REPORT OF STUDENT ASSESSMENT INTERVIEW

Purpose:

To provide experience assessing a student and planning instruction based on that assessment. For this assignment, you will (1) write a report of your interview, (2) conceptualize an appropriate lesson for your student, (3) organize a coherent sequence of tasks that will integrate problem solving, concepts, and skills, and (4) identify key questions you would ask the student during the lesson. All these items should be based on the information you gathered during the interview session.

Reporting the Interview:

A) Describe the student's responses to the problems and questions you posed. Indicate whether the problem appeared easy or difficult for the student and explain why.

B) Evaluate the student's mathematical knowledge in the content area. Use evidence from the interview to support your conclusions. Give specific examples of the student's responses. For example, if you conclude that the student has an understanding of addition of fractions with like denominators, it should be based on the fact that the student was able to represent 3/5 and 4/5 with fraction pieces or in a drawing to find the sum, as well as compute the answer with symbols.

C) Comment on the interview process. What did you learn about interviewing techniques? If you were to do the interview with another student, would there be any changes in your questions, either the order or the level of difficulty, or the materials you had available for the student to use? Why? What did you learn about yourself as someone learning about how to learn what a student understands? Give one example.

Planning the Lesson:

Suggest an instructional plan for this student. Your assessment of the student's thinking should give you some deep information for planning instruction. Your suggestions should be based on what you learned about the student in the interview.

(1) Select a topic that is appropriate for your student. Use your mathematics methods textbook, Teaching Children Mathematics, Arithmetic Teacher, media materials, and any other resources that you find helpful.

(2) Outline your objective. Problem solving should be a focus of all or part of the lesson.

(3) Choose the activity/activities that meet your objectives. Sequence the activities. Explain how the activities meet the objectives. Explain how this lesson is related to your assessment of the student.

(4) List the materials you need.

(5) Plan the questions you will ask to help you understand the child's thinking.

(6) Think about extensions (or adaptations) to the lesson, just in case it doesn't go the way you expect.

Tape record the interview. Be sure to record on paper anything that will not be picked up on the tape recording (e.g., any use of manipulatives). Keep any papers the student used to solve the problem; they may be useful to you as you analyze a student's responses.