Mathematics

This chapter discusses mathematics. It is part of a collection which examines educational practice and professional thinking from pre-school and primary, through secondary, further and higher education; and locates Scottish education within its social, cultural and political context

Initial knowledge states about assessment

To describe their knowledge of assessment, specifically prepared scripts from 30 novice teachers were content analysed. Knowledge of the formative-summative mode was evident in all scripts but the connections made between this mode of assessment and the other principles of assessment were not well developed. Knowledge of assessment methods was scant. In discussing the importance of enabling novice teachers to make autonomous professional judgements about pupils' learning, attention is drawn to the importance of reading and the authenticity of the tasks with which teachers-in-preparation are expected to engag

Book review: Mob Rule Learning

Mob Rule Learning: Camps, Unconferences and Trashing the Talking Head. By Michelle Boule, Medford: Cyber Age Books, 2011, paperback ISBN 978-0-910965-92-7, 230 pages

Book review: Reading Groups, Libraries and Social Inclusion: Experiences of Blind and Partially Sighted People, by Eileen Hyder

Farnham: Ashgate, 2013. 102 pages. ISBN-13 1 978 14094 4798 6. £60.00

How might teachers enable self-confidence? A review study

In the context of learner-centred learning and curricular reform, self-confidence is invoked as an important construct. However, there is no easily available research-informed guidance on what self-confidence means for the professional teacher. This study uses the analytic technique of Concept Analysis to review psychology and education literatures to provide a 'take-home' message for teachers. The review identifies conceptual artefacts (ideas, theories, concepts which explain, connect, predict or apply knowledge) that the teacher can appropriate in order to enable learner self-confidence. These conceptual artefacts are classified in three groups: characterising self-confidence; self-judgements of confidence; and factors that influence the development of self-confidence. The review finds self-confidence to be a robust and stable psychological construct, best promoted through teachers' attention to learners' development of knowledge and engagement in socially designed learning activities. It further finds that teachers' attention to activities which involve learners' self-regulation are of importance

How convincing is alternative assessment for use in higher education?

The current preference for alternative assessment has been partly stimulated by recent evidence on learning which points to the importance of students' active engagement in the learning process. While alternative assessment may well fulfil the aims of formative assessment, its value in the summative assessment required in higher education is more problematic. If alternative assessment devices are to be used for summative purposes, the validity of alternative assessment has to be considered. The paper argues that task specification and marking consistency in alternative assessment can make comparability of performance difficult to effect, thereby leaving alternative assessment a less than convincing form for use in higher educatio

What counts as numeracy?

The purpose of the study was to infer the Scottish HMI view of what is meant by Numeracy given the concerns that primary children's achievements in Numeracy reflect a lack of flexibility in handling number and an overemphasis on procedures at the expense of understanding (HMI, 1997). Three hundred HMI reports on primary schools in Scotland were randomly selected. Content analysis of the sections on Number, Money and Measurement revealed Numeracy to be conceived of as computational proficiency and as understanding of number. Surprisingly, there were significantly more (p<0.05) references to computational proficiency than there were to understanding of number. The results are discussed in terms of what it means to understand number. It is suggested that there needs to be much clearer delineation of what is required and meant by the idea of understanding number

Mental calculation : its place in the development of numeracy

The current concerns about the standards of numeracy in primary schools, as these are manifest in different official reports (HMI, 1997; DfEE, 1998), have given a revised emphasis to mental calculation. While not completely discounting the wider aspects of mathematical achievement, the topics of space and shape, data handling and measurement are being de-emphasised (Brown et al, 2000) and mental calculation is being emphasised, with there being daily opportunities for children to develop efficient and flexible mental methods of calculating (QCA, 1999; Wilson, 1999). However, the term, mental calculation is not clearly defined (Harries and Spooner, 2000) and without conceptual clarity it may be very difficult for us to recognise, let alone understand, what pedagogical practices are needed to support the objective of increased emphasis on mental calculation. What follows is some consideration of what is meant by the term mental calculation and what this meaning implies for practice

Conference Reports: Session 6: Virtual learning: Can the drawings of students identified as dyslexic or dyspraxic reveal visual indicators that might inform future teaching strategies in the studio? Quona Rankin, Dyslexia Coordinator/Tutor, Royal College of Art

Summary of a presentation at the 2012 ARLIS conference held in Londo

Authenticity in assessment tasks: a heuristic exploration of academics' perceptions

This study was an exploration of the extent to which higher education tutors' perceptions of assessment were consistent with the construct of authenticity. Depth interviews with twelve academics sought views on what might constitute desirable assessment tasks and scoring methods to use with students. Summaries of transcribed interviews suggested that assessment should focus on real world problems and have some meaning to a real world audience. However, analysis of the interviews using Newmann's (1997) criteria for authentic assessment showed that, collectively, interviewees' conceptualisation of authenticity was incomplete. The results are discussed in terms of constructivist perspectives on learnin