Culturally Relevant Formative Assessment for Metacognition: Collaborative Action Research in a Rural Elementary Math Classroom

• In Event: 31.056 - Conducting Action Research to Foster School Improvement Practices and Student Learning

Abstract

Many educators focus on the cognitive deficits that students bring to learning tasks, which are oftentimes used to explain poor academic performance. Metacognition that can be taught to improve learning performance is an alternative. The purpose of this year-long collaborative action research is to describe how a new formative assessment strategy called TALE (Take Another Look Everyone) worked in a rural 5th grade math classroom (N=16). Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Two major findings: formative test scores substantially increased and 4 students from different backgrounds demonstrated alternative ways of improving math confidence and competence. We concluded that learners, regardless of differing backgrounds, learned more effectively when reflecting on their mathematical mistakes in a respectful classroom environment.

Authors

• Chad Lemley, Fremont County School District #6

• Jeasik Cho, Texas Tech University