Research-Informed Schools SIG: Retrievals as Formative Assessments in Mathematics: 05 December

13:00 (London)

Action research has a long history and has been evolving over time. Nowadays, conducting action research involves responsibly evaluating a practitioner’s ongoing actions, critically identifying areas for improvement, and systematically planning for that improvement. In education, it is seen as a form of empowerment, as educators and researchers gain confidence within a highly professional community.

As a secondary mathematics educator, Carol Lai has encountered student populations with significant gaps in achievement levels across different contexts. To enhance students’ learning, she understands the importance of balancing conceptual understanding with skill mastery. Formative assessments are utilized to monitor students’ growth and modify teaching strategies. Among all assessments, retrieval is regarded as a powerful learning strategy that supports further conceptual learning and long-term knowledge transfer. In her action research, Carol aims to examine how retrieval can help students connect previously learned mathematical facts to new concepts. After multiple cycles of implementation, she identified several limitations in her action research. However, retrieval has still proven to be a necessary formative assessment to regularly observe how students comprehend procedural knowledge and to reflect on the effectiveness of their learning.

PRESENTER

Carol Lai has been working in international schools (English and Mathematics teachers; CAS Coordinator and Math Subject Coordinator; Professional Learning Panel) in Taiwan, Vietnam and Hungary since 2016. Her academic backgrounds include classical music, literary studies and Mathematics. These backgrounds have shaped her as a curious inquirer and active listener wherever she goes. As a trilingual (Mandarin Chinese, English and German), she embraces the beauty of cultural and linguistic diversity. In her daily teaching, she is dedicated to enhancing student agency and cultivating critical thinkers. In her teaching communities, she advocates for professional learning with high quality and long-term impacts. Moving forward, she envisions herself to collaboratively build a vibrant community of sharing among educational professionals.

FACILITATOR

Paul Magnuson attributes much of his innovation in teaching and learning to 20 years of summer camp experience. He also has experience in school improvement with US federal education programmes, the Minnesota Center for Reading Research, and classroom teaching from elementary through graduate school in the US and internationally.

He began building Leysin American School Educational Research in 2009. Since 2015 he has taught in administration, international education, and teacher licensure, first at Endicott College and since 2020 with Moreland University. He is on the steering committee of Outstanding Schools, a member of the research group of the International School Network, and a frequent blogger with The International Educator.

Paul has a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Minnesota.