Formative assessment and productive pedagogy in Finnish Classroom assessment: In the lens of curriculum materials

Abstract

The motivating forces of directing this thesis are: the strong position of curriculum resources for teachers planning and practice as well as curriculum design matters for classroom instruction and pupils learning outcomes; potentiality of formative assessment in teaching-learning process to improve students experience of learning; worldwide recognition of productive pedagogy as a research tool to improve students learning; and the expected benefits through escalating the knowledge in the area of curriculum materials. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate what content of productive pedagogy is represented in Finnish curriculum materials and teacher s practices. It aimed to dig more deeply into the features of the support the curriculum materials offer to design the formative assessment in classroom practice. To do so, the study investigates the features and map the formative assessment and productive pedagogy components for classroom practices as construed in national core curriculum, Finnish teacher guides and teacher practices. The data consist of two Finnish teacher guides in mathematics for Grade vii, national core curriculum and seven teachers from seven comprehensive schools who are responsible for mathematics and science teaching. The analytical tools were developed based on OECD given six key components of formative assessment and Queensland School Reform Longitudinal Study (1998-2001) research team given productive pedagogy components. The study extended also to analyze other issues, i.e. the views of teachers in role of classroom assessment and challenges they faced. As such, the results of this study map the terrain over how formative assessment requirements are described, how components of productive pedagogy merged and how teacher practices both formative assessment and productive pedagogy in classroom assessment. The study provides insights into the strengths and weaknesses in offered for formative assessment environment and nurturing productive pedagogy. However, it was found that peer assessment is deficient in both teacher guides and teachers practices. Teachers could use the study results as insights when making decisions about how to use curriculum materials, and to possibly reconsider how to organize the enactment of the teacher guides and national curriculum in order to develop formative assessment environment and to construct pedagogy productively in their classroom. The analyses could provide authors of teacher guides with appreciated information to consider regarding organization and design.