Jan Winter

The development of assessment for learning: learning from the case of science and mathematics

This article introduces the ideas of ‘assessment for learning’ as a means whereby teachers can make their classroom assessment more directly focused on learners’ development and can actively involve learners in this process. Current practice in classroom assessment in England is described and the thinking that has led to a new emphasis on formative practices outlined. This is set in the context of recent research studies that have been influential in changing not only classroom practice but also the ‘lead’ set by Government in promoting effective practice. Several examples of assessment strategies are offered to illustrate the principles involved. Conclusions are suggested that show how these ideas could make learning more effective and learners more involved.

Getting engaged: possibilities and problems for home–school knowledge exchange

In this paper we report some of the literacy and numeracy actions developed on the Home School Knowledge Exchange (HKSE) project and examine these in relation to the engagement of participants. The exchanges of knowledge included two‐way processes where aspects of childrens out‐of‐school worlds informed teaching and learning in the classroom as well as the more usual sharing of knowledge about school with childrens families. We comment on patterns of parental engagement and on the development of actions that built not only on parental knowledge but also on the agency of the child. A key implication of this work is that ‘one size does not fit all’—more successful actions include different family members at different times and in different ways. Although the positive potential of home–school knowledge exchange for engagement is discussed, the difficulties and complexities of this field are recognized and explored.

Linking Home and School Mathematics: The Home School Knowledge Exchange Project

In this paper, we report some initial findings from the numeracy strand of the Home School Knowledge Exchange Project, which is part of the ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme. The overall aim of the project is to develop, implement and evaluate the impact of new methods of exchanging knowledge between home and school. The project has three strands, one of which focuses on enhancing numeracy at Key Stage 2. In this strand we are working with the teachers, children and parents of four primary schools, two in Bristol and two in Cardiff. The paper describes the knowledge exchange activities developed within this strand, and reports some initial findings and issues for further exploration. The nature of home mathematics, and its relationship to school mathematics, is discussed, and this is illustrated through the case study of a girl called Nadia. The paper concludes by discussing issues arising from implementing methods of knowledge exchange.

A TRANSNATIONAL COMPARISON OF PRIMARY MATHEMATICS TEXTBOOKS: THE CASE OF MULTIPLICATION

This paper centres around a transnational comparison of primary mathematics textbooks. The focus is on the similarities and differences between the ways in which images related to multiplication are represented in textbooks. The results of the study show that the English and USA texts analysed place less emphasis on mathematical structure and the linking of mathematical representations than the texts from France, Hungary and Singapore.

Return of the bible

On the inside cover of its dust jacket, this weighty tome proclaims itself ‘the bible’. It undoubtedly represents an undertaking of biblical proportions. The fourth edition took more than four years to complete and involved over 100 people, but neither the editor nor authors nor chapter reviewers received any financial compensation for their work. Obviously, it follows in the wake of three previous editions (Lindquist 1951; Thorndike 1971; Linn 1989), but the chapters complement rather than displace their predecessors. The full set offers a fascinating account of the evolution of educational measurement over the past half century or so: retold tales of test design, use and evaluation – each differing significantly in content, context and emphasis, although rarely deviating substantially from an underlying psychometric creed. The fourth edition is, unsurprisingly, still the most important work in the field of educational measurement. With such a distinguished list of authors it would have been hard for it to have fallen short in this respect. Like its predecessors, it is both practical and theoretical. It is comprehensive without being tedious. It is not always an easy read, but it is usually worth the effort. So how do you review the bible? The Editorial Board of Assessment in Education decided to do it like this: we each picked a chapter or two close to our area of expertise; we inwardly digested it; we expressed our responses to it; and I had the responsibility of pulling it all together. The following contributions reflect our various responses. The positive ones we offer to those who have yet to begin reading the fourth edition. The less positive ones we offer to those who have yet to begin writing the fifth.