to foster problem solving processes, where the focus is on comparing strategies for inquiry in non-routine situations. Principles for the design of these lessons will be described and illustrated. The primary question throughout is: How can we design materials that allow teachers to promote inquiry and that are also adaptable to student learning needs? slides

Biography

Malcolm is director of the Centre for Research in Mathematics Education at the University of Nottingham. His research is mainly into the theory, development and evaluation of teaching situations and professional development in mathematics education. Funded by the UK government, he led the design of Improving Learning in Mathematics, curriculum and professional development resources are used widely by mathematics teachers in secondary and further education in England. Malcolm is currently leading the development of ‘Classroom Challenges’, a series of formative assessment lessons supporting the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics in the US, funded by the Gates foundation. See: http://map.mathshell.org.uk.