Part A

What Lee has achieved

Through a number mathematical tasks involving the interpretation and recording
of time, Lee has demonstrated an extensive knowledge and understanding of 24
hour, analog and digital time. His timeline project, A Day in My Life was to
scale and included accurate conversions between analog, digital and 24 hour
time. Lee positively contributed to a small group task in which students produced
a sample timetable for the classs week. He was able to determine and compare
the time spent on tasks in the classroom and order them in an efficient
sequence. Lees performance in these tasks in conjunction with the daily
mathematics work he completes in class are evidence of his problem solving and
reasoning skills.
Areas for improvement/future learning
Lees work in mathematics is of a high standard however there are a number of
areas that could be improved upon to assist him in moving towards more
complex mathematics. Lee needs to consider the presentation and organisation
of his mathematics work. By taking a little more time to plan his work and check
calculations, Lee will improve his accuracy and ability to cope with more
demanding mathematics. Furthermore clear workings when solving problems will
assist in the detection of errors and his ability to communicate his mathematical
thinking process. Lee also needs to familiarise himself with mathematical
terminology and practice using this when discussing mathematical ideas.
The school will do the following to support Lee in his learning
Lee will be provided assistance and models to show him effective ways of
organising his work. Furthermore when solving problems as a class we will record
all workings to encourage this practice. When necessary tasks will be delivered
in parts to encourage Lee to spend time on each step of the process rather than
rushing to find a solution. Lee will participate in small group activities so he can
continue to develop his ability to explain and reason using mathematical
terminology. In order to meet Lees academic needs, differentiated work and
extension tasks will be implemented to ensure he is working towards his
mathematical capacity.
What you can do at home to help - progress
In order to support Lees development, encourage him to show you and talk
about his mathematical work at home. When he has projects ask him to show
you his first draft and re-drafts and to explain the changes he has made. To
consolidate his learning on time, you may introduce bus or train timetables and

question him about time intervals. He may also enjoy developing a timetable for
the familys daily routine.

Part B
Parent/teacher interview
This type of reporting process is usually conducted routinely throughout the year,
functioning as an opportunity for involving parents in the assessment process
(Brady & Kennedy, 2012). It often involves communication of the written report
with particular focus on areas for remediation and suggestions for improvement
(Brady & Kennedy, 2012). However, the contents of the meeting may differ
depending on the parents and students needs and desires. As GroundwaterSmith and White (1995) suggest, parents needs vary throughout the year, are
contextual and social. Hence the key to conducting a successful parent teacher
meeting is ascertaining exactly what the parents want from the interview and
differentiating the contents to suit. This requires listening and responding
appropriately to what the parents are communicating. So in the case of Lee, he
has demonstrated significant achievement in Mathematics, his parents may
convey that they would prefer to focus on other areas of his learning. This
requires a need for flexibility and preparation for a range of outcomes on the
teachers part.
Successful communication requires consideration of a number of factors and
mastery of a range of skills. Active listening is key to ensuring parents feel they
are active participants in the reporting process. This involves maintaining eye
contact, providing non-verbal affirmations and paraphrasing to check for
understanding. Furthermore teachers must consider the language and non-verbal
cues they use when communicating with parents. This means using plain
language that parents can understand and avoiding educational jargon. By
preparing prior to the meeting teachers can ensure they are explicit and concise
and have evidence of the students achievement. Careful word choice is also
integral particularly when conveying information that may be perceived as
negative. Again preparing prior to the meeting will enhance teachers ability to
avoid words such as cant, never and always. Blackburne (2013) identifies a
number of barriers to communication including physical, psychological and
sematic. When reporting on student achievement a quiet, private area should be
arranged so that teachers and parents face each other and have space to write.
Semantic barriers can be avoided by ensuring teachers are listening and
responding to the parents needs so there is clarity in the conversation. Teachers

should certainly avoid developing preconceived ideas about families and refrain
from judgement as this significantly disintegrates the relationship between all
parties involved.
As discussed above the contents of the interview depends on the desires of the
parents, however, generally they will want to know how their child is progressing
socially and academically and how they can support them (Blackburne, 2013). It
is important to not only convey students achievement in terms of what it means
for the student now, but also what it means for the student for the future (Brady
& Kennedy, 2012). In the case of Lee this may mean having access to the Stage
4 Syllabus, this way parents can see what he is moving towards and see purpose
in the strategies implemented for his improvement. In terms of organisation
teachers need to ensure they have a range of work samples accessible for
evidence, particularly those that were mentioned in the students written report.
By being organised, responsive and articulate teachers can enhance the
constructive nature of parent teacher interviews. Requesting feedback from
parents post interview allows teachers to evaluate their skills and improve on
areas of need. Teachers should also make an effort to maintain regular
communication with parents between interviews to build positive relationships
and encourage parents to engage with their childs learning.

Student led conference

In this reporting practice the student is given the responsibility of reporting to
his/her parents in a supervised environment (Brady & Kennedy, 2012). So Lee
and his parents would engage in a discussion of his learning with the teacher
present however, as a non-participant. This type of reporting practice requires
significant preparation on both the student and teachers behalf. The factors for
consideration are outlined below in Borba and Olveras (2001) six stages format.
Stage 1
At the beginning of the mathematics unit on time the teacher would explain the
concept of this format of reporting highlighting the benefits to and
responsibilities of the students. Students would be provided significant
scaffolding and modelling related to self-assessment. This would involve
communication of the outcomes to be covered, development of rubrics, a
process to write reflections and the development of model answers. Such
learning would be integrated into programming throughout the unit encouraging
students to continually revise and extend their understanding of self-assessment
practices.
Stage 2
Students would prepare a scaffold for their portfolio to be presented in the
conference. This would involve writing an introduction outlining their goals for
the unit and their perceived strengths and weaknesses. At this stage the format
and purpose of student led conferences would be communicated to parents
through either a letter or ideally a meeting.
Stage 3
This stage occurs over the course of the unit as students collect work samples
for their portfolios and prepare reflections for each. The inclusion of Lesson
Focus and Success Criteria in the introduction of lessons is a simple way of
promoting such self-assessment in every lesson as students know exactly what is
it they are learning and what they need to demonstrate in order to display this
learning. Students finalise their portfolios by revisiting their introduction from the
beginning of the unit and critically reflecting on their performance.
Stage 4
Students are trained in how to conduct the conference and provided time to
practice with a partner. As a class an agenda is developed for each students
meeting to provide guidance and focus for the discussions. The agenda would
include opportunities for discussion of strengths, weaknesses and solutions using
the portfolio for evidence. There would also be an opportunity for students to

display their skills by reading a clock, timetable or solving a time related

problem.
Stage 5
Students conduct the conferences with parents at an allocated time under the
supervision of the teacher. The size of the class and physical space available
would impact on the number of conferences that could be held simultaneously.
Students would have the agenda for prompting, their portfolio for evidence and a
sheet to record discussion points.
Stage 6
This stage occurs post conference when both parents and students complete
evaluations of the process for review by the teacher. This stage may also involve
follow up consultations between
parents and the teacher where required.

This process has significant benefits for all teachers, students and parents. For
students it promotes self-assessment which is consistent with a student centred
approach to learning and positions them as active participants in the reporting
process (Brady & Kennedy, 2012). Similarly parents become participants in the
reporting process and experience insights into the learning, assessment and
reporting cycle (Brady & Kennedy, 2012). Finally for teachers it means a shared
responsibility and the chance to enhance the authenticity of assessment (Brady
& Kennedy, 2012).