“Three-Stage” Alternative Assessment

Abstract

The changing approach to teaching mathematics in recent years has led to a need for more appropriate assessment tools. We offer herein a “Three-Stage Assessment” tool composed of a group test, a class discussion, and an individual test whose value lies in the way it adapts the assessment process to meet the changes in contemporary teaching practices, which tend to place more focus on collaborative learning. This tool has been designed to assess pre- and in-service teachers’ (in this article they will be referred to as students) knowledge in the collaborative classroom setting. The tool was used to assess 34 pre- and in-service teachers who participated in a course entitled “Geometry and Teaching Geometry.” We examined its effectiveness in assessing the students’ knowledge: both demonstrating their individual skills and taking into account the diversity that exists in group work. The findings show that the tool generally reflects the students’ knowledge of the material, and effectively assesses their understanding of mathematical concepts and methodical knowledge. Furthermore, experience with the tool offered them an example of how to adjust the assessment process to individual teaching situations. We also collected feedback from the students regarding the tool’s efficacy. The feedback indicated that the students found it useful and might utilize such a tool to assess their pupils.