You don’t need to differentiate everything – it’s the Big Ideas that make a difference!Â
Emeritus Professor Dianne Siemon
Formative assessment holds the key to improving mathematics learning outcomes but not everything needs to be assessed formally and not everything needs to be differentiated. This session will make a case for focusing on the Big Ideas in Number without which student’s progress in school mathematics will be seriously impacted. We will consider the basis for the Big Ideas and explore the recently updated Assessment for Common Misunderstandings (AfCM+) and Scaffolding Numeracy in the Middle Years (SNMY+) formative assessment resources. Participants will walk away with a deeper understanding of what will make a difference to student learning outcomes in mathematics.
Files to Download from Di's session
About Emeritus Professor Di Siemon
Di Siemon is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics Education at RMIT University. She was involved in pre-service teacher education for over 40 years and remains actively involved in the supervision of higher degree students and the professional development of practicing teachers. She is widely known for her work on learning progressions, multiplicative thinking, the Big Ideas in Number, and the use of rich assessment tasks to inform teaching. Di has directed a number of large-scale research projects including Reframing Mathematical Futures (2013-2018) and Scaffolding Numeracy in the Middle Years (2003-2006) that produced evidenced-based formative assessment materials to identify and respond to student’s learning needs in relation to mathematical reasoning and multiplicative thinking. Di is the lead author of the widely used text, Teaching Mathematics: Foundation to Middle Years and a life member and past president of both the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers and the Mathematical Association of Victoria.Â
