Inquiry in the Mathematics Classroom - Assessment Two - Portfolio

Assessment ULOs AITSL

Portfolio (50 marks) 1.2, 1.3,
There are two parts to this assessment. 1.4, 2.1,
1. Write an inquiry task on an aspect of geometry suitable for use with 2.2, 2.3,
Year 3, 4, 5, or 6 children. Write a lesson plan to introduce the inquiry 2.5, 3.1,
activity. 3.2, 3.3,
2. Write an essay about effective teaching of data handling and 1, 4, 5, 6 3.4, 4.1,
probability based on constructivist principles and using an inquiry 5.1, 5.2,
approach. Include a discussion of the key content as well as constructivist 5.3
strategies and use of the proficiencies of the Australian Curriculum:
Mathematics, in order to cater for diversity in the classroom.

AITSL Standards:
This assessment provides the opportunity to develop evidence that demonstrates these
Standards:
1.2 Understand how students learn
1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area
2.2 Content selection and organization
2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting
2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies
3.1 Establish challenging learning goals
3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs
3.3 Use teaching strategies
3.4 Select and use resources
4.1 Support student participation
5.1 Assess student learning
5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning
5.3 Make consistent and comparable judgments

General aspects
 • Word count – 2500 words (+/- 10%). This includes all text (headings, in-text
citations, captions and direct quotes). All paraphrasing and all quotations must be cited,
including page numbers. The word count excludes the Reference List. Appendices
should not be needed for this assignment.
• Use sub-headings. They organise your planning and to make it clear for the reader as
to what is coming up in the discussion.

Inquiry task and lesson plan on geometry (20 marks)

• Choose/develop an inquiry task suitable for Year 3, 4, 5, or 6 children that could be
used over an extended timeframe and a number of lessons. Specify the year level at
the outset. Write the inquiry task as an inquiry question or open- ended problem.
The inquiry should cover an aspect of geometry – one aspect out of 2D shapes, 3D
objects, transformations or location.
o Examples of inquiry tasks have been presented during tutorials about each of
the topics. You may choose to use one of them as the basis for your inquiry
and modify it, or you may develop one from scratch.
• Write a one paragraph rationale (approximately 100 words) to explain the inquiry
task, why it is relevant to the selected year level, and describe briefly how the lesson
series will develop over a period of time that is realistic for the chosen year level.
Include this at the top of your lesson plan in the first expandable row.
• Using the lesson planning template that follows, write a lesson plan describing how
you would introduce the inquiry task to a class. Ensure that there is a clear and
specific learning objective, an engaging introduction, a range of clear and specific
focus questions, obvious allowances for differentiation, and a clearly described
opportunities for reflection.

Lesson Plan Template

Rationale and background
to this lesson
Curriculum area & Content Content descriptions from the Australian Curriculum for the
aspect/strand of Mathematics and for the host learning area
Objectives By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Overall duration (time)

Student prior knowledge Assumed or expected

Materials & Resources

Learning strategies &
activities:
introductory
Learning strategies &
activities: developmental

Learning strategies
& activities:
concluding

Modifications How differentiation is implemented

Assessment of student Related to the stated objectives

learning

Reflection Includes general planning for subsequent lessons

Teaching data handling and probability through inquiry (30 marks)
Key content for teaching data handling and probability to primary children.

• This includes the PCAI Cycle for data handling, the development of graph use, types
of data collection, data organisation and data representation.
• This includes the ideas of experiential, experimental and theoretical probability, and
the language of probability.
Effective pedagogies for teaching data handling and probability which would achieve
differentiation for a range of children

• Select from the key content for data handling process and probability and discuss
some good teaching activities that you would use to teach concepts in the selected
area. It is not sufficient to simply name an activity (e.g., Dice Prisoners). You must
briefly describe what happens in the activity in terms of the mathematics. Cite the
source of your selected activity.
o For data handling, this would include examples of the types of child-initiated
data handling inquiries and how they might develop.
o For probability, this would include examples of good investigations involving
dice, playing cards, spinners, coins etc., and games.
o It should be clear from the selected activities and strategies that they cater
for differentiation for a range of children.
Teaching through inquiry

• Discuss how the use of inquiry tasks, investigations, explorations, and/or problem
solving can generate good contexts for teaching data handling and probability.
• Describe one good inquiry task, investigation, exploration, or a problem that could
be used to effectively teach some of the key ideas of data handling and/or
probability.
In general

• Refer to the PowerPoint presentations on data handling and probability for some
ideas.
• Refer to the unit textbook and to other reputable academic sources
Pointers for the marking rubric
Provides a short rationale for, and a description of the inquiry task, and describes how the
inquiry would develop over a series of lessons (5)

Writes a clear and comprehensive lesson plan for introducing the inquiry to a class of
children. [Key elements are a clear and assessable objective that is linked to the
assessment strategy, an engaging introduction, a range of strong focus questions, and a
purposeful reflection.] (15)

Discusses the key content in the teaching of the data handling cycle to primary aged
children. (5)

Discusses the key content in the teaching of the probability to primary aged children. (5)

Discusses some of typical strategies/tasks/activities that would be effective in teaching of

data handling, and which would cater for differentiation in the classroom. (5)

Discusses some of typical strategies/tasks/activities that would be effective in teaching of

probability, and which would cater for differentiation in the classroom. (5)

Discusses the benefits of teaching through inquiry and describes one example of a strong
inquiry task, investigation, exploration, or problem. (5)
Discussion is linked to AC: Mathematics and is supported by reference to key sources. (5)