Getting to grips with learning intentions and success criteria

An online workshop

With thanks to TEAM Solutions AtoL team

Who will find this workshop useful?

• Teachers

• Syndicates / departments

• Assess to Learn (AtoL) facilitators

How to use this workshop• To update, review and/or reflect on formative assessment practice.

• As a focus for professional development in exploring assessment for learning.

• To support AtoL programmes in schools.

The learning intention for this workshop

Learning intentionTo learn to construct learning intentions and success criteria.

Success criteriaI can:• identify open and closed learning intentions• separate learning intentions from their context• construct learning intentions and success criteria in my own

subject area

Why use learning intentions?

Using learning intentions helps students develop a picture of what is expected of them from the learning. “Many pupils do not have such a picture and appear to have become accustomed to receiving classroom teaching as an arbitrary sequence of exercises with no overarching rationale…When pupils do acquire such overview, they then become more committed and more effective as learners: their own assessments become an object of discussion with their teachers and with one another…” Black & Wiliam (1998) P10

Clarifying terms

All these terms mean the same thing:

• Learning intentions

• Learning outcomes

• Learning objectives

Learning Intentions defined

What are we going to learn?

Learning intentions may be written like this:

• We are learning to …

• To be able to …

• To understand / explain / discuss etc

• Today we will be able to …

Separating the learning intention from the context

If learning intentions are not written clearly the result may be:• a mismatch of lesson focus with activities• an inappropriate focus• awkward success criteria that don’t fit the learning.

By separating the learning intention from the context students can apply the skill or concept in a number of different contexts.

It is also much easier to write success criteria for de-contextualised learning intentions.

Examples of learning intentions with and without the context (Clarke, 2005)

Learning intention with context

Learning intention without context

Context or activity

To present an argument for and against vegetarianism

To present an argument including ‘for’ and ‘against’ positions

Vegetarianism

To produce a questionnaire about shopping patterns

To be able to investigate the distribution of an economic activity

Interviews with family about where they shop and how their shopping patterns have changed

To order numbers to 10 To order written numbers Numbers to at least 10 using number cards

Clarke, S. (2005). Formative Assessment in Action: weaving the elements together.

Learning Intentions: what students thought they were learning (Clarke 2005)

Learning intention with context

What students thought they were learning

Learning intention without context

What students thought they were learning now

To write instructions to make a sandwich

“I would learn how to make a sandwich”.

To write instructions (A sandwich)

“We would be learning to write instructions.”

To know why Samuel Pepys is important in understanding the events of the Great Fire of London

“We would be learning about what happened and what he wrote. We would also learn how to put a fire out”

To know how primary sources help us to find out about the past (Great fire of London, Samuel Pepys)

“We would learn to find out about how other people lived.”

From Clarke, S. (2005). Formative Assessment in Action: weaving the elements together.

Concept and knowledge learning objectives

Concepts are the big ideas that are explored over time. They need to be broken down when writing learning intentions so that learners can see how the day’s learning relates to the overall learning intention.

Learning intentionTo understand the importance of a healthy diet.

The long-term over-arching conceptTo understand the importance of a healthy diet.

Its broken down version for todayTo understand the impact of protein.

The process involvedTo use information retrieval skills.

Success criteria – why are they important?

How do we know we have met the learning intention?

When success criteria are used …

• the learning becomes more explicit

• students can confirm, consolidate and integrate new knowledge

• future learning is scaffolded

• students can see what quality looks like.

Types of learning intention and success criteria

Not all learning is the same so not all learning intentions and success criteria are the same. There are:

• Closed skills – teaching of skills, concepts, knowledge

• Open skills – application of skills, concepts, knowledge

Closed skills

Learning intention

To share a quantity into a ratio.

Success criteria

I can:• add the parts e.g. 2:3 2 +3+5• write each ratio as a fraction 2/5 : 3/5• multiply each fraction by the whole e.g. 2/5 of 20.

Closed skills are either right or wrong. Success criteria for closed skills are either the steps involved or what you need to remember to achieve the learning objective.

Open skills

Learning intentionTo understand and explain the use of musical instruments and elements in programmatic music.

Success criteriaI can:• create a balanced 3-section composition• use tone, pitch and dynamics to reflect the events and mood of

the story• use instruments creatively.

The success criteria provide a ‘menu’ of devices that will help to produce quality work, where not all need to be included.

Open skills are neither right nor wrong.Lesson objectives need examples and discussion about quality.

An example using Languages (Te Reo)

Achievement objective (concept) To communicate, including comparing and contrasting habits and

routines.

Learning intentions (developed from concept)I can:• communicate about daily routines (context – school day)• compare my daily routine with that of someone else• contrast routines with what I like to do in my free time.

Each of these may be broken down further…

Learning intention

To communicate about daily routines (context – school day).

Success criteria

I can:• use vocab associated with morning routines • construct simple sentences associated with routine • use ‘ka’ to relate a series of events

• use words and phrases to join sentences.

An example at senior level (Te Reo)

Achievement objective

To give and respond to information and opinions, giving reasons.

Learning intentions

I can:• research my topic using the Action Research guidelines • write a persuasive essay.

Learning intention

To write a persuasive essay

Success criteria I can:

• write a paragraph introducing the topic and expressing my opinion• write a paragraph stating a reason that supports my argument with

examples• use linking words and phrases that we have studied before to

enhance my essay for example: » kaore e kore – no doubt, » ehara ehara – on the contrary. » Ka haere whakamua, Me hoki whakamuri – to go

forward you have to look at the past• write a concluding paragraph re-stating my opinion with supporting

reasons.

Keeping the learning to the forefront

Learning intentions and success criteria need to be readily

available to students.

Think about ways this could be done in your classroom:• For the class• For individual students

References

Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1999). Assessment for learning: Beyond the black box. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.

Clarke, S. (2005). Formative assessment in action: Weaving the elements together. United Kingdom: Hodder Education.