Learning Intentions That Focus on Knowledge

HANDOUT 1 TPL Term 3 Thursday 17 July 2014

Learning intentions that focus on knowledge

Thinking about the different kinds of knowledge, and being specific about the kind of knowledge that is required in a particular situation, will help teachers design their learning intentions.
They consider, for instance,

knowledge about a particular topic
(know about different types of energy)
knowledge of how something is done, of the steps involved in producing something
(know how to construct a pie graph)
knowledge of why something happens
(know why rabbits are an ecological disaster)
knowledge of what causes something to happen
(know what causes thunderstorms)

Learning intentions that focus on skills

Learning intentions that focus on skills always start with the words 'to be able to' followed by a verb. For example,

to be able to write a recount
to be able to solve a problem using more than one strategy
to be able to work as part of a team
to be able to identify persuasive strategies used by the author or an argument
to be able to experiment with a variety of media in order to achieve a stated effect

Often learning intentions that focus on skills will also imply the acquisition of certain knowledge or understandings. For instance, to be able to write a recount, students must have knowledge of the structures and features of a recount.

Learning intentions that focus on understanding

Understanding builds on knowledge and requires some kind of processing.

For instance, a student might be able to list the causes of an historical event - thereby showing knowledge of them - but understanding requires analysis and, perhaps, interpretation.

Understanding, then, is of a higher cognitive order than knowledge and, in designing learning intentions, teachers ensure that students are exposed to learning which makes those higher demands as well as demands of a lesser nature.

understand the causes of an historical event
understand the effects of diet on health
understand how persuasive language can position the reader to agree with the author
understand how the internet can be used for research purposes
understand what happens when our bodies consume carbohydrates
understand why X causes Y.

Professional Learning: Learning objectives

SWOT Diagram

Strengths
Learning objectives are useful because: / Weaknesses
Using Learning objectives might not be so good if:
Opportunities
I can see that using Learning objectives is good in my class because: / Threats
I feel a bit anxious about using Learning objectives because:

Handout 2: Creating Success Criteria or Assessment guides

Royce Sadler (1998), an Australian educationalist who has long been working in the field of formative assessment, says it this way:

We need to let students into the secret, allowing them to become insiders of the assessment process. We need to make provision for them to become members of the guild of people who can make consistently sound judgments and know why those judgments are justifiable.

However, if success criteria are to be any use to students, then they need to

be written in language that students are likely to understand
be limited in number so students are not overwhelmed by the scope of the task
focus on the learning and not on aspects of behaviour (eg paying attention, contributing, meeting deadlines etc.)
be supported, where necessary, by exemplars or work samples which make their meaning clear. (This is probably particularly relevant in the case of rubrics.)
created, ideally, with input from students so that they have greater understanding and ownership.

A series of dot points might be used to list the success criteria for solving a maths problem. For example,

You will

•provide a written summary of the problem in your own words

•use an appropriate strategy

•explain the process used or the working out

•have an accurate answer, which uses correct terminology

•provide evidence of having checked the answer

A common form of success criteria are assessment rubrics.

Teachers evaluating an assignment or task know implicitly what makes it excellent, mediocre, or in need of improvement. Rubrics enable teachers to evaluate students' performance in situations that more closely replicate real life than an isolated test.

Rubrics also help teachers to focus their own attention to the key concepts and standards that the students must obtain.

By developing a working guide (rubric) for students to use as a tool throughout a learning task teachers provide the scaffolding necessary to improve the quality of their students' work and to increase the knowledge that the students acquire.

Rubrics provide students with a clear understanding of what is expected of them. Students have concrete directions about what makes a good science project, a good persuasive writing piece, etc.. Many studies have proven that well developed and shared rubrics improve students' end products and thus increase the students' overall learning.

They provide students with concrete feedback that displays areas of strength and areas in need of improvement. Students can use this feedback as a tool to further develop their abilities.

A common misconception is that rubrics are only for summative assessments. Rubrics aren't an assessment alone - but also a teaching and learning tool. They convey the teacher's expectations and they provide students with a concrete guide showing what they need to do for the specific task of project. It shows them what it will take to be successful.

Typically a teacher provides the rubric to students before an assignment begins, so students can use the rubric as a working guide to success. They explicitly describe what concepts and characteristics take priority over others within the assignment.

Types of Rubrics
Formats of a rubric may include analytical and holistic. Some rubrics may also be weighted. Rubrics can be used for Summative or Formative purposes.

Analytical Rubrics

Break down the various objectives of the final product into specified components
Evaluate individual components independently
Possess extra details that allow multiple grades to emphasize the same criteria

Holistic Rubrics

Assess students' work globally "as a whole"
Often use anchor points that assign value to specific descriptions or performances which contribute to the whole
Have fewer details to analyze, and are easier to integrate into the schema of younger students
Do not provide detailed information about students' performance in specified areas within the assignment

Weighted Rubrics

Typically are a form of analytical rubric
Judge certain concepts more heavily than others
For example, if a teacher stresses the plot of a story, he or she might consider weighing the plot segment of the rubric more heavily than the setting, character, or mechanics.
Focus attention on specific aspects of an assignment

Involving students in creating success criteria

As educators, teachers have the responsibility to create tasks that encourage students to work towards a higher level of achievement. Success criteria are motivational tools for students, especially when students are involved in process. Students who are involved in the process of identify the criteria have a better understanding of the standards, gradations, and expectations of the task. Students also feel as if they have a "voice" within the classroom.

Here are some ways to get your class involved :
In the beginning, introduce your students to a set of criteria- could be dot points or a rubric of some sort- by sharing the criteria and reviewing it step-by-step to ensure that they understand the standards, gradations, and expectations. After sharing, ask your students for their comments. Be sure to keep all relevant criteria visible at all times (either on a bulletin board or a handout for each student). As students become more familiar with the purpose ask them to assist you in designing a set of criteria for the next class assignment.

Why Involve Students?
By involving students in the creation of the criteria, students feel more empowered and their learning becomes more focused and self-directed.

Intrinsic motivation occurs when students design their own assessment tools.
If students help to create the criteria, it is much easier to hold them to its standards.
When students invest a decent amount of time and commitment into a project, they naturally want to participate in creating the assessment for that project.
The development of a set of criteria is a reflective process. It extends beyond just completing a task.
Students involved in creating the criteria for success have a more concrete understanding of what is expected, and how to reach certain benchmarks.

Rubric examples

This is part of a rubric which shows one of the success criteria and describes the three levels of performance that relate to that criterion.

Rubric Made Using:

RubiStar( )

Collaborative Work Skills: Teacher evaluation of reading circles

Teacher Name:
Student Name: ______
Success criteria / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1
The student comes prepared for the reading circleactivity / Brings needed materials to class and is always ready to work. / Almost always brings needed materials to class and is ready to work. / Almost always brings needed materials but sometimes needs to settle down and get to work / Often forgets needed materials or is rarely ready to get to work.
The student is able to stay focused on the task / Consistently stays focused on the task and what needs to be done. Very self-directed. / Focuses on the task and what needs to be done most of the time. Other group members can count on this person. / Focuses on the task and what needs to be done some of the time. Other group members must sometimes nag, prod, and remind to keep this person on-task. / Rarely focuses on the task and what needs to be done. Let’s others do the work.
The student contributes ideas and answers to the group / Routinely provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A definite leader who contributes a lot of effort. / Usually provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A strong group member who tries hard! / Sometimes provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A satisfactory group member who does what is required. / Rarely provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. May refuse to participate.
The student produces Quality Work / Provides work of the highest quality. / Provides high quality work. / Provides work that occasionally needs to be checked/redone by other group members to ensure quality. / Provides work that usually needs to be checked/redone by others to ensure quality.
The student works with the group to manage their time well to complete the tasks / Group works on-task the entire time allotted, and submits fully completed work by the end of class. / Group works on task a majority of the time allotted, and submits completed work with minimal prompting by the teacher. / Group occasionally must be prompted back to the task, and submits acceptable work with reminders by the teacher. / Group must be consistently prompted back to the task and the teacher must make several requests for the work to be submitted.

Your Professional Learning: Success criteria and rubrics

Rubric to assess the quality of rubric design

Success criteria / High / Medium / Low
Ability to write an appropriate number of relevant criteria / Clearly specifies relevant skills, knowledge and understanding. / Clearly specifies relevant skills and knowledge or understanding. / Specifies skills only.
Lists an appropriate and manageable number of criteria for the year level. / Lists a number of criteria. / Lists criteria which are either too few or too many in number.
*If the rubric is being used for summative purposes / All criteria are of equal importance and each level of performance has been allotted an appropriate rating or mark. / Most criteria are of equal importance and each level of performance has been allotted an appropriate rating or mark. / Some criteria are of lesser importance or relevance and the weighting is likely to skew the final grade.
Ability to write performance descriptors whichidentify differences between each of the levels of performance / Focuses on the same aspects of the success criteria across each set of performance descriptors. / Focuses on the same aspects of the success criteria across most sets of performance descriptors. / Focuses on different aspects of the success criteria across most sets of descriptors.
Identifies mainly qualitative differences in the descriptors. / Identifies a mixture of qualitative and quantitative differences in the descriptors. / Identifies only quantitative differences in the descriptors.
*If the rubric is being used for formative purposes
(no ratings or marks) / Provides clear descriptions of all levels of performance for students to use to self-assess and for the teacher and peers to use when providing feedback. / Provides clear descriptions of most levels of performance for students to use to self-assess and for the teacher and peers to use when providing feedback. / Provides descriptions of levels of performance which lack clarity or are expressed in language that might not be readily accessible to the students.