How can I respond to students in ways that improve their learning?
The effective use of formative assessment lessons depends on the quality of feedback given by teachers to students. One important way of moving students’ thinking forward is to prompt them to reconsider their reasoning by asking carefully chosen questions.
This unit contains a selection of professional activities that are designed to help teachers to reflect on:
- characteristics of their questioning that encourage students to reflect, think and reason;
- ways in which teachers might encourage students to provide extended, thoughtful answers, without being afraid of making mistakes;
- the value of showing students what reasoning means by ‘thinking aloud’.
The activities described in this module are given here as a ‘menu’ of suggestions to help the provider select and plan. They are presented in a logical order, building up knowledge and expertise.
Any planned professional development program should offer opportunities for teachers to try new pedagogies in the classroom and then report back and reflect on their experiences. Activity D is therefore essential in the program.
About the MAP PD Modules
These modules have been developed by the Shell Centre team at the Centre for Research in Mathematics Education, University of Nottingham. They draw on successful materials developed by the team for Bowland Maths and Improving Learning in Mathematics.
Getting started
Download the print materials (links on the left) and read the main Module Guide.
Use the tabs at the top of the screen to browse the software and video which accompanies this module. (Requires JavaScript enabled).