5.1 Assess Students Learning
5.2 Provide Feedback to students on their learning
5.4 Interpret Student Data
As previously mentioned, I completed a placement in a Year 5 class with 24 students in a Metropolitan Brisbane area. My teaching focus was mathematics, specifically the measurement of length and area and I was required to assess (APST 5.1), provide feedback (APST 5.2) and interpret student data (APST 5.4) from this unit. After students completed a diagnostic assessment, I taught my first lesson of the unit which focused on student understanding perimeter and area, knowing the formulas for squares and rectangles, and applying these concepts to real-world and mathematical problems.
To assess students’ learning (APST 5.1), I utilised an exit ticket as a formative assessment to see their understanding of perimeter and area formulas. As seen in Artefact 9, this use of formative assessment allowed me to assess students’ understanding (APST 5.1). Additionally, I was able to interpret (APST 5.4) the data to identify strengths and weaknesses in students’ learning and provide feedback to students on their learning (APST 5.2). As Wiliam (2011) highlights, educators use evidence of student learning to adjust teaching and learning to meet student needs. Similarly, a study conducted by Timperley (2009) demonstrated that a teaching professional developmental program that focused on the interpretation and use of assessment information, led to student achievement increase at twice the expected rate.
This formative assessment also allowed me to provide students with feedback (APST 5.2). For instance, I identified the class’s strengths but also identified which students needed extra support with particular components of the content (Artefact 9). From this feedback, I was able to implement teaching strategies, like providing feedback to students, to help support the diverse needs of the students. Mandinach (2012) suggests that assessments for learning (formative assessment) has increased in usage because of its ability to provide data that can help enhance teaching and student learning. The Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation [CESE] (2020) also states that effective feedback includes acknowledging students’ process or effort and encourages their self-regulation. For example I would say to students, “I can see you know the formulas for perimeter and area. Check to see if you have shown me every step of your working out.”
The impact of this evidence-based approach was clear in my ability to adjust teaching strategies and learning experiences to meet individual student needs. By providing feedback, I addressed specific challenges identified. The formative assessment and data collection allowed me to see which students were struggling to engage with particular learning areas and also see which students respond better to different teaching approaches in the classroom (CESE, 2020). As I enter the teaching profession, I value the use of collecting and interpreting evidence (APST 5.1, 5.4) of student learning to adapt teaching and learning, or instruction, to meet student needs and provide feedback (APST 5.2).
