This article reports findings from a nationwide research project conducted in Norway to determine the impact of the national programme called Assessment for Learning (AfL, 2010–2014) on school practices and classroom practices when assessment is used as a tool for learning. Based on a conceptual mapping tool developed to analyse ...

Formative assessment has been shown to have the power to positively affect student achievement, but professional-development initiatives for teachers to substantially develop their formative assessment practices have been frequently unsuccessful. In this study, a random selection of Year-7 teachers participated in a professional-development programme (PDP) in formative assessment. Classroom observations ...

Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) has been used in several development studies, but few have used it for the purposes of formative assessment. This article reports from a study where the activity system was used to conduct a historical and actual-empirical analysis of the assessment culture at a purposively selected school ...

The purpose of this study is to better understand the norms, processes, and implications of a standards-based assessment (SBA) system in a project-based, STEM-focused secondary school in the United States. The SBA system had both formative and summative components in relation to classroom teaching and grading, respectively. We focus on ...

COVID-19 relevance: Engaging learning activities that could translate to home

Play is very “on trend” in the primary sector, but is it a suitable pedagogy for secondary students? Based on research into play-based learning in a Year 11 English class, this article provides an overview of play theory, describes a ...

COVID-19 relevance: Digital learners / online

Digital games are responsible for turning my pedagogical practice on its head and landing me in New Zealand. My journey down the digital games “rabbit hole” started in 2007. Not having a map to follow ended up being revolutionary as I learnt to follow ...

COVID-19 relevance: Engaging learning at home / cultural setting

Harko Brown is an expert on traditional Māori games and play. He has written several books including Ngā Taonga Tākaro II: The Matrix (2016), and Te Mara Hupara (2017), co-authored by his teenage daughter Yves Tennessee Brown. In 2015 Harko was ...

COVID-19 relevance: Digital learners / online

In June 2016, Paraparaumu College and Kenakena School, from the Kāpiti Coast, investigated the use of digital technology in supporting a personalised learning framework. This article presents three case studies of how personalisation was used, and explains the development of markers of personalisation for the two ...

COVID-19 relevance: Supporting students' metacognition

In Q&A Pam Hook reflects on what drew her to SOLO taxonomy and why she is so motivated to develop its classroom-based use to enhance student learning. She explains what SOLO is and how it can help students to articulate their learning outcomes, understand the learning ...

COVID-19 relevance: Decreasing inequities

The focus on teacher inquiry to enhance student learning is a key feature of The New Zealand Curriculum and in New Zealand’s approach to teacher professional learning. This article examines how a collaborative inquiry team comprising two teachers (one each from two Auckland primary schools) and a ...