A Case Study of Four Beginning Mathematics Teachers’ Formative Assessment Strategies
Keywords:
formative assessment, mathematics teacher, teacher education, beginning mathematics teacherAbstract
Depending on how it is adopted, there are potential learning gains when teachers use formative assessment. It is difficult, however, for teachers to learn and implement and beginning mathematics teachers are not adequately prepared to use formative assessment. Further studies are needed to support the learning and understanding of how teachers develop their use of formative assessment when teaching mathematics. This qualitative case study addressed this need by characterising four beginning mathematics teachers’ formative assessment strategies; that is, focusing on aspects that teachers can use to improve their teaching and learners can use to improve their outcomes. Data were generated from twelve video-recorded lessons. The teachers who participated in the study had graduated from the same teacher programme at a Swedish university and they each had about 18 months of teaching experience after graduation. The findings show that the most notable differences in teacher practices concern the types of questions they ask, how frequently they give feedback, and which feedback types dominate their practice. These differences also affect classroom interactions. The findings are discussed in relation to those aspects of formative assessment that pre-service teachers need to learn about during their studies. The discussion concludes with some implications for teacher education.
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