E.

Green
Student ID: 17685818

Background Information for Artefact C

Artefact C was completed by a group of Year 4 children in a low socio-economic
school in the Kwinana area. This Year 4 class varies in culture, with many speaking
English as a second language. Although English is a second language to many of the
children, they are all quite fluent. A range of learning abilities, skills and needs are
present in the classroom. One student has autism; however, it is extremely mild on the
severity spectrum. The child with autism was capable of completing this task by himself,
but requires a bit of encouragement and more time.
Artefact C My Squared Tower
Each student was required to construct a tower out of squared number arrays.
Then, based on their ability I had observed during previous learning tasks on square
and cube numbers, I went around and gave each child a cubed number they had to
construct a net for and place over the corresponding squared array. After the tower was
constructed the students then had to write the equation/description next to each array.
Some students only write the timestable and total, other students also recognised the
squared numbers. However, when they had to write the equation for the 3D net, it was a
test to see if students could differentiate between a squared and cubed number. The
task was explicitly modelled to the students before commencing the assessment.
Instructions were then written down for on a small whiteboard for the child with autism.
An example of Artefact C can be seen in the image below.

E. Green
Student ID: 17685818

Unlike Artefact A and B, Artefact C did not need to differentiate for two different
year levels. However, it was important to differentiate in many other ways. When there
is a child in the class with autism, it is important to keep instructions short and concise
(Landy & Burridge, 2009). With a number of ESL students as well, more than just the
one child benefited from the method of instructions. By offering different modes of
instruction, the process of the assessment task is catering for diversity. Modifying the
process of an assessment ensures all student is being accommodated for according to
their individual learning abilities and needs (Westwood, 2007).
When instructions are given orally and students cannot refer back to them for
clarification, this can cause a number of problems for certain students in the class. A
student with an intellectual disability along with his autism will not be able to remember
each of the different instructions, it also unfair to expect him to remember them in as
much detail as the remainder of the students of the classroom (Westwood, 2007).
Therefore, by writing the instructions on a small whiteboard for him, the task is now
accommodating his needs and differentiating the assessment so that he can complete
the activity to the best of his ability.
Similarly, each student should not be expected to complete the task with exactly
the same quality (Westwood, 2007). By providing students with easier or more difficult
cubed numbers, I am catering for the diverse mathematical learning abilities within the
classroom.
A suggestion by Westwood (2007), was to provide students with questions that
allow them to reveal all they know. Allowing students to reveal all they know, the test
material is being modified to become more accessible to all students (Westwood, 2007).
The instruction for students to link their arrays to an equation or description was left as
an open interpretation for them to reveal what they know about squared and cubed
numbers.