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This is the website for the FaSMEd project at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (Schools Enrichment Centre). It includes:

  • What the project is about
  • Discussions about some of the questions we are grappling with (e.g. what do we know about toolkits for teachers’ professional development?)
  • Something about the South African education context
  • Updates on what we’ve done and what we’re doing

About the project

Improving Progress through Formative Assessment in Science and Mathematics Education (FaSMEd):

  • is a project funded by the European Union under the 7th Framework Programme (FP7);
  • involves eight partners from European countries and one South African partner (AIMSSEC)
  • began in January 2014 and ends in December 2016.

This is a design research project which aims to develop a “toolkit” comprising classroom activities with an emphasis on formative assessment (tasks, lesson plans and guidance for teachers). This involves working closely with between six and eight teachers, from three or four schools, to understand what works for them, using instruments such as interviews, questionnaires and classroom observation (using video and observation schedules).

The project is underpinned by:

  • a commitment to respecting the local contexts of participating teachers and learners (e.g. taking into account the need to follow the CAPS pace setters in South Africa);
  • a belief that taking part in the research contributes in significant ways to the professional learning of teachers;
  • wide experience of working with teachers, designing materials for teachers including classroom tasks and professional development activities, classroom research.
  • well-developed theoretical and research background related to a) professional development for teachers of mathematics, b) the design of tasks for mathematical learning c) formative assessment in mathematics.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 612337.

The current official web page for FaSMEd is here.

The international toolkit is here.

AIMSSEC researchers

Marie Joubert and Ingrid Mostert are the project researchers.

Other researchers working on the project are:

  • Barrie Barnard
  • Lindiwe Tshuma
  • Sinobia Kenny
  • Ben Walker
  • MacDonald Chapwanya

Virgenia Davidson and Najwa Chellan provide admin and other support.