Every year, on end of course reflections, a kid writes something so jarring and out of line with my perceptions of the course and that student that I'm left baffled.

Every student walks into your classroom with a quiet question: “Do I matter here?” More than test scores, grades, or behavior charts— that question is foundational

Too many assessments end in a number, with little to no room/time for revision, reflection, or growth. Without actionable feedback, learning stalls and confidence fades. So, let's use performance assessments to elicit evidence that sparks learning. Feedback should guide the

What would school look like if our goal wasn't efficiency?

A slight change of wording is a quick win to ask more engaging questions. mathsbot.com/cpd

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I have a little blog. In it I share my experiences teaching math, developing and refining my assessment practices and my ideas around leadership. deanofmath.wordpress.com

I must be a learner before I am the teacher. deanofmath.wordpress.com/2025/06/19/to-…

Assessment is both a snapshot in time, and documentary in long form.

Teaching is so much more than telling, tasking and testing.

Students complete a major task or assessment. You read and create feedback. Return to students ASAP? Nope! I think there's one more step: creating a "feedback" lesson to walk them through it together before returning individual feedback:

Let's keep in mind that this depiction is MILES away from what actual structured, thoughtful inquiry learning is about.

The best education does not prepare students for a test… or for a college… or for a job.  It prepares them to keep learning.

The mathematics classroom needs to move beyond compliance and procedures. It needs to move towards critical thinking, conversation, and messy ideas.

Imagine with me for a moment: what if high school math could look more like primary math?

"Start designing learning" Learning IS the job, not teaching, after all. Always has been.

Hey teachers (especially Math teachers), what if I told you that you don't need to be worrying about 'half marks' and points when you're assessing? Now is the time to start reimagining what your assessment philosophy is all about.

It's not inquiry or explicit instruction. It's both/and. We need to to stop bringing this deficit mindset into our classrooms.

Yes, everything we do in a classroom could go wrong. But what about all the ways and times they go right? It's time to see our classrooms through an asset-based lens. If we don't, how will we ever see our learners this way?

We need to help students tell their story, and see that they are key components and contributors to the assessment practices within the classroom.