In diagnosing and reviewing students’ learning, we want to move away from asking general questions such as ‘Do you understand? Do you have any questions?’ We strive to move towards asking specific questions that check for students’ understanding to close their learning gaps at different stages of the lesson. We also want to make a shift from teachers summing up their lessons in the last few minutes to setting aside closure time for students to articulate their understanding.
These are some of the areas the Mathematics team in CHIJ St Theresa's Convent are working on to address the learning gaps and the lack of confidence in low progress learners as part of the Improving Confidence and Numeracy (ICAN) project started by the Singapore Ministry of Education.
In enhancing the “diagnose” and “review” processes, the team experimented with using the ICT tool, Plickers. The tool allows teachers to collect real-time formative assessment data without the need for student devices. This allows teachers to spend more time addressing students’ learning gaps rather than use up time to set up the ICT tool. Each student is given a printed individual QR code. Depending on the direction in which the paper is turned, the student can then submit different responses to the question. It gives every student a voice in expressing their understanding without feeling conscious of giving a wrong answer publicly. This is particularly useful in building students’ confidence in learning Mathematics. When the teacher scans the students’ QR codes using a Plickers mobile application, every individual student’s response is captured. The data is saved in both individual and class formats for teachers to quickly identify the learning gaps and to address them immediately.
Participants will see examples of how assessment data has been used in actual lessons to adjust teaching strategies so as to close students’ learning gaps. Participants will also take away resources which integrate ICAN principles into the teaching of Mathematics, enhanced by the use of Plickers, in supporting low progress learners.
