DMiC Developing assessment exemplars

We have had a lot of questions about how assessment works within the DMiC pedagogy.

What we discussed today is why are are assessing?
We assess for our teaching to know what we need to do. To identify gaps and see student needs. We also must consider what we are collecting with each assessment and how that will be used in our teaching.

When we assess we find gaps in what we have taught and what has been learnt and this allows us to adapt our teaching a find next steps for ourselves and our learners. We also need to be aware of how these assessment impacts on our awareness of students ability, needs and helps us to report to parents.

What does assessment involve?
We are using evidence to make decision for many different reasons. We also have to communicate the evidence that we find from assessment for parents, boards, government and of course our learners. This communication is for different purposes both summative and formative for kids that is setting goals for themselves a long side their teacher.

Aim:
Our aim for assessment is to create some exemplar that allow use to moderate the understanding across the school. We need to have exemplars that work for us and our school. We want to know the learning trajectory for our kids.

In order to create these exemplars we needed to first have unit plans, learning outcomes based on curriculum elaborations, a learning trajectory and assessing the learning.

Students can set goals for themselves for the unit and they can self assess these goals. This could be based on the use of a few problems in the area and creating a list of goals which students could select from. The amount of goals and how this works would depend the students, their needs and how the teacher scaffolds the goal setting.

The aim is the push the individual accountability.

The exemplar tasks could include open questions that ask for all of students knowledge of a question.
Write and draw everything that you know about one half and one quarter?
Heather says she can prove 3/5 is the same as 6/10
Can you show some different ways she might do this?
What other fractions are the same? Can you prove they are the same in at least three different ways?
Can you put the fractions in order from smallest to biggest:
2/3 3/4 5/10 3/9
Show how you know.

The aim of a DMiC lesson is to touch on many levels so that students can show what they know and see the possibility of them extending beyond their year level or below their year level.

We are creating a trajectory and learning outcomes for patterns and relationships:

Inquiry update Term 4

This year I have learnt a lot so far but also seen some gaps in my teaching and my implementation. Recently I tested my inquiry group on the gloss test again and conducted the vocabulary survey again.

My findings were interesting.

Gloss

What I noticed was that three of the six in my target group have made progress in some areas of maths. I found the shift in fractions interesting was this area is high in topic specific vocabulary that students did not know earlier in the year. This links to the data form the vocabulary survey in which I found students understanding of mathematical language tested earlier in the year had improved greatly.

Vocabulary Survey 

I am wondering if Students A and B's lack of shift has to do with the way in which they engage with others in mathematics as these students skill struggle to talk positively to others and share their ideas in DMiC.

Getting Feedback

Throughout term 3 I have been working on creating a site and physical prompts that will support students to have in depth conversations in maths.

This site draws on students created videos as models for vocabulary and language scaffolds.

As I feel this site, the prompts and QR codes are working well for me and my class I wanted to share the resource and see what other teachers thought about its potential use in their classrooms. 

Here are the questions I asked and some of the feedback I have received so far. 

What did you find useful on this site?

The layout was clear and things were easy to find and seem easy to use.

I liked the layout of the QR code links - vocabulary item with a explanatory video featuring 'real' kids using the target word - great to see the vocabulary item in action with real kids.

I loved exploring this site. It left me with a thirst for wanting more. I loved the connections students can make through the use of QR codes to link a rewindable video of peers explaining their maths thinking. I actually found your ideas regarding coding extremely helpful as that is what I want to be exploring next Term. Your videos to explain activity to students is just what I needed as a teacher.... and is exactly what other teachers that are new to coding will need. I thought the information on each page was simple and easy to read.

What else would you like to see on this site?

More videos showing the kids using the QR codes.

Videos of what the QR codes link to. I would have loved to see these videos on this page. A short description of the DIMC theory about the benefits/power of students explaining their thinking (the why behind what you are doing).

Two out of three people who have given feedback so far said they would use the site. The other stated that she felt the content was to young for her year 7 & 8 class.

If yes how do you see it being used?

I would love to use the student prompt videos especially when introducing them to my groups next year.

I would love to try using this with my students next term, using Tamaki student videos. I think this is a great way to consolidate their understanding. I will also use this site to explore coding with my students, something I have wanted to do for sometime. Love these videos.

Any additional ideas or feedback

I would like to adapt the idea and use QR codes within Literacy to help build students vocabulary knowledge/retention/understanding.

Wow you are an inspiration! Love what you are doing at Point England. Your passion shines through in your site. Keep on sharing!

Thank you very much to the kind people who have given feedback so far. I hope to add a section on the site with more specific detail about the DMiC approach to Mathematics. I would also love to start working with other teachers to build up the content on the site and will be contacting some of the teachers who gave feedback to see if this is of interest to them.

I would love any additional feedback. So please feel free to check out and potentially use this site in your classroom. If you do I would really appreciate your feedback which can be given through this form.