Examining Grade 8 mathematics teachers' formative assessment practices within the lesson study cycle

Abstract

Assessment is a continuous process of identifying, gathering and interpreting learners' performance. The Senior Phase Mathematics CAPS further stipulates that assessment should consist of both formal and informal assessments such as formative assessments. It is necessary to conduct a formative assessment within Mathematics Education, as it focuses on the continuous improvement of learners’ conceptual understanding within the teaching and learning process through constant and immediate feedback. However, mathematics teachers tend to teach for summative assessment purposes and seldom develop learners’ conceptual understanding of mathematics concepts. A teacher development practice that emphasises collaborative lesson planning among a group of teachers, known as Lesson Study (LS), can be used to shift the focus of Mathematics Education from teaching for summative assessment purposes to teaching for understanding. LS, therefore, provides a fertile context to study how mathematics teachers work collaboratively to plan and teach, with formative assessment, to improve learner understanding. Thus, this qualitative study aimed to examine Grade 8 mathematics teachers’ formative assessment practices within the in-school LS cycle. Hence, the purpose of the study was to examine how mathematics teachers collaboratively planned for and used formative assessment practices within the context of LS, to facilitate mathematics learning. The sample of the study included three Grade 8 mathematics teachers who participated in two in-school LS cycles. Two theoretical lenses framed the study: The Formative Assessment framework proposed by Antoniou and James (2014) and the Situated Learning Theory. The study aimed to answer the primary research question: How do teachers use formative assessment during the implementation of the Lesson Study cycle in a Grade 8 Mathematics class? Data for the study were collected through observation of two consecutive stages within the LS cycle (collaborative lesson planning, the presentation of the lesson) and unstructured interviews. Data were analysed by means of transcribing the audio and video recordings of the observations and interviews, thereafter deductive and inductive analysis was conducted. The study's findings revealed that formative assessment is not at the forefront of planning a lesson. However, it is abundantly evident within a classroom. It is envisaged that the study will share insights on how teachers can use formative assessment in mathematics within the Lesson Study cycle, thereby developing their skills in assessment for learning.