Learn how to realize a measurable increase in student engagement and achievement in mathematics through a guided, collaborative, and active process grounded in mathematics. Students and teachers collaboratively devise a data-driven plan of action that moves learning forward for all students and effectively supports at-risk secondary students in urban environments. Learn how teachers in the LMU Math and Science Teaching Program effectively implement assessments as motivations for student achievement and develop opportunities for students to demonstrate comprehension and retention of essential content over time. Students become active participants in the assessment process in an environment where learning is an individual progression and risk-taking is valued and encouraged. Find out how students, guided by teacher-provided descriptive feedback, make decisions in a process of self-reflection in which they critically analyze and compare their learning outcomes to expectations of content mastery. By comparing mastery to current performance, students utilize failure and engage in error analysis to deconstruct prior shortcomings and devise a plan of action that will move learning forward thereby overcoming failure.

This particular telling and retelling from a living narrative inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000) into the early experiences of three high school science teachers – Beth, Joel, and Christina – explores the emergent inquiry landscapes constructed as we implemented a renewed, decolonizing, science curriculum in Saskatchewan founded on a philosophy of inquiry and on a broader, more holistic definition of scientific literacy, both Western and Indigenous. This inquiry draws on an ontology of lived experience (Dewey, 1938) and, more subtly, on the borderland of narrative inquiry and complexity science in order to illustrate the emergence and coming to knowing (Delandshire, 2002; Ermine, as cited in Aikenhead, 2002) of our identities in a way that avoids the reduction in complexity of our experiences. While my initial wonders persisted throughout the research as I lived alongside Beth, Joel, and Christina for two years, they diffracted into the contextualized wonder: how do we share a philosophy of inquiry with each other and with our students? As such, this inquiry is a sharing about our own identities, about our own agency, about identity work, and about which experiences we choose to (re)engage with as we attempt to (re)find the narrative diversity, both individual and collective, necessary to shift from enacted identities to 'wished-we-could-enact' identities. This exploration of our 'mo(u)rning stories', early experiences from our shifting identities after stepping through the liminal and onto emergent inquiry landscapes, or our 'stories to relive with' provides a language and context to our shifting identities and hence, to science education, as we move towards a more holistic and humanistic form of scientific literacy for all our students. What emerged through the enmeshing of our landscapes and through the construction of voids in existing practices, followed by deformalizations in assessment and planning, was the development of a way of sharing our philosophy of inquiry and hence, our shifting identities. The artifacting and sharing of our contextualized inquiry experiences highlighted the rich assessment making, and curriculum making experiences (Huber, Murphy & Clandinin, 2011) we shared with our students and highlighted a view of assessment as a relationship. As we told and retold our stories to relive with, our identities shifted towards those more akin to facilitator and anthropologist and away from sage and engineer/architect.

This thesis offers an assessment design for collaborative learning, utilisation of blended learning support through current communication technologies and highlights the crucial role of the tutor. The thesis designed and tested a theoretical framework which encompassed an active learning environment and resulted in the development of the shamrock conceptual framework. To test the theoretical framework, clarify the role of the tutor and the impact on the learner experience two studies were undertaken using pedagogical models that combined the concepts of learner-centric, sociocultural and dialogic perspectives on collaborative learning and technology in meeting the needs of learners in the 21st Century. In the first study, the role of the tutor was found to be crucial in setting, implementing and guiding learners using the assessment design as part of a social constructivist pedagogical practice. The pedagogical approach adopted was to blend face-to-face and Wiki learning experiences and was found to promote learner ownership, engagement and the fostering of a learning community. The second study validated the first and provided additional asynchronous technology experiences in addition to the Wiki blend in the assessment design. Study 2 examined the role of the tutor and the learner whilst using current technologies comprising podcasts and video and a Wiki in the collaborative experience. Findings showed that the Wiki supported community and collaborative aspects of a sociocultural practice whilst learners were engaged in authentic learning activities and led to a well supported learning environment. The importance of technology design and use to accommodate collaborative and community aspects was found to be an essential component. It was found that technology is not simply an add-on but rather needs to be planned and considered purposefully by both tutors and learners when used in a blend to supplement learning on campus as part of an assessment design in higher education. This study has shown that, for this to happen, academics need to be provided with the appropriate support, knowledge and skills required in developing a blended learning experience using a Wiki supplemented by class contact on campus as part of an assessment design.

Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / Assessment is considered as integral to the teaching and learning process of Mathematics where various types of assessment are used to develop feedback for several purposes. Research has highlighted the challenge of the dominance of summative assessment in classroom assessment practices. In recent years, world countries have been acknowledging the use of assessment for learning (AfL) to enhance the learning process and thus improve learner performance. This research explored how Mathematics teachers applied AfL in their classrooms. A theoretical framework to support AfL was presented through an overview of constructivism theory, social justice theory, connectivism theory, TPACK theory and Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy. A qualitative approach and a case study design were applied involving nine Mathematics teachers from nine primary schools. Data, collected through semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation and document analysis, were thematically analysed. The findings show a positive understanding of what AfL is and its importance to the teaching and learning of Mathematics. However, the application of AfL was found to be inconsistent with its purpose of creating an environment conducive to develop feedback that supports the learning process. Challenges that inhibit its application were found to outweigh successes experienced by teachers. Lack of theoretical understanding of the use of AfL, overcrowding, the language of learning and teaching and lack of resources emerged as some of the major challenges. Teachers pleaded for more in-service training opportunities to assist them with managing assessment for learning practices in Mathematics. / Assessering is onlosmaaklik met die onderrig en leer van wiskunde verbind. Wiskunde word op verskeie maniere geassesseer sodat terugvoering om allerlei redes verkry word. Volgens navorsing oorheers summatiewe assessering in klaskamers. In die laaste jare word assessering vir leer (AvL) wêreldwyd aangewend om die leerproses en leerders se prestasie te verbeter. In hierdie studie is nagevors hoe wiskundeonderwysers AvL in die klaskamer toepas. ʼn Teoretiese raamwerk vir AvL is opgestel uit ʼn oorsig van die konstruktivistiese teorie, die sosialegeregtigheidsteorie, die konnektivismeteorie en die TPACK-teorie en Bloom se Hersiene Taksonomie. ʼn Kwalitatiewe benadering en ʼn gevallestudie-ontwerp is gevolg in die verkenning van nege wiskundeonderwysers by nege primêre skole se assessering. Data is deur halfgestruktureerde onderhoude, waarneming sonder deelname en dokumentontledings versamel en tematies geanaliseer. Daar is bevind dat die onderwysers geweet het wat AvL is en die belang daarvan in die onderrig en leer van wiskunde besef het. Die toepassing het egter nie met die oogmerk van AvL gestrook nie. Die oogmerk is om ʼn omgewing tot stand te bring wat assessering bevorder om leer te ondersteun. Die toepassingsprobleme van AvL oorskadu die welslae wat daarmee behaal word. ʼn Gebrekkige teoretiese begrip van hoe AvL gebruik word, oorvol klaskamers, die taal van onderrig en leer, en ʼn gebrek aan hulpbronne is van die grootste uitdagings. Onderwysers bepleit indiensopleiding sodat hulle die assessering van leerpraktyke in wiskunde beter kan bestuur. / Ukuhlola kuthathwa njengento esemqoka ohlelweni lokufundisa nokufunda imethamethiksi lapho izinhlobo ezahlukahlukene zokuhlola zisetshenziswa ukwakha umbiko wakamuva ngesizathu sezinhloso ezimbalwa. Ucwaningo selukhombise inselelo yokuhamba phambili kwenhlobo yokuhlola i-summative assessment lapho kuqhutshwa umsebenzi wokuhlola emagunjini okufunda. Eminyakeni esandakwedlula, amazwe omhlaba kade amukela ukusetshenziswa kohlelo lokuhlola ukufunda (AFL) ukuqinisa uhlelo lokufunda kanti lokhu kuthuthukisa izinga lokufunda lomfundi. Lolu cwaningo beluhlola indlela uthisha wesifundo semethamethiksi ebesebenzisa uhlelo lwe-AFL emagunjini abo okufundisa. Isakhiwo sethiyori esiqonde ukuxhasa uhlelo lwe-AFL lwethuliwe ngamafuphi ngomqondo phecelezi we- -constructivism theory, social justice theory, connectivism theory, TPACK theory kanye ne-Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy. Indlela yocwaningo eyencike kwingxoxo (qualitative approach) kanye nedizayini yocwaningo lotho (case study design) zisetshenziswe kuxutshwa phakathi othisha bemethamethiksi abayisishiyagalolunye abavela ezikoleni zamabanga aphansi. Idatha iqoqwe ngokwenza inhlolovo eyakhiwe kancane, kanti kuye kwabhekisiswa imibono yalabo abangadlalindima kanye nokuhlaziywa kombhalo kuye kwahlaziywa ngokuthi kubhekwe indikimba. . Ulwazi olutholwe wucwaningo lukhombisa ukuthi uhlelo lwe-AFL kanye nokubaluleka kwalo kuzwisiseka kahle kakhulu ohlelweni lokufundisa nokufundwa kwemethamethiksi. . Yize kunjalo, ukusetshenziswa kohlelo lwe-AFL kuye kwatholakala ukuthi akuhambisani nenhloso yalo yokwakha isizinda esifanele sokwakha umbiko wakamuva oxhasa uhlelo lokufunda. Izinselelo eziqukethe ukusetshenziswa kwalo lolu hlelo ziye zatholakala ukuthi zedlula impumelelo eyenziwe ngothisha. Ukwentuleka kokuzwisisa umqondo wokusetshenziswa kohlelo lwe-AFL, inani eliphuphumayo labantwana, ulimi lokufunda nokufundisa kanye nokwentuleka kwemithombo yokufunda kuye kwavela njengezinye izinselelo. Othisha baye bacela ukunikezwa amathuba okuqeqeshwa basebenza ukuze lawo makhono abancede ukuqhuba izinhlelo zokuhlola imisebenzi yokufunda imethamethiksi. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Phil. (Education (Curriculum Studies))