Analysis Of One Is A Snail, Ten Is A Crab

It is compulsory for Australian year 3, 5, 7 and 9 school students to complete the National Assessment Program- Literacy and Numeracy (National Assessment Program, 2016) test. The NAPLAN test provides schools, governments, education authorities, students and the community statistics of schools and individual student’s weaknesses and strengths in specific areas of curriculum. One of the areas of curriculum that is tested is Mathematics. For this assignment we had to answer five questions from a year 9 NAPLAN test. I felt confident answering majority of the questions correctly; taking my time to logically work out each question with the aid of pen and paper when needed. I am a visual learner, so I was able to mentally solve most of the questions in my head. I rarely need to use a calculator as I have memorized many different strategies for working out mathematical questions.

Mathematics: The rubric used with the assessment checks for students’ understanding and work process through all problems presented on the quiz: do they understand the concept? Are they able to follow the process correctly? The rubric focuses on John’s thought and reasoning process.

Assessment is carried out through formative (checks throughout the course), ipsative (to test against previous marks), and/ or summative (at end of course) activities to help the learner see their development whilst allowing the Assessor to give valuable feedback when appropriate. It’s purpose is to measure the learners understanding of the subject against the anticipated outcomes set by the criteria.

The questioning techniques as identified by McKenzie and Davis (1986) formed the initial analysis in answering the NAPLAN questions; furthermore, influenced ideas and other mathematical procedures that could be used. The ideas that were generated in sourcing an alternate solution were further influenced by reading the Larkin (2011) text along with the article by Howe & Epp (2008). These resources all stated alternate solutions to solve mathematical problems. The key learning was derived from linking the mathematical procedures used, to the Australian Curriculum learning outcomes (2015). By completing this comparison, I was able to ensure that the procedures I was using related to mathematical terms and outcomes. My disposition to maths was

With recent changes and reform to primary education assessment and removal of standard levels, assessment is the subject of great discussion in education. In this assignment I will be investigating the practice of questioning within formative assessment; the theory behind it, strategies and evidence I have seen in the autumn term of my ‘Home’ placement. I have chosen to investigate this aspect of formative assessment in mathematics, as this is the subject in which I have had most teaching practice and opportunities to formatively assess children’s progress and implement Assessment for Learning. It has also been an area I have found challenging, in particular how to question children to promote higher order thinking in mathematics, a subject that many children find challenging.

Mary Kay Stein and Margaret Schwan Smith built mathematical tasks around the idea that the tasks used in the classroom form the basis for students’ learning. According to Stein and Smith, “a task is defined as a segment of classroom activity that is devoted to the development of a particular mathematical idea. A task can involve several related problems or extended work, up to an entire class period, on a single complex problem” (Stein & Smith, 1998, p. 269). Some tasks can be from twenty to thirty minutes long. The Mathematical Tasks Framework can be divided into three phases: “first, the task appears in curricular or instructional materials on the printed pages of textbooks,

mathematical skills and place them accordingly. I now have an idea of what the format of the test

This assessment will define my progress and achievements in areas of Number, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement, Statistics and Probability. Components of this reflective report will highlight my strengths and weaknesses in each of the six areas of mathematics, if I felt confident or nervous about each particular area of maths and my attitude towards them. Showing results from study throughout my progress from MyMathLab study plans and Mathspace. This assessment focuses on only six areas of mathematics which have been undertaken throughout this unit.

To be numerate means to be a proficient user of numerals and mathematical skills. “Without mathematics, there is nothing you can do, everything around you is mathematics; everything around you is numbers” (Devi, n.d.). Being numerate enables us to complete simple everyday mathematical concepts such as telling the time, calculating our shopping total or measuring ingredients for a cake. Basic numeracy also gives us the building blocks to continue on to more complex mathematics used in architectural design, stockbroking or even to become an astronaut. Government, teachers and educational professionals have collaborated to create the Australian Curriculum. Mathematics comprises one of the main learning areas of the Australian Curriculum.

The New Zealand Curriculum [NZC], The New Zealand Curriculum Mathematics Standards for Years 1-8 and the New Zealand Number Framework form a continuum of learning progression throughout Years 1 – 8 and beyond. Deciding where a student is placed on these paradigms and the formation of effective subsequent future learning goals is bound to the use of appropriate assessment in the classroom. Effective assessment will involve and benefit students whilst supporting teaching goals; the components will be planned and communicated, suited to a specific purpose, have fairness, and hold validity in result (Ministry of Education [MOE], 2007).

Harlen, W (1998). Classroom Assessment: A Dimension of Purposes and Procedures. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the NZARE, Dunedin

The Addition and Subtraction subtest measures a student 's ability to add and subtract whole and rational numbers. He scored well below average on this subtest. He was able to correctly solve 4 out of the 9 problems correctly. He showed the most difficulty with subtraction. The problems that Isaac solved correctly were 0 + 5, 6 – 0, 7 + 2 and 21 + 7. The problems that he solved incorrectly were 1 + 2, 4 - 2, 8 – 8, 9 + 5 and 14 – 7.

Number sense refers to a child’s understanding of numbers and operations and their ability to use this understanding to make decisions and create strategies when working with numbers and operations (Reys & Yang 1998, p. 225-226 in Whitacre, 2015). Research has shown that mental computation and number sense “have strong links” (Rogers, 2009) with one another, as through a child’s performance they are able to demonstrate and reflect their conceptual understanding of how numbers operate and relate to one another. It is pivotal that students develop number sense as it allows them to respond flexibly to mathematical problems and that there can be more than one algorithm applied. This is agreed to by Whitacre (2015), as through this students can display their skills of using different strategies rather than applying a standard algorithm to the problem. Those who have developed a deep understanding of number sense are more capable of identifying the relationship between numbers, determine which form of operation is appropriate to apply and which strategy is most effective when solving the problem. Morgan (1999) and Whitacre (2015)

“Use your reading and classroom experience to provide a critical analysis of the potential of teaching activities you would use to develop children’s learning of reasoning. Include within your analysis how you would include discussion and ICT.”

During my Junior HS and Senior HS math experiences, I needed relatable real-life connections and the problem happening in the real-life situation so that I was clear how and why a certain algorithm would solve the problem. I struggled continuously with the strategy of the solution before all students understood the problem in the real-life situation has been the order in every math class I have ever taken. Another issue was, the process to work through the algorithm. Proceeding through steps to solve the problem, would give meaning if demonstration of the process included describing why you are doing what you are doing (ie. multiplying, subtracting, dividing, or adding). As a student, the details in greater specificity was very important to my comprehension. I needed to know how the mathematical algorithms and solutions evolved. I always felt like I needed the question “what happened that caused the math problem to need a solution answered.