Observation
Observation may be used for assessment purposes whenever students are engaged in mathematical learning, individually or in a group.
For students experiencing difficulties in Mathematics, the teacher records the specific behaviours that individual students are demonstrating. This could include specific difficulties that the students are experiencing and/or the time that they are engaged in learning. For example, the teacher might record that a student:
- skips the number 14 when counting to 20
- uses the operation of addition for all word problems
- does not demonstrate 1:1 correspondence when counting
- confuses the names of two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional objects (eg confuses a square and cube)
- counts from 1 when asked to count on from 7
- uses the edge of a ruler as the starting point instead of the zero marker
- confuses the hour and minute hands on a clock.
The teacher could use a checklist in relation to the selected indicators to determine what students know and can do in a particular learning experience/unit of work.