TEACHER PERFORMANCE

ASSESSMENT

Focus Area: MATHEMATICS

Alana Coppock - 110163513

 Nature and Context of Placement Site

• The school I was placed at is a category 4 school located in the Northern

Suburbs of Adelaide
• In 2018, 495 students are currently enrolled at this school with the prediction
for this to increase again in 2019 with 40% of these students are from an EALD
background
• The school values are respect, fun, learning, cooperation, team work,
friendship, safety and honesty
• The school believes in differentiated learning which is notably key to students
learning success
 Nature of the Classroom
• I was placed in a Year 6/7 classroom of 80 students in total
• 29 Year 6’s and 51 Year 7’s – 34 males and 46 females
• From all 80 students, 6 students are NEP, 2 students officially diagnosed with
ADHD and 2 EALD students, with one having moved to Australia 2 years ago
not knowing any English
• There are three teachers who have combined the three classes to team teach
• Team teaching provides the opportunity for students to receive learning from
all three teachers together or separately
• With majority of the students being in Year 7 this helps to prepare them for
high school the following year
• Team teaching also allows the opportunity to split students into classes based
on their abilities for certain areas of the curriculum.
• For mathematics students were split into three different classes based from
their prior knowledge/pre-test on angles
 Nature of the Students
• Student 1 is an EALD student in Year 7. This student has only been living in
Australia for two years and speaks minimal English. An incredibly fast learner
and always willing to take a challenge. Will ask for further clarification and
assistance when needed but likes to work independently.
• Student 2 is a Year 6 student who works at a fast pace which means their work
often lacks thorough detail. Will only seek clarification from teacher on a task
but will rarely ask for help. Enjoys working independently but also with a
group of other students who also work at a fast pace.
• Student 3 is a Year 7 student who is very quiet and will often not raise their
hand to participate and answer a question. However, will enjoy discussing their
investigating processes and problem solving skills when the teacher comes
around to ask students individually how they are going with the task.
Concepts
 Unit of Work
AREA OF LEARNING: Mathematics
TOPIC: Angles
YEAR 6
Curriculum Links:
Investigate, with and without digital technologies, angles on a straight line, angles at a point
and vertically opposite angles. Use results to find unknown angles (ACMMG141)

Achievement Standards:
They solve problems using the properties of angles.

YEAR 7
Curriculum Links:
•Classify triangles according to their side and
angle properties and describe quadrilaterals
(ACMMG165)
•Demonstrate that the angle sum of a triangle
is 180° and use this to find the angle sum of
a quadrilateral (ACMMG166)
•Identify corresponding, alternate and co-
interior angles when two straight lines are
crossed by a transversal (ACMMG163)
Achievement Standards:
• They solve simple numerical problems
involving angles formed by a transversal
crossing two lines
• Students classify triangles and
quadrilaterals.
• They name the types of angles formed by
a transversal crossing parallel line.
 Learning Sequence
• Pre-Test on Angles
• Exploring the six main angles using digital technologies
and relating to real world examples
• Learning how to use a protractor to measure angles
• Making a protractor from grease proof paper
• Investigating triangles - classifying them into their
correct categories and finding out that the sum of the
angles in a triangle is equal to 180 degrees
• Investigating quadrilaterals – finding parallel lines and
discovering that the sum of the angles in a quadrilateral
is equal to 360 degrees
• Exploring complementary and supplementary angles
and creating a protractor with these new found rules
• Summative post test
 Lesson 1
Gaining Students Prior Knowledge

LEARNING INTENTION: To gain students prior knowledge

SUCCESS CRITERIA: Complete the test to the best of their ability

BROAD OUTCOME:
Students to complete a prior knowledge test to the best of their ability to assist teachers where they are
up to

PREPARATION/ORGANISATION:
- Protractors
- Pencils

PROCESSES ASSESSMENT
Introduction: Formative Prior Knowledge
- Explain to students that they will be completing a pre-test on angles Test
- Explain each question to the students prior to the test

Exploration:
- Students will complete the pre test individually at their own pace
 • Minimal knowledge on the six main angles

Student 1 •
•
•
Understands how to use a protractor besides one angle
No prior knowledge on triangles
Able to work out complementary angles but not supplementary angles
Prior Knowledge • No knowledge of the sum of the angles in a triangle or a quadrilateral
 • Knows acute, right, and full revolution angles – no prior knowledge
on the other angles or the rules
Student 2 •
•
Able to measure an angle with a protractor accurately (besides one)
No prior knowledge of triangles
• No prior knowledge on complementary or supplementary angles
Prior Knowledge • No prior knowledge of the sum of the angles in a triangle or a
quadrilateral
 • Understands acute, right, obtuse and straight, no prior knowledge on
reflex angles or full revolution
Student 3 •
•
Able to accurate measure angles using a protractor
No prior knowledge of triangles
Prior Knowledge •
•
No prior knowledge or complementary or supplementary angles
No prior knowledge of the sum of the angles in a triangle or a
quadrilateral
 Lesson 2
Exploring Angles in the Real World
LEARNING INTENTION: To name and identify the six types of angles, and understand the range of
degrees for each angle

BROAD OUTCOME:
Students will learn the six different angles and where to locate these angles in the real world. Students
will practice using a protractor

PREPARATION/ORGANISATION:
- Protractors
- Pencils
- Textbooks
- Rulers
- iPads
PROCESSES ASSESSMENT
Introduction: Formative Prior Knowledge
- Discussing what an angle is: vertex, rays (arms) and the angle Test

Exploration:
- Ask students how many different angles they know of
- Go out into the school yard, take iPads and take photos that
demonstrate angle
 Student 1
• Able to identify angles in
real world situations
• Successfully uses digital
technologies to
demonstrate the angles on
real world examples (using
arrows)
• Accurately measures
angles found in real world
examples using a
protractor
 Student 2
• Struggles to make the
connection that the rays
(arms) of an angle need to be
straight with one of their real
world examples
• Successfully identifies other
angles in real world examples
• Unable to correctly measure
certain angles because
arrows used on images did
not have a vertex or images
did not display an accurate
representation of an angle
 Student 3
• Successfully identified all
six angles in the real
world
• Able to use digital
technologies to identify
these angles through
using arrows
• Accurately measured
angles using a protractor
through the help of
straight and precise
arrows on images
 Lesson 3
Investigating Triangles
LEARNING INTENTION: To name and identify the six types of angles, and understand the range of
degrees for each angle

BROAD OUTCOME:
Students will learn the six different angles and where to locate these angles in the real world. Students
will practice using a protractor

PREPARATION/ORGANISATION:
- Protractors
- Pencils
- Textbooks
- Rulers
PROCESSES
Introduction:
- Warm up activity

Exploration:
- Students will be given an assortment of triangles to investigate
- First, they are to write down anything they can notice from just observing the triangles
- Second, students will be allowed to use a ruler to further investigate the triangles
- Thirdly, students will be allowed to use a protractor to further investigate the triangles
 Student 1
Investigating Triangles
• Use of colour to identify angles
was used which helped the
student to measure angles
accurately – demonstrating their
understanding of angles
• Accurately measured all triangles
with a ruler and protractor
• Discovered that all triangles add
up to the sum of 180 degrees
based on measurements
• Identified that some triangles
have two angles, some triangles
all angles are the same and that
some are all different
• Classified triangles into correct
categories
 Student 2
Investigating Triangles
• Measured angles using a ruler
and a protractor but struggled to
make connections between
triangles or identify similarities
without prompting from teacher
• Rushed through the task and
didn’t take time to observe after
measuring
• Once prompted from teacher on
the triangles similarities was
able to identify that a triangle
with two angles the same is an
isosceles triangle
• Classified triangles into their
correct categories
 Student 3
Investigating Triangles
• At first was unable to
identify anything from
observations and
measurements made –
after teacher had brought
the class together to go
through one example, was
able to identify different
features of the triangles
• Measured accurately with
a ruler and protractor
• Identified triangles into
correct categories
 Summative Assessment
• The summative assessment was a post test on angles
• This test was similar to the pre-test but changes were
made to suit the learners and what they had learnt
• Changes were also made to the language that was used
 Student 1
Summative Assessment
 Student 2
Summative Assessment
 Student 3
Summative Assessment
 Positively Influencing Learners
It is evident from all three post test assessment’s that the students learning on angles had
increased and improved. Lessons that involved students either investigating, making something, or
using hands on materials highly influenced their learning, with student feedback stating that they
had fun during those lessons. I used a range of strategies such as scaffolding, collaborative learning,
hands on learning and differentiation which I believe contributed to the success of this unit.

Van De Walle had a huge influence on the approach of teaching this unit of angles drawing
inspiration from activities he has created. Van de Walle, Karp and Bay-Williams (2013) produced a
three-phase lesson format where firstly prior knowledge is activated, secondly students work, and
finally ending with a class discussion . This was a process I followed for every angles lesson in this
unit.

By providing students with hands on learning experiences, it fosters connections to real-world

situations whilst increasing student engagement (Chen 2017). Hands on learning also provides
students with critical thinking and problem solving skills (Chen 2017). Throughout the unit I
would scaffold the students with what tools they need to investigate and work through problems
but would allow students to discover this on their own with minimal prompts (Hurst 2018).
Collaborative learning was a highly important factor to the success of student learning as they were
encouraged to discuss within their table groups what they discovered whilst investigating (Laal
2012). By doing a pre-test at the beginning of the unit students were able to be put into a class of
students that had the same learning abilities (Westwood 2016).
 Pedagogies
• Scaffolding
– The learning sequence was arranged to suit the learning needs of the
groups they were split into after the pre-test
• Collaborative Learning
– Students were able to discuss what they were discovering during their
investigations of triangles and quadrilaterals in their table groups
• Hands on learning
– Students were involved with making protractors, using protractors,
investigating triangles and quadrilaterals through using protractors
and rulers, making a protractor with complementary and
supplementary rules
• Differentiation
– After students completed the pre-test, they were split into 3 groups
based on their learning abilities
 Reference List
Chen, C 2017, Hands-on Learning Benefits, Demme Learning, viewed 19th September 2018,
<https://demmelearning.com/learning-blog/hands-on-learning-benefits/>

Hand 2 Mind, Why Teach Mathematics with Manipulative?, Hand 2 Mind, viewed 8 th June 2018,
<http://www.hand2mind.com/resources/why-teach-math-with-manipulatives>

Hurst, M 2018, Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding in the Classroom, Study.com, viewed 19 th
September 2018, <https://study.com/academy/lesson/zone-of-proximal-development-and-scaffolding-in-the-
classroom.html>

Laal, M & Mohammad, G 2012, Benefits of Collaborative Learning, Social and Behavioural Sciences, vol. 31, pp. 486-
490

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Problem Solving in All Seasons: Introduction

Westwood, P 2016, Teaching Methods: Differentiated Instruction, Teacher Magazine, viewed 19 th September 2018,
<https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/teaching-methods-differentiated-instruction>

Van De Walle, J 1994, Elementary School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally”, Longman Publishing Group