EDMA310/360 Mathematics: Learning and Teaching Mathematics 2, 2014 Assignment 1 Mary Perkins,

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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.

A one on one assessment interview provides a secure environment for a student to explain their
thought processes and ideas with the full attention of an educator. In return, the educators attention is
exclusively focused on that student, allowing time for them to probe vague and unclear responses in
the appropriate manner to elicit more information from the student.

Mary Perkins 16/5/15 8:30 PM

Comment [1]: Interviewing for assessment

Time, however, is an issue with assessment interviews. It is hard to find time in a busy classroom
schedule to allocate enough for individual interviews. Research shows that some educators view
assessment as a loss of instructional time, and a major stress factor (Remesal, 2011).

In relation to the concept of an interview being conducted in the correct manner, Hawe and Brownes'
(2010) research discusses the importance of the teacher administrating the interview, and their ability
to fully tap into understandings that are being assessed in the interview. If an educator is not
comprehensively trained in how to conduct a one on one interview, the validity of the results and
conclusions on students knowledge and understandings could be questioned. (Hawe & Browne,
2010). Educators are required to learn how to conduct the assessment of children with accuracy and
in a standardised way (Gilmore, as cited in Hawe & Browne, 2010). As well as learning how to conduct
the interview, educators also need to be trained in how to efficiently record results.
Mary Perkins 16/5/15 8:31 PM

An alternative view on assessment an interview, however, is if conducted properly, an interview can

Comment [2]: Importance of how to actually

conduct the interview

be an effective way to gain insights about a students current knowledge. If the educator is able to use
probes and prompts correctly to encourage students to think deeply about the task at hand, they will
be able to extract as much information from them as possible. Probes and prompts are neutral, verbal
or non-verbal procedures. Their purpose is invite the student being assessed to demonstrate, justify or
explain aspects of a response, and their thought processes (Hawe & Browne, 2010).
If a student is not able to explain and clarify themselves and their actions when completing a question
or task in the assessment, it shows they may have misconceptions or little understanding of the
mathematical concepts in that particular task.
There is a fine line between prompting and assisting a student to answer the question. If the interview
is being conducted for summative assessment, it is important that the educator does not shift to

Mary Perkins 16/5/15 8:32 PM

formative assessment during an interview. Especially for classroom teachers, it would be natural for

Comment [3]: Recognising various assessment

technquies

EDMA310/360 Mathematics: Learning and Teaching Mathematics 2, 2014 Assignment 1 Mary Perkins,
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an educator to respond to the students actions in an assessment by trying to enhance their learning,
during the learning. Too many hints and information during an assessment can lead to results showing
the assessors mathematical knowledge, rather than the students (Cooper & Cowie, 2010). However in
saying this, an interview can also be used as summative assessment, where a student could work
through interview questions with an educator. The type of assessment needs to be determined before
the interview takes place.
Mary Perkins 16/5/15 8:32 PM

In conclusion, a one on one assessment interview can be efficient in assessing a students

Comment [4]: This is true if it is formal

assessment.

mathematical understanding, but only when conducted and recorded in the correct manner, and the
purpose of the interview is clear.
431 words.

Critical evaluation of the usefulness of Open 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.

Using an open task as a tool for assessment can be beneficial as it provides an opportunity for students
to showcase their thinking processes, rather that simply using rote recall to answer a series of
questions.

Mary Perkins 16/5/15 8:32 PM

Comment [5]: Open tasks for assessment

In any typical classroom, there is always a diverse range of students from different backgrounds and
with different approaches to learning. An educator is able to see how each student approaches the task
in his or her own individual way through assessing an open task. Each students path to understanding
is different, and an open task allows educators to see what stage students are at (Darling-Hammond &
Snyder, 2000).

Through their studies Gulikers, Biemans, Wesselink and van der Wel (2013) have named the essential
collection of pieces of student work or requirements that students have to meet before they are
allowed to do summative assessments (p. 117).

One of the requirements they outlined is that there are pieces of work that show proof of authentic
performances (Gulikers et. al., 2013). An open task is an example of an authentic performance from a
student. Providing open tasks gives the educator a clear understanding of the theoretical
understandings a student has, and allows the educator to move forward in planning future learning
opportunities, including summative assessment. As with assessment interviews, an open task can be

Mary Perkins 16/5/15 8:33 PM

Comment [6]: Benefits

EDMA310/360 Mathematics: Learning and Teaching Mathematics 2, 2014 Assignment 1 Mary Perkins,
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used as a form of summative assessment as well, if this is what the educator desires.

However an open task can be challenging for students. The security of having a correct answer is taken
away from them; the idea of being either right or wrong can be comforting to a student. An open task
allows students to use any technique or process that they like. This can result in a student becoming
overwhelmed and attempting to utilise every mathematical process they know, rather than focusing
on the appropriate knowledge for a specific task. (McLaren, 2012; Darling-Hammond & Snyder, 2000).
A big blank space to answer a question can be daunting to students with great mathematical
understandings, as well as those with very little. The result of this is students finding it difficult to
apply and document their understandings; therefore the assessment may not be accurate.


Although an open task can be a useful form of assessment, on its own, it is not enough. Darling-
Hammond & Snyder (2000) state that an isolated sample of performance or a single genre of data is
insufficient to inform judgements about learning (p. 527). Other aspects such as knowledge of prior
learning, the goals to be achieved, the context of the task, and other various forms of assessment need
to be taken into consideration for proper evaluation.

441 words.

Mary Perkins 16/5/15 8:33 PM

Comment [7]: Limitations

EDMA310/360 Mathematics: Learning and Teaching Mathematics 2, 2014 Assignment 1 Mary Perkins,
S00129280