Introduction
“... self-assessment by students, far from being a luxury, is in fact an essential component of formative assessment. Where anyone is trying to learn, feedback about their efforts has three elements—the desired goal, the evidence about their present position, and some understanding of a way to close the gap between the two. All three must to a degree be understood by anyone before they can take action to improve their learning.”
(Black & Wiliam, 1998)
This is particularly true when the focus of the assessment is on the processes involved in IBL. Many students do not understand their nature and importance in mathematics. If a student’s goal is only to get ‘the right answer’, then she will not attend to the deeper purposes of the lesson.
This module encourages discussion of the following issues:
- How can we help students to become more aware of IBL processes, and their importance in problem solving?
- How we can encourage students to take more responsibility for their own learning of IBL processes?
- How can students be encouraged to assess and improve each other’s work?
About the Primas PD Modules
These modules have been developed for PRIMAS by drawing on professional development materials developed by the Shell Centre team at the Centre for Research in Mathematics Education, University of Nottingham. Many of these materials were originally written for two projects:
- Bowland Maths is a project aimed at developing the key processes involved in mathematical problem solving, using a range of realistic and fantasy scenarios. This was funded by the Bowland Charitable Trust.
- Improving Learning in Mathematics is a project aimed at developing the understanding of mathematical concepts. This was originally funded by the Department for Education and Skills Standards Unit.
Getting started
Download the print materials (links on the left) and read the main Module Guide.
Use the tabs at the top of the screen to browse the video which accompanies this module. (Requires Adobe Flash Player).
