MR Tracker - Is it making a difference? May 12, 2008
Posted by Mhairi Stratton in : East Lothian, Mr Tracker, Training , add a commentI met with a group of recently trained MR Tracker teachers
I started be asking them three questions:
Q1: What did you learn from the assessment interviews?
A:
- We can underestimate the ability of children
- It highlighted areas of difficulty and suggested why they were struggling
- Took a lot of time
- numbers across the decades are tricky
- It highlighted the discrepancy between verbal and written maths
- Children rely too much on their teacher’s approval
- There is a lot more to early numeracy than level A would indicate.
Q: How have your lessons changed?
A:
- More Practical
- I take more time reinforce and consolidate skills
- Extending children knowledge - always challenging them for more
- Getting children to explain their strategies
- Much more self assessment
- More counting (especially counting back)
- Faster Pace
- More active learning
- Asking for alternative strategies (”Can you show me a different way?”, “Prove it!)
Q: What are the advantages and challenges of MR Tracker ?
A:
| Advantages: | Challenges |
| Identifying the gaps in knowledge | Resources – can’t buy them have to make them |
| Children accessing lessons at their own level | Time management |
| Children are more willing and able to complete written task/recording because of all the practical experiences | Convincing parents/other staff |
| Active Learning! | |
| Saves money on workbooks! | |
| Better Understanding | |
| More secure of level A concepts | |
MR Tracker Training February 1, 2008
Posted by Mhairi Stratton in : East Lothian, Mr Tracker, Training , add a comment
There are two new groups being trained in MR Tracker:
Group 1
7th Feb 9am-12noon Townhouse Haddington
21st Feb 9am-12noon Brunton Theatre Room C
(School Task)
14th April 4pm-6pm Conference Room John Muir House (Joining with group 2)
Group 2
28 Feb 9am-12noon Townhouse, Haddington
6 March 9am-12noon Townhouse, Haddington
(School Task)
14th April 4pm-6pm Conference Room John Muir House (Joining with group 2)
Session 1:
- Background of Maths Recovery
- The role of assessment
- The MR Tracker progressions overview
- Assessing Progressions:
- Forward Number Words Sequences and Number Word After
- Backward Number Words Sequences and Number Word Before
- Numerals and Numeral Sequences
- Addition and Subtraction (Addition Strategies)
- Relationships between the progressions and teaching points
Session 2:
- Review of session 1
- Changes in teaching practice
- The MR Tracker progressions overview
- Assessing Progressions:
- Addition and Subtraction (Subtraction Strategies)
- Finger and Spatial Patterns
- Multiplication and Division
- Relationships between the progressions and teaching points
- Outline of School Task
School Task
- Half day out of class
- Assess a child (a good P2) using MR Tracker assessment
- Video it
- Reflect on experience
- Work with a partner who has been trained?
Twilight Session:
- (In school groups - strongly recommended that a member of management attends)
- Reflect on Mr Tracker Progressions
- Purpose of MR Tracker
- Relating MR Tracker to active learning
- Planning numeracy lessons
- Next steps
First Feedback on MR Tracker CPD November 19, 2007
Posted by Mhairi Stratton in : East Lothian, Mr Tracker, Training , add a comment30 teachers from the Preston Lodge Cluster have had initial CPD in MR Tracker. This is the first time that this training has taken place and the initial feedback has been very positive.
Here are the evaluation comments:
- Next steps for teaching are much clearer
- The assessment resulted in the teacher knowing each individual child’s strengths and weaknesses much better
- The assessment gave us a better understanding of the strategies being used by the children
- Created a greater awareness of the concepts of before and after
- The knowledge gained from an assessment should prevent any child being moved on to more complex processes when the evidence suggests that they haven’t mastered some of the basic concepts.
- It allows you to pinpoint difficulties
- The teaching programme takes the children further on e.g. beyond 20, it encourages the teacher to move them on.
- We have learned that interactive materials can be used as a successful assessment tool ( written assessments can give a false indication of a child’s ability)
- Mr Tracker encourages you to track the child further than you may expect - you don’t stick to the level they are working at with planned work e.g. A1, A2
- Staff found ‘no praise’ difficult
- We learned not to make assumptions about what children can and cannot do
- Children take a while to absorb a concept
- We were not limiting the child’s use of maths ( by sticking to A1,A2 etc)
- There are really good activities which benefit all the children
- Staff wondered how filming affected the child’s response
- The children took longer than expected to complete the assessment
- Children needed sufficient vocabulary to explain how they worked out an answer
- Staff need guidance about when and how frequently we should use the assessments ( time allocation)
- It was a good experience!
- Surprised to note extent of reversals e.g. 15 for 51
- The test could be used across all ages P1 - Level D
- EOL child could sort out numbers in teens, tried very hard to sort out numbers 20 and above by looking at the units
- We would need to carry ou the assessment quite a few times to get slick at it
- Could you use the assessment in smaller blocks e.g. addition only?
- Next steps for teaching are much clearer
- The assessment resulted in the teacher knowing each individual child’s strengths and weaknesses much better
- The assessment gave us a better understanding of the strategies being used by the children
- Created a greater awareness of the concepts of before and after
- The knowledge gained from an assessment should prevent any child being moved on to more complex processes when the evidence suggests that they haven’t mastered some of the basic concepts.
- It allows you to pinpoint difficulties
- The teaching programme takes the children further on e.g. beyond 20, it encourages the teacher to move them on.
- We have learned that interactive materials can be used as a successful assessment tool ( written assessments can give a false indication of a child’s ability)
- Mr Tracker encourages you to track the child further than you may expect - you don’t stick to the level they are working at with planned work e.g. A1, A2
- Staff found ‘no praise’ difficult
- We learned not to make assumptions about what children can and cannot do
- Children take a while to absorb a concept
- We were not limiting the child’s use of maths ( by sticking to A1,A2 etc)
- There are really good activities which benefit all the children
- Staff wondered how filming affected the child’s response
- The children took longer than expected to complete the assessment
- Children needed sufficient vocabulary to explain how they worked out an answer
- Staff need guidance about when and how frequently we should use the assessments ( time allocation)
- It was a good experience!
- Surprised to note extent of reversals e.g. 15 for 51
- The test could be used across all ages P1 - Level D
- EOL child could sort out numbers in teens, tried very hard to sort out numbers 20 and above by looking at the units
- We would need to carry ou the assessment quite a few times to get slick at it
- Could you use the assessment in smaller blocks e.g. addition only?
- Next steps for teaching are much clearer
- The assessment resulted in the teacher knowing each individual child’s strengths and weaknesses much better
- The assessment gave us a better understanding of the strategies being used by the children
- Created a greater awareness of the concepts of before and after
- The knowledge gained from an assessment should prevent any child being moved on to more complex processes when the evidence suggests that they haven’t mastered some of the basic concepts.
- It allows you to pinpoint difficulties
- The teaching programme takes the children further on e.g. beyond 20, it encourages the teacher to move them on.
- We have learned that interactive materials can be used as a successful assessment tool ( written assessments can give a false indication of a child’s ability)
- Mr Tracker encourages you to track the child further than you may expect - you don’t stick to the level they are working at with planned work e.g. A1, A2
- Staff found ‘no praise’ difficult
- We learned not to make assumptions about what children can and cannot do
- Children take a while to absorb a concept
- We were not limiting the child’s use of maths ( by sticking to A1,A2 etc)
- There are really good activities which benefit all the children
- Staff wondered how filming affected the child’s response
- The children took longer than expected to complete the assessment
- Children needed sufficient vocabulary to explain how they worked out an answer
- Staff need guidance about when and how frequently we should use the assessments ( time allocation)
- It was a good experience!
- Surprised to note extent of reversals e.g. 15 for 51
- The test could be used across all ages P1 - Level D
- EOL child could sort out numbers in teens, tried very hard to sort out numbers 20 and above by looking at the units
- We would need to carry ou the assessment quite a few times to get slick at it
- Could you use the assessment in smaller blocks e.g. addition only?
- Next steps for teaching are much clearer
- The assessment resulted in the teacher knowing each individual child’s strengths and weaknesses much better
- The assessment gave us a better understanding of the strategies being used by the children
- Created a greater awareness of the concepts of before and after
- The knowledge gained from an assessment should prevent any child being moved on to more complex processes when the evidence suggests that they haven’t mastered some of the basic concepts.
- It allows you to pinpoint difficulties
- The teaching programme takes the children further on e.g. beyond 20, it encourages the teacher to move them on.
- We have learned that interactive materials can be used as a successful assessment tool ( written assessments can give a false indication of a child’s ability)
- Mr Tracker encourages you to track the child further than you may expect - you don’t stick to the level they are working at with planned work e.g. A1, A2
- Staff found ‘no praise’ difficult
- We learned not to make assumptions about what children can and cannot do
- Children take a while to absorb a concept
- We were not limiting the child’s use of maths ( by sticking to A1,A2 etc)
- There are really good activities which benefit all the children
- Staff wondered how filming affected the child’s response
- The children took longer than expected to complete the assessment
- Children needed sufficient vocabulary to explain how they worked out an answer
- Staff need guidance about when and how frequently we should use the assessments ( time allocation)
- It was a good experience!
- Surprised to note extent of reversals e.g. 15 for 51
- The test could be used across all ages P1 - Level D
- EOL child could sort out numbers in teens, tried very hard to sort out numbers 20 and above by looking at the units
- We would need to carry ou the assessment quite a few times to get slick at it
- Could you use the assessment in smaller blocks e.g. addition only?
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