The who, what, why, when, and how of Learning Targets

1. The who, what, why, when, and how of Learning Targets

3. I can use Learning Targets to improve my students’ learning.

4. WHY? What the research says… • "Students who can identify what they are learning significantly outscore those who cannot." -Robert Marzano • "Learning is easier when learners understand what goal they are trying to achieve, (and) the purpose of achieving the goal..." • -Stephen Chappuis and Richard J. Stiggins • “Teachers and students can hit any target they can see and will hold still.” • -Rick Stiggins

5. Without Clear Targets We Can’t Do Any of the Following… • Focus all instructional activities on what we want students to learn • Know if our assessment covers the target • Correctly identify if students learned the target • Give detailed, descriptive feedback to students. • Have students self-assess or set goals • Plan next steps in instruction

7. I can use Learning Targets to improve my students’ learning.

8. I can make Learning Targets work for me to improve my instruction and my students’ learning.

9. WHAT? • A Learning Target IS… • Also referred to as learning goal, objective, or outcome of a lesson • What you want students to know, understand, or be able to do by the end of the lesson • Shared with students • In kid friendly language – brief is better • Posted for reference and for visual learners throughout the lesson • Decided on for every lesson – sometimes the same target can last a few days, but mostly each lesson has its own target

10. WHAT? • A Learning Target… • Should be repeated if students didn’t understand the first time • Is assessed to determine if students learned the target (assessment for learning) and/or what teacher needs to re-teach or teach differently • Exit slip • Reflective journal • Quick write • Quiz • Discussion • Assignment

11. WHAT? • A Learning Target IS… • Best if accompanied by “Why target matters?” • Provides relevance for learning • If you can’t think of why the target matters to students now or in their futures, maybe you shouldn’t be teaching that target??????

12. WHAT it ISN’T • A Learning Target is NOT… • The agenda for the day • The assignment you are having students do • The same as an essential question • Wordy, long, confusing

13. WHO uses learning targets? • State – EALRs and GLEs • Teacher – writes target based on state standards and assesses students for attainment of target • Students – use target to help them know what is going on in class and to monitor their learning • Parents – Have clearer idea of what is happening in school when their child and their child’s teacher can communicate targets.

14. Teachers Forces you to focus your lesson Helps you make every minute of the period apply to the target you want students to learn Helps you leave out irrelevant activities (even if they are fun) Students Can articulate what they are learning More likely to perform well on an assessment to measure the target if they understand what they are learning and why Less likely to see education as pointless and irrelevant WHO benefits from learning targets?

15. WHEN? • Daily at the beginning of a lesson • Referred to as often as appropriate during the lesson • Assessed at the end of the lesson

16. HOW to write a learning target? Decide the following…. • Begin with the end in mind – what do you want students to learn in your unit (core concepts and essential questions)? • What state standard will be the focus of your lesson for the day? • What piece of knowledge or what skills related to that standard do you want them to learn as a result of what you have them do in class? • What activities will you use to help them learn the target? • How will you assess if they have learned the target?

17. A Science Example Core Concept • Erosion • Understands that erosion is the movement of earth materials by wind, moving water, ice and gravity. • Describe how wind and water cause erosion • Stream Tables – standard flow investigation • Identify local examples where erosion has occurred and describe the most likely cause. Standard Skill or knowledge from standard Activities

19. “Teachers who truly understand what they want their students to accomplish will almost surely be more instructionally successful than teachers whose understanding of hoped-for student accomplishments are murky.” -W. James Popham

20. Is this a Target? What do you think? • Practice good habits in Writing Workshop • Build a bird Feeder • Use a tuning fork correctly • Consider an author’s purpose • Nouns • Count to 100

21. A Mathematics Example Subject • Math • Decimals • Page 152 in the book • Going on a decimal hunt • Read decimals and put them in order Topic Assignment Activity Learning Target

22. The single most common barrier to sound classroom assessment is the teachers’ lack of vision of appropriate achievement targets within the subjects they are supposed to teach.Rick Stiggins

23. Learning Targets • Knowledge • Reasoning • Performance/ skills • Products

24. Knowledge Targets Mastery of substantive subject content where mastery includes both knowing and understanding it.

25. Knowledge Examples • Identify “bold beginnings” • Order numbers from least to greatest • Describe three reasons for the American Revolution • Know the multiplication tables • Explain the difference between narrative and expository writing

26. Reasoning Targets The ability to use knowledge and understanding to figure things out and to solve problems.

27. Reasoning Examples • Explain how you know which of two fractions is larger. • Identify the theme of a story. • Make a prediction based on investigations. • Draw conclusions from studying a bar graph of a class survey. • Distinguish between fact and opinion. • Compare how products are brought to market today and long ago.

28. Performance/Skill Targets The development of proficiency in doing something where the process is most important.

29. Performance/Skill Examples • Measure the length and width of a desk • Read aloud with fluency and expression • Participate in class discussions to help solve playground problems • Dribble to keep the ball away from an opponent • Use pictures and letter sounds to read words • Reach my stamina reading goal

30. Product Targets The ability to create tangible products that meet certain standards of quality and present concrete evidence of academic proficiency.

31. Product Examples • Construct a bar graph • Develop a personal reading goal • Sew a physical model of a salmon • Make a diorama to describe an important event in a story • Build an A A B C pattern with unifix cubes • Make a book describing six jobs in our community • Use capitals and periods correctly

32. Creating Learning Targets • Each team should create at least four learning targets including one of each type—Knowledge, Reasoning, Performance/Skill, and Product. • Turn in your targets to be posted in the staff room. • Discuss with your team what challenges YOU face in creating learning targets.

33. Without Clear Targets We Can’t Do Any of the Following… • Know if the assessment adequately covers and samples what we taught. • Correctly identify what students know and don’t know and their level of achievement. • Plan next steps in instruction. • Give detailed, descriptive feedback to students. • Have students self-assess or set goals likely to help them learn more. • Keep track of student learning target by target or standard by standard. • Complete a standards-based report card.