Research Centre for Learning and Teaching

Projects

Making learning visible: impacting on mathematics teachers’ practice of formative assessment using technologies

This project builds upon the €1.9M FP7 FaSMEd (Formative Assessment in Science and Mathematics Education) developmental project (2014-2016).

This project builds upon the €1.9M FP7 FaSMEd (Formative Assessment in Science and Mathematics Education) developmental project (2014-2016). Coordinated by Newcastle University and working with seven European partners and South Africa, researchers and teachers reviewed and adapted research-informed formative assessment classroom practices for use with technologies. FaSMEd culminated in the production of an online toolkit for teachers/teacher educators and a professional development package. Impact and take-up of these outputs was not part of the FP7 project. This IAA project is focused upon impact gathering and co-developed impact generation activities that will engage stakeholders and create impact within classrooms and policy.

This project builds upon the extensive research undertaken by the €1.9M EU funded FP7 FaSMEd (Formative Assessment in Science and Mathematics Education) project (Jan 2014-Dec2016). Coordinated by Newcastle University and working with partners across seven European countries and South Africa, researchers used a design study inspired methodology to work with teachers to review and adapt research based formative assessment practises for use with technologies in the classroom. The resulting research culminated in the production of an online toolkit for teachers and teacher educators and a professional development package. These were designed to support the development of practice and are disseminated through the website http://fasmed.eu. Although the process undertaken was disseminated widely (https://research.ncl.ac.uk/fasmed/deliverables/), as the final products (toolkit and PD package) were developed for the end of the project, impact and take-up of these outputs was not part of the FP7 project. 
 
This IAA project is focused upon impact gathering and co-developed impact generation activities that will engage stakeholders and create impact within classrooms and policy. As Newcastle University’s FaSMEd research was focused upon the development of activities and resources for mathematics teachers, the target audience for this impact work will be mathematics teachers, senior and middle management with responsibility for the professional development of maths teachers and non-academic maths teacher educators.
 
The aims and objectives are:
1. Impact gathering – to conduct follow up interviews with FaSMEd Newcastle case study schools to explore and evidence continued engagement and impact of the FaSMEd toolkit and Professional Development package on teacher and student practice.
2. Impact generation – to engage with a teacher working group in identifying key features and messages for practitioners and policy makers and in co-developing a dissemination and impact strategy. 
3. Impact activities – Disseminating key messages through a variety of methods including publications co-produced between researchers and practitioners, electronic platforms (again co-produced) and FaSMEd teacher champions in schools.
This project will draw upon principles of co-production and participatory research methods, as well as research informed professional learning strategies (see above Leat et al., 2014). These will inform engagement with a working group of teachers in the co-development of publications and a dissemination strategy that will engage stakeholders and create impact within classrooms. The working group will be based on membership of our partner and beneficiary, the Great North Maths Hub (see section J.). 
 
Impact gathering interviews with FaSMEd project school staff will lead to case study reports of two schools to explore and evidence continued engagement and impact. These will also be fed into our working group as case study examples.
 
FaSMEd champions – identified through our teacher working group – will be located in North East schools that can cascade information and provide support in their own and partner schools. 

 

Contact

For further information contact:
Jill Clark, Principal Investigator.
Email: Jill.Clark@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone: 0191 208 5637