EDMA310/360 Mathematics: Learning and Teaching Mathematics 2, 2013 Assignment 1

5.1 This assessment demonstrates an

understanding of assessment
strategies to assess student learning
(Open ended tasks, rubrics and
students interviews)

Rational Number Assessment

[Tayla Corrigan-S00117249]
Australian Catholic University

Teacher report on your students Rational Number Knowledge and any

misconceptions (300 words)
Georgia is confident with fractions, she is able to see the relationship between the part and the
whole (J.Van De Walle, K. Karp J. Bay-Williams. 2010) by visualising fraction bars and pizzas in
her head. She was excellent at the fraction pairs question as she used both benchmarking and
residual thinking to tackle relative-size and ordering problems (A.Roche, A. Mitchell, D. Clarke.
2008). She was also able to explain her knowledge about how as a denominator gets bigger the
smaller the fraction usually is. This is not always true, which has left Georgia with a misconception
about the size of fractions. For example; which fraction is larger- 3/4 or 7/9? Georgia sees that 3/4
is larger, when 7/9 is actually larger. This shows that Georgia doesn't understand the inverse
relationship between the size of the denominator and the size of the fraction. As the denominator
increases, the size of the fraction reduces. Therefore the fraction is representing a smaller part of the
whole.
Georgia understands that two equivalent fractions are
two ways of describing the same amount by using
different sized fractional parts (J.Van De Walle, K.
Karp, J. Bay-Williams. 2010). This was shown when she
stated that both 2/4 and 4/8 were equivalent and also with
the decimals 1.7 and 1.70. Georgia is very good at
explaining how she did things and providing reasoning
for her answers even when they are not always correct.
Georgia has trouble finding fractions when asked to use
visuals, but is very quick and accurate when asked to do
them in her head. An example of this was when I asked her to use the shapes to find fractions, she
struggled to answer one correctly, whereas when I was asking her orally without any visual cues she
was very quick to answer correctly.
5.4/5.5: This report is a way of
reporting student learning to
parents/carers. It also demonstrates
my ability to interpret student
assessment data to evaluate student
learning and modify teaching
practice.

Georgia has the misconception that the more numbers on either side of a decimal point the smaller
the number. For example Georgia believes 0.00987 is smaller than 0. This shows that Georgia
doesn't have a conceptual understanding of how decimal numbers are constructed(J.Van De
Walle, K. Karp, J. Bay-Williams. 2010). She believes that the number with the fewer decimal
places is the larger (A. Roche, D.Clarke, 2004), because she sees tenths always being larger than
hundredths.

EDMA310/360 Mathematics: Learning and Teaching Mathematics 2, 2013 Assignment 1

Critical evaluation of the usefulness of mathematics interviews for gaining

knowledge about students current mathematical knowledge that can be used to
plan future learning opportunities. Be sure to draw on relevant research
literature to support your evaluation. (220 words)
Mathematical interviews are a helpful way for teachers to monitor student progress and plan
learning sessions based on the childrens responses to improve their mathematical ability in certain
areas. Mathematical interviews can be very insightful for teachers to create future learning
opportunities, because if an interview is created with the opportunity for children to use visuals,
mental computation, diagrams and pen and paper to work things out, it will provide the teacher with
thorough knowledge on the students learning ability, rather than a correct or incorrect answer.
(J.Van De Walle, K. Karp, J. Bay-Williams. 2010). Roche (2005) conducted an interview with
children on decimal knowledge and understanding. From her interview she was able to find
children who develop whole number thinking with respect to decimals and to make sure that the
learning opportunities we provide in the classroom do not in fact reinforce this misconception(A.
Roche. 2005). She was also able to find the areas in which she needs to work on with the students.
Mathematical Interviews are very useful for further learning opportunities in the classroom as they
allow teachers to see how a student may understand a
5.2/5.3 This section shows my
particular concept, and any misconceptions they may have,
understanding of providing
and how they will now approach teaching different skills
appropriate feedback to students
and strategies in mathematics.
about their learning and the
importance of making
judgements from assessment to
develop and improve student
Critical evaluation of the usefulness of Open
learning
Tasks with Rubrics for gaining knowledge about

students current mathematical knowledge that

can be used to plan future learning opportunities. Be sure to draw on relevant
research literature to support your evaluation. (210 words)
Open Tasks with Rubrics allows teachers to address the specific aspects of the mathematics
curriculum while providing rich learning experiences for all students (P.Sullivan. 1997). This
emphasises how open ended tasks can be adapted for mixed ability children in the classroom. It
allows teachers to create a rubric to assess whether children have had a go at the question, been
challenged or gone beyond the question. Open ended questions can provide teachers with insightful
knowledge on the mathematical level a child might be at by just looking at how far a child may
have attempted a question and justified their answers. According to researcher Douglas Grouws
(2000) studies show that when students discover mathematical ideas and invent mathematical
procedures, they have a stronger conceptual understanding of connections between mathematical
ideas. This underlines the idea that open ended questions allow children to be challenged and use
their previous mathematical knowledge to decide how far they want to go to solve a problem (L.
Quinell. 2010). Open tasks can be adapted for different year levels and by using a rubric you can
distinguish the different stages a child may be at. It becomes both teaching and assessing tools
where assessment is integrated with teaching(R. Zevenbergen. P.sullivan. J. Mousley. 2001),

EDMA310/360 Mathematics: Learning and Teaching Mathematics 2, 2013 Assignment 1

which can improve the learning opportunities for each individual.

EDMA310/360 Mathematics: Learning and Teaching Mathematics 2, 2013 Assignment 1