Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka vilka arbetssätt som verksamma matematiklärare använder för att arbeta med formativ bedömning. Syftet är även att undersöka vilka effekter på elevernas lärande de upplever att arbetssätten har samt vilka svårigheter de upplevt med att implementera formativ bedömning. I och med den nya läroplanen samt flera stora forskningsöversikter har begreppet formativ bedömning fått stor genomslagskraft inom den svenska skolan, trots detta upplevs ämnet matematik inte vara lika formativt som många andra ämnen. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten i denna studie bygger på Dylan Wiliams fem nyckelstrategier för formativ bedömning. För att uppnå studiens syfte har åtta stycken verksamma matematiklärare deltagit i en kvalitativ intervju. Deras svar har analyserats utifrån en meningstolkande analysmodell. Resultatet visar att samtliga lärare anser sig arbeta med formativt bedömning och att det främst görs genom ökad muntlighet i klassrummet, grupparbeten och problemlösningsfokus. Det framgår även att de två sista nyckelstrategierna, kamratbedömning och självvärdering, är de som lärarna arbetar minst med. Samtliga lärare upplever att tidsbristen är den största svårigheten och att den främsta effekten på elevernas lärande är att de blir mer medvetna om sin egen lärprocess. / The purpose of this essay is to give an insight into how people working as mathematics teachers works with formative assessment, which effects on the students learning they experience that the formative methods have and which difficulties they have experienced when implementing a formative assessment. Due to the new curriculum and many significant research surveys the term formative assessment have made a big impact on the Swedish school system, despite that the mathematics subject doesn't seem as formative as other subjects. The theoretical starting point for this study is found Dylan Wiliams five key strategies for formative assessment. Eight mathematics teachers have participated in a qualitative interview and their answers have then been analyzed on the basis of an analyzing model with the purpose to find an answer at our research questions. The result shows that all the teachers consider themselves to work with formative assessment and that it is mostly done through more oral components, group work and problem solving in the classrooms. It also shown that the last two of the key strategies, peer assessment and self-evaluation, are the two components that they work the least with. All teachers experience that the lack of time is the biggest problem in implementing a formative assessment and that the biggest effect on students learning is that the students become more aware of their own learning process.

Despite the amount of empirical evidence available to validate the claim that language learners have the ability to evaluate their own abilities in a foreign language, many educators feel that self-assessments are unreliable and do not fit into the foreign language classroom. However, the move towards a proficiency-based student-centered classroom over the past two decades has caused many educators to rethink the use of self-assessment measures in the foreign language classroom. At the same time, portfolios have emerged as assessment tools for both educators and learners. Most recently, with the technological advancements in the past decade, Internet-based e-portfolios have become increasingly popular in education. However, there are very few studies on the use and implementation of e-portfolios, specifically in the foreign language classroom. This dissertation examines the role of self-assessment in the foreign language classroom. It utilizes an e-portfolio platform with pre-loaded can-do statements to create an evidence-based self-assessment for an intensive Russian language class. This dissertation presents self-assessment as a teacher-validated process utilizing formative assessment to create a learner-centered environment outside of the classroom. The study correlates results from three separate foreign language assessment tools to determine their relation to one another. The study promotes a holistic approach to language assessment and provides a process for holistic approach in the foreign language classroom. The process outlined in this study is easy to replicate and can be incorporated into foreign language courses with a limited amount of resources. / text

Denna studie är genomfört som ett undervisningsförsök, där formativ bedömning har imple­menterats i matematikundervisning. Syftet med studien var att studera om det var möjligt att förändra undervisningen på denna korta tid samt om eleverna blev mer motiverade och om de upplevde mer lust till ämnet genom denna undervisningsstrategi. Ett särskilt fokus riktades på elever i matematiksvårigheter.   Studien genomfördes i en årskurs 7:a, under höstterminen 2009, med inspiration Wiliam, (2007) Five ”Key Strategies” for Effective Assessmentutifrån och Black et al. (2003), Assess­ment for Learning – Putting it into practice. De förändringar som gjordes genomfördes av den ordinarie matematikläraren med stöd av mig som handledare under hela försöksperioden.   För metodinsamling valdes, enkät, observation och intervju för att därigenom kunna göra en triangulerad ansats. Både enkät och intervju gjordes som för- och eftermätning och riktades mot eleverna. Observationer gjordes även de före försöket i avseende på att studera lärarens undervisning och de utvalda elevernas beteende och effektiva arbetstid i klassrummet. Däref­ter gjordes fortlöpande observationer under hela försökets gång. Av klassens 15 elever valde 14 att ställa upp i undersökningen.   Förändringar tar tid, vilket medför att resultatet inte blev häpnadsväckande men visade ändå på tendenser till att elevernas motivation och lust till matematiken ökade genom implemente­ring av formativ bedömning i undervisningen.

During the past few years, pair-programming is a programming technique that has received an increasing amount of attention in the teaching of computer programming skills. Pair programming can briefly be described as a programming situation in which two persons sit at one computer and execute the task together. Although much research has been done on the advantages and disadvantages of pair programming, the assessment of computer skills acquired in pairs still remains a problem. The perception exists that pair assessment is not a reliable indicator of students' computer programming abilities. The purpose of the study was to determine whether (1) the results of programming skills assessed in pairs correlate with those of programming skills assessed individually, and (2) to investigate students' perceptions of pair and individual assessment. To reach these objectives, a literature study was performed to investigate pair programming as programming technique and the assessment of programming skills acquired in pairs. The empirical study has revealed that a positive relation exists between programming skills assessed in pairs and programming skills assessed individually. Furthermore, it was found that in general students' perceptions concerning pair assessment have changed positively. Based on the results arising from the empirical study, guidelines were suggested for the facilitation and assessment of pair programming skills. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The use of formative assessment in the classroom is becoming a more widely used practice and acceptable way to support students’ learning. There are several different strands to the formative concept of assessment for learning as opposed to assessment of learning. This research project looks at one strand of formative assessment, namely, the use of wait-time in the classroom. Three wait-time strategies were investigated and examples of their use are provided in an upper primary situation with three students of lower ability and challenging behaviours. Findings from this brief study show no conclusive evidence to support either the widely recognised use of increased wait-time to support a learner’s needs or the opposing view that brief wait-time, when used with students with behavioural issues, might increase academic responses and improve on-task behaviours. The use of one of the strategies, that of ‘talking partners’, demonstrated a slight increase in academic responses with members of the focus group. This research project, together with limitations and further research suggestions, is discussed.

Assessment is a key aspect within teaching and learning processes in higher education (Torrance, 2007). Formative assessment may be viewed simply as constructive feedback to support learning or more holistically as ongoing assessment based on sustained engagement in learning activities within a supportive social context that expand teachable moments to scaffold learning. Online education now pervades higher education worldwide but effective ways to incorporate formative assessment within online settings is not well understood. Previous research in online postgraduate courses designed for teachers as professional learners illustrate that engagement with authentic learning activities promotes meaningful learning and transferability to their communities of practice (COP) (e.g. Mackey, 2011). However, there appears to be paucity of literature with a focus on assessment in professional learning. This thesis explores formative assessment within online postgraduate courses designed for teachers as professional learners who aim to develop capacity to incorporate information communication technologies (ICT) in their own practice. Case studies are presented to richly illustrate the design, implementation and evaluation of the effectiveness of two courses; and then further re-examined to elucidate strategies and key characteristics that can foster (or hinder) online formative assessment. Authentic and developmental learning perspectives underpinned by situated cognition theory framed the design and interpretation within a multiple-case methodology. Evidence of experiences and perceptions of the teachers and their professional students included online observation, analysis of the discourse, and semi-structured interviews. An authentic learning environment that sustained productive engagement is illustrated in both case studies along with many techniques that the teachers designed to underpin formative assessment. A key characteristic in both courses was the design of authentic assessment activities that are relevant and meaningful in real-life contexts. Techniques identified included appropriate learner autonomy, and opportunities to negotiate shared understanding of learning goals and expected outcomes including the sharing of student-created artefacts. The online reification of the artefacts and other learning community support was enabled by the ongoing documentation through creative use of online discussion forums as a feature within the learning management system (LMS). These techniques enriched the processes of ongoing monitoring, assessment of evidence of learning and interactive formative feedback. Both teachers’ beliefs about self and peer feedback also enabled both teachers to design for productive synergies between formative and summative assessment that promoted engagement and deep learning. Additional synergies of discourse among peers related to immediacy, interactivity, and mutuality in which the students recognized themselves and valued their peers as source of constructive feedback. The students also demonstrated meaningful reflectivity that manifested reflexivity within the context of their professional practices. Online formative assessment is illustrated in both courses as a form of collaborative engagement in authentic learning, including assessment activities with opportunities for ongoing interactions and formative feedback. The open-ended authentic assessment activities supported professional learners to connect the online discourse to their own classroom practices, as well as keenly engage with authentic projects that are situated in their schools. Learner autonomy stimulated self-regulated learning in which students went beyond achievement of the expected learning outcomes for summative assessment to engaging with tasks and processes that matched their own learning goals, interests and contextual needs. Learners’ involvement within formative assessment processes enhanced opportunities to negotiate meanings which fostered shared authenticity.The inherent authenticity in the course design also stimulated application of prior knowledge and experiences in ways that promoted meaningful learning. Engagement in asynchronous dialogue as a community of learners with shared goals and practice elicited alterative perspectives and disorienting dilemmas. This stimulated learners to think in new ways and more critically and to develop relevant professional competencies in ICT. These in turn supported teachers as professional learners to confidently apply their developing pedagogical practices with ICT in their own classrooms; and to share those with school colleagues. This study illustrates ways that online formative assessment can be designed to support learners to develop relevant knowledge and professional skills that increase professional competencies. Incorporating authentic formative assessment in the course design also impacted teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD), and thus their schools. A key finding from this research is conceptualization of formative assessment as a collaborative pedagogical strategy in which both the teacher and students are active players. This research provides evidence that innovative integration of formative assessment in online settings can support committed professional learners to develop competencies that are transferable into their own practice. This suggests that ongoing formative assessment is an important strategy to increase the quality of online professional development in many fields, in addition to that of education.

Student performance in the area of mathematics is a topic of national concern in the United States, with several reports documenting the need for effective instruction to boost student achievement. However, what type of math instruction will most effectively raise student achievement for students with disabilities (SWD) remains a matter of debate. Problem-based learning (PBL) is a promising methodology for engaging and motivating students’ learning while increasing their math skills. Enhanced Anchored Instruction (EAI) is a form of problem-based learning, rooted in a constructivist framework, which guides students through complex problems through video anchors and context rich environments that has been shown to significantly improve math performance of SWD. Assessing student performance during PBL units is often difficult. Formative assessments supplement curriculum by allowing teachers to gather information and assess student learning during the course of instruction. However, despite the rise in formative assessment use, the effects of formative assessment in PBL curricula are rarely addressed. This study examined the effect of embedding formative assessments in the EAI curriculum on academic outcomes in middle school math classrooms. Results showed that problem solving performance did not improve with the addition of formative assessment and gains on computation performance were mixed.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore three questions regarding formative assessment (FA) and Student-Involved assessment strategies among five middle years teachers in Saskatoon Public Schools. The questions were one, what were the beliefs of the teachers regarding formative assessment and student involved assessment? as well as two, what were their perceptions about attitudes of students, parents, and the community about these innovative assessment practices? and thirdly, what did the teachers believe would support teachers in taking up formative assessment and student-involved assessment? The five participating teachers had varying lengths of service ranging from five to over twenty-five years. Teachers were interviewed in a semi-structured style during one forty-five minute interview, each. Teachers were provided with sample prompts in order to facilitate the conversation. Teachers reported using FA and student involved assessment strategies with mixed results. Teachers used strategies and modified them on occasion to suit the learning conditions, to allow for time constraints, or to accelerate the pace of instruction. Teachers also reported using FA and student-involved assessment strategies primarily in subject areas in which they felt most comfortable and relied on more traditional summative assessments in subject areas in which they were less comfortable. Teachers stated there were varying degrees of support from colleagues, school based administrators, and school division consultants. The support generally disappeared if the school based administrator whose emphasis was FA and student-involved assessment left the school for a different assignment. Some participants reported taking initiative to pursue FA of their own accord, but were left to roll out the initiative on their own. Teachers described mixed results with other stakeholders in these processes as well. Generally parents and students were less interested in FA and student-involved assessment and showed a preference for summative evaluations such as percentages and letter grades. Implications of these findings are that teachers are not appropriately trained in student assessment and support for formative assessment is inconsistent. Students are often omitted from the unpacking of curricula, are not accountable for collection of their own assessment data and are not held responsible to act upon any formative assessment feedback in order to improve their learning. This study led to the following definition of formative assessment: formative assessment is the demonstration by students they can act upon descriptive feedback to show they have achieved a learning outcome regardless of mode (oral, written, performance, etc.).

The purpose of this study is to investigate how pupils think different kinds of parent teacher conferences has any significance on the feeling of participation and motivation in their learning. The purpose is also to find out how pupils think of using different kinds of assessment.This study is based on a hypothesis that studentled parent teacher conferences increases the students participation in it ́s own knowledge development. It is also based on the hypothesis that this increases the students metacognition and its internal motivation. This study is founded on a quantitative survey answered by students in eighth grade in two different schools with different kinds of parent teacher conferences. I have analyzed the results of the survey by comparing the results of two groups; they who have studentled parent teacher conferences and they who have more traditional parent teacher conferences.The result shows that students use and believe teachers use several different kinds of assessment in preparing their parent teacher conferences. Peer assessment is though underrepresented and considering the power it has, according to research it needs to be developed. Using studentled conferences increases the feeling of participation and motivation in general, not only internal motivation. My conclusion is that studentled conferences promote motivation and participation. Therefor methods for implementation of parent teacher conferences needs to be developed in many schools. / Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka elevers upplevelse av hur olika former av utvecklingssamtal påverkar dem när det gäller motivation för skolarbetet och delaktighet i sitt eget lärande. Syftet är också att kartlägga hur elever tänker kring användning av olika bedömningsformer. Undersökningen baseras på en hypotes om att elevledda utvecklingssamtal medför en ökad delaktighet i elevens egna kunskapsutveckling samt att detta i sin tur ökar kunskapen om det egna lärandet och den inre motivationen. Underlaget till undersökningen är en kvantitativ enkätundersökning genomförd bland samtliga elever i år 8 i två skolor med olika typer av utvecklingssamtal. Resultatet av denna enkät har jag sedan analyserat genom att jämföra skillnader och likheter mellan de två kategorierna; de som genomfört elevledda utvecklingssamtal samt de som haft mer traditionella utvecklingssamtal. Resultatet visar att elever, som underlag för sina utvecklingssamtal, använder sig av ett flertal olika former av bedömning. Dock visar det sig att kamratbedömning som bedömningsform är underrepresenterat och behöver utvecklas med tanke på den kraft forskning visar att den har. Både den inre och den yttre motivationen ökar när man genomför elevledda utvecklingssamtal. Resultaten visar också att känslan av delaktighet ökar när man genomför elevledda utvecklingssamtal. Min slutsats är att elevledda utvecklingssamtal främjar både motivation och delaktighet. För många skolors del innebär det att man behöver arbeta fram mer medvetna metoder för deras genomförande.

During the past few years, pair-programming is a programming technique that has received an increasing amount of attention in the teaching of computer programming skills. Pair programming can briefly be described as a programming situation in which two persons sit at one computer and execute the task together. Although much research has been done on the advantages and disadvantages of pair programming, the assessment of computer skills acquired in pairs still remains a problem. The perception exists that pair assessment is not a reliable indicator of students' computer programming abilities. The purpose of the study was to determine whether (1) the results of programming skills assessed in pairs correlate with those of programming skills assessed individually, and (2) to investigate students' perceptions of pair and individual assessment. To reach these objectives, a literature study was performed to investigate pair programming as programming technique and the assessment of programming skills acquired in pairs. The empirical study has revealed that a positive relation exists between programming skills assessed in pairs and programming skills assessed individually. Furthermore, it was found that in general students' perceptions concerning pair assessment have changed positively. Based on the results arising from the empirical study, guidelines were suggested for the facilitation and assessment of pair programming skills. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.