The Use of Polls to Enhance Formative Assessment Processes in Mathematics Classroom Discussions

This contribution addresses the theme of technology for formative assessment in the mathematics classroom and in particular the ways connected classroom technology may support formative assessment strategies in whole class activities. Design experiments have been developed through the use of a connected classroom technology by which students may share their productions, opinions, and reflections with their classmates and the teacher during or at the end of a mathematical activity. With this technology the teacher may create polls, submit them to the students, gather their answers and show the results in real time. The paper discusses how polls can be used during classroom activities to foster the activation of formative assessment strategies. As a result of the design-based research, a classification of polls according to their contents and aims is proposed. Different ways of structuring classroom discussions and patterns of formative assessment strategies, which are developed from the different types of polls, are discussed

iRPD-A framework for guiding design-based research for iPad apps

© 2016 British Educational Research Association. The last 5 years have been marked by an explosion of tablet and smartphone applications designed for young children and several calls to encourage educational researchers to engage in children's app research. This paper presents a novel prospect for educational researchers: to collaboratively research, implement and produce iPad apps for educational purposes. Based on the author's own research as well as that of others, an original framework "Research, Practice and Design framework" (iRPD) for guiding such collaborative efforts is provided, along with five key principles: triple collaboration, shared epistemology, awareness of affordances and interconnected social factors, and child-centred pedagogy. The novel affordances of collaboratively produced iPad apps for educational design-based research are outlined, along with several examples of how such an engagement might enrich educational research and the app landscape

Towards a knowledge-rich learning environment in preparatory secondary education

In this case study a novel educational programme for students in preparatory vocational education was studied. The research questions were: (1) Which teaching/learning processes occur in a simulated workplace using the concept of a knowledge-rich workplace? (2) What is the role of models and modelling in the teaching/learning processes? The curriculum project consisted of design and construction tasks. The students were collaboratively involved in the process of designing a tricycle for a real customer. This real-life activity creates opportunities for students to develop and use models, which can be used in more than in one context. The case study explored how the teachers deal with the students' explicit and implicit need for knowledge and skills. The main findings are that teachers more often provide this knowledge, rather than guide the students in reconstructing it, and towards the end of the project, knowledge tended to remain situated

Teaching self- and social competencies in the retail sector Findings from vocational schools in Germany, Italy and Poland

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to use teaching and learning units specially devised for development of self-competencies and social competencies in the retail sector to explore how learners assess these units in relation to acceptance, quality and self-assessment of improvement in their own performance. Design/methodology/approach - The study focuses on Poland, Italy and Germany, with a total of 1,020 learners undergoing initial vocational training in the retail sector taking part. Findings - The findings point to high levels of acceptance by participants and to significant appreciation of the quality of the teaching and learning units. Learners also perceived a marked improvement in their performance after completing the units. Differences in outcomes between individual countries can be explained at least in part by the differing training framework in each country. Research limitations/implications - The approach did not enable the authors adequately to evaluate the increase in learners' competencies: participants' self-assessment is of only limited value for this purpose. Moreover, only three countries were involved in the study. This area in particular will require substantial further research if reliable methods for evaluating competencies are to be developed that improve on the current instruments. Originality/value - The pedagogical objective of the project was to develop teaching and learning materials that would accelerate the development of self-and social competencies in the retail sector. The aim was that the material should be capable of use right across a range of European countries and be evaluated in a proper way. The findings are based on a very high number of involved students. Also the results are positive and enable teachers in VET-courses to use well tested teaching materials