Australian Catholic University mathematics education experts have developed a set of resources to strengthen teachers’ capability to interpret and use assessment data to improve student outcomes.
The release of 12 publicly available videos aim to boost teachers’ analysis of student results from the ACU-designed Mathematics Online Interview (MOI) and Fractions and Decimals Online Interview (FDOI).
The short videos were created in partnership with the Victorian Department of Education as part of a $110,000 project, and cover topics across the primary and secondary mathematics curriculum including ordering and comparing decimals, exploring and extending number lines, addition and subtraction, understanding fraction sizes, and how to unpack student growth points as well as track individual and whole-class progress.
Identifying learning gaps leads to better outcomes
ACU Professor Tracey Muir led the project and says the guidance videos are designed to help teachers to better interpret student results and identify gaps in learning to target the needs of individual students.
“Effective use of qualitative and quantitative data helps teachers understand which students are progressing at an appropriate level in response to the teaching approaches in their classroom, and how they could best adjust their practice to drive improvement for all students in their class,” she says.
“These ACU-online assessment interviews provide teachers with rich diagnostic data to monitor growth points in a students’ mathematical learning journey, identify learning gaps, and inform lesson planning and teacher practice.
“The guidance videos now also offer educators targeted and effective advice and examples to help them identify their students’ mathematical understandings and misconceptions as they progress along the learning trajectory.”
In addition to Professor Muir, the team behind the videos included ACU mathematics education experts Dr Matt Sexton and Dr Linda Parish, of ACU’s School of Education, and Professor Vince Geiger, of ACU’s Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education.
ACU Emeritus Professor Doug Clarke and former ACU, now Monash-based, academic Ms Anne Roche, who were both part of the ACU-led research team behind the creation of the MOI and FDOI online interviews, also played a key role in creating the videos to upskill educators.
Professor Clarke says the MOI and FDOI connections to student growth points and overarching ideas provided busy teachers with a way to understand, assess and develop the mathematical thinking of their students.
“The videos provide further support by answering questions such as: Why are one-to-one assessments the most powerful form of assessment in maths? Why these particular assessment tasks? What are typical student responses and common misconceptions? Having conducted the interviews with my students, how do I take what I’ve learned to inform my planning and teaching?”
Guidance videos support teachers Australia-wide
Professor Muir says that, while the MOI and FDOI online interviews were used by Victorian teachers, the guidance videos supported teachers nationally to better teach, assess, and support their students.
“The bottom line is we want to improve students’ mathematical outcomes and these videos are a key part of empowering our teachers to know what to look for and what to do to improve their students’ mathematical skills, knowledge, and understandings.”
