Christine Suurtamm

Teachers’ assessment practices in mathematics: classrooms in the context of reform

This article responds to calls that have been made for research into how teachers incorporate new assessment ideas into their practice. We draw on a large‐scale study that examined the implementation of reform in mathematics in grades 7–10 in Ontario, Canada. We present teacher questionnaire data, and focus on data gathered from case studies for details of what new assessment practices look like in classrooms. We show teachers using a variety of forms of assessment and using assessment to improve student learning. Observed assessment practices went beyond tests to include the use of journals, observation, questioning, self‐assessment and unique forms of ‘quizzes’. These practices allowed teachers to examine students’ mathematical thinking and provided feedback to students and teachers to improve student learning. We also observed the important role of collaboration, coherence, and the teachers’ beliefs in supporting new assessment practices.

Developing authentic assessment: Case studies of secondary school mathematics teachers’ experiences

Abstract Authentic assessment techniques in mathematics raise issues that merit the attention of practitioners, educators, and researchers. Teacher training in assessment, the reliability and validity of authentic assessment, the variety of methods employed in such assessment, and the ways assessment is employed are all concerns that emerge as new assessment techniques other than the expected paper‐and‐pencil tests are implemented. At the secondary school level, new assessment techniques are emerging in mathematics classrooms and little is known about these experiences. This article specifically addresses the issues associated with authentic assessment by describing and exploring mathematics teachers’ experiences as they implement these assessment techniques in their secondary school mathematics program. It summarizes the findings of a qualitative study of five secondary school mathematics teachers in Ontario, Canada, and offers suggestions as to how to support teachers through such a change project. How ...

Assessment in Mathematics Education: Large-Scale Assessment and Classroom Assessment

This volume draws on research to discuss these topics and highlights some of the differences in terms of challenges, issues, constraints, and affordances that accompany large-scale and classroom assessment in mathematics education as well as some of the commonalities.

Modelling in Ontario: Success in Moving Along the Continuum

From the research presented on mathematical modelling at ICMI-Study 14, it appears that modelling is occurring in isolated cases in classrooms around the world. In Ontario, Canada, however, modelling is embedded as a system-wide focus in secondary school mathematics education. This paper discusses the development and implementation of modelling in the province and describes the “levers” that make the development and implementation of a modelling curriculum possible and the “barriers” and challenges that are being addressed.

Assessment and Testing in Mathematics Education

The purpose of Topic Study Group 33 was to address issues related to assessment in mathematics at all levels and in a variety of forms. Assessment and evaluation play an important role in mathematics education as they often define the mathematics that is valued and worth knowing. Furthermore, sound assessment provides important feedback about students’ mathematical thinking that prompts student and teacher actions to improve student learning.

Mechatronics Learning Studio: From “Play and Learn” to Industry-Inspired Green Energy Applications

This paper describes the evolution of the teaching of electrical engineering to mechanical engineering students based on motivation and a pedagogical strategy incorporating interdisciplinary mechatronics projects in a learning studio environment. Implementation of student projects within the curriculum has been demonstrated to be highly motivational and educational and has even evolved from “play and learn” into industry-inspired green energy applications as a platform for multiple student competitions. Several examples of successful student projects are discussed. These modules can be used as motivation instruments to gradually enhance the interest of current and future engineering students in mechatronics. In this paper, a summary of student feedback is provided, and benefits, challenges, and lessons learned from this initiative are discussed.

Être à l’écoute des élèves : un incontournable dans la classe de mathématiques

RésuméCet article analyse un projet unique de développement professionnel en mathématiques axé sur l’élaboration et la mise à l’essai de ressources pédagogiques auprès de pédagogues de l’élémentaire. Nous examinons un aspect particulier du projet, à savoir les moyens mis de l’avant pour aider les pédagogues à passer d’un modèle centré sur l’explication et les exercices répétitifs à une approche centrée sur l’écoute et l’importance du raisonnement mathématique des élèves dans la construction de leurs propres algorithmes de calcul. Cette analyse démontre qu’un développement professionnel qui vise à mieux comprendre le raisonnement mathématique des élèves, qui propose des ressources pour appuyer la mise en place de nouvelles stratégies d’enseignement et qui valorise la création d’un climat de collaboration, permet d’augmenter la confiance et d’améliorer l’expertise des pédagogues dans leurs interventions auprès des élèves, dans un contexte de résolution de problèmes.AbstractThis article examines a unique professional development initiative in mathematics teaching that focuses on the design and field testing of pedagogical resources for primary teachers. We examine a particular aspect of the project—namely, helping teachers move from a model centred on explanation and repetitive exercises to an approach centred on listening and responding to students’ thinking. In particular, the initiative emphasizes the important role played by students’ reasoning in the construction of their own computational algorithms. This analysis provides evidence that professional development that aims to deepen understanding of students’ mathematical thinking, that provides resources to support the implementation of new teaching strategies, and that strives to establish a collaborative environment enables educators to gain confidence and to develop expertise in their interactions with students in the context of problem solving.

The challenges and possibilities of aligning large‐scale testing with mathematical reform: the case of Ontario

In 1997, the Ontario government, like many other jurisdictions, undertook systemic reform of their elementary school mathematics programme, developing a new mathematics curriculum, report card, and province‐wide assessment. The curricular reform embodied a new vision of mathematics learning and instruction that emphasized instruction using challenging problems, the student construction of multiple solution methods, and mathematical communication and defence of ideas. While the design of the original large‐scale assessment incorporated much of the latest research and theory on effective practices at that time, these traditional item development and scoring practices no longer adequately assess mathematics achievement in reform‐inspired classrooms. The difficulties of marrying traditional assessment practices with a reform‐inspired curriculum could be addressed by creating a construct definition from the recent research findings on students’ mathematical development in reform‐inspired classrooms. The importance, challenges and implications of redefining the construct on the basis of existing research on students’ mathematical development, as well as collapsing the traditional content‐by‐process matrix for item development, are explored.

Observing Observers: Using Video to Prompt and Record Reflections on Teachers' Pedagogies in Four Regions of Canada.

Regional differences in performance in mathematics across Canada prompted us to conduct a comparative study of middle-school mathematics pedagogy in four regions. We built on the work of Tobin, using a theoretical framework derived from the work of Maturana. In this paper, we describe the use of video as part of the methodology used. We used videos of teaching activities as prompts for discussions among teachers and the video recordings of such discussions became the data sources for our comparative research. Our use of video revealed a number of advantages and disadvantages which influenced the research.