Leaders of Their Own LearningChapter 1: Learning Targets

Review: What is a Learning Target?

• Learning targets are concrete goals written in student-friendly language that clearly describe what students will learn and be able to do by the end of a class, unit, project, or even a course.

• They begin with an “I can” statement and are posted in the classroom.

• The term target is used intentionally, as it conveys to students that they are aiming for something specific.

• The EL Education Core Practices use the following criteria to determine if a learning target is strong.

Learning targets are...

• Derived from national or state standards embedded in school or district documents such as curriculum maps and adopted program materials.

• Written in student-friendly language and begin with the stem “I can...”

• Measurable and use concrete, assessable verbs (e.g., identify, compare, analyze). The verb suggests the way in which the target will be assessed.

• Specific, often referring to the particular context of a lesson, project, or case study.

• Focused on the intended learning, not the intended doing. That is, they are phrased as statements about the skills or knowledge students will develop as opposed to what students will complete (e.g., “I can describe the ideal habitat for a polar bear” vs. “I can write a paragraph about the habitat of a polar bear”).

• Matched to the cognitive process demanded of students (e.g., knowledge, reasoning, skill)

Table 1.1 from page 27 of Leaders of Their Own LearningBased on the previous criteria, what are the strengths of the learning targets in Table 1.1?

If a learning target in the table was “I can make a poster about non living things” or “I can complete a graphic organizer on Sacco and Vanzetti” would it meet the criteria?

Try it: Write a strong learning target that describes the intended learning for your students in an upcoming class.

Review: How are Learning Targets Derived?

Figure 1.1 from page 34 of Leaders of Their Own Learning

What do you notice about the relationship between the standards and the long term target in Figure 1.1?

Figure 1.2 from page 36 of Leaders of Their Own Learning

What do you notice about the relationship between the long term target and the supporting targets in Figure 1.2?

Name one additional supporting target that could be nested underneath the long term target in Figure 1.2.

If a colleague offered “I can fill in my note-catcher while watching a documentary on the Platte River” as an additional target for Figure 1.2, how might you help him or her revise this target using the criteria named previously to make it stronger?

Read and Watch: Unpacking Learning Targets

Targets could be very well written, derived from standards and posted in the classroom, but if students are not aware of what their learning targets are in a lesson and do not actively use them, they will hold no more power than a traditional “teacher’s” objective. In order for students to become leaders of their own learning, they must be aware of what the target is and understand and be able to articulate where their performance is in relation to mastering the target. Reaching, or not quite reaching, a learning target represents critical information for students about what they know and can do, and what they still need to learn.

It is essential for teachers to spend time in a lesson unpacking and tracking the learning target(s) with students so that they are clear about the purpose of the day’s work. To unpack a target:

• Review domain-specific and academic vocabulary in the learning target

• Ask students to focus on the verb in the target (e.g., describe, sort, analyze) and ensure they know what it means to do that cognitive work

• Explain to students how they will show that they have mastered the target, whether through class work or an assessment for learning at the end of the lesson.

• After unpacking the target, students should have a clear picture of what meeting the target looks like and sounds like, and they should have clarity on how their work time will lead them towards meeting the target.

Formative Assessment

• Write a learning target(s) for the following standards.

RL3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

5.NBT.A.1 Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left.

Targets In Action

• Watch the following two videos Students Unpack a Learning Target and Students Unpack a Learning Target and Discuss Academic Vocabulary and consider the following questions:

• How does the teacher ENGAGE students with the learning target?

• How does unpacking the target help the teacher assess students’ readiness to learn?

• How does unpacking the target help students get ready to learn?

Dig Deeper

• The Who, What, and Why of Learning Targets: Review The Who, What, and Why of Learning Targets from Chapter 1 of Leaders of Their Own Learning for a summary of the critical instructional moves for engaging students with learning targets. The table describes what teachers do, what students do, and the results.

• Keeping students on target throughout a lesson: Watch this video to learn how learning targets can help learners of any age stay on target and on track.

• Students Discuss the Power of Learning Targets: How do students feel about learning targets? Watch this video to hear students explain how learning targets help them achieve.

• Core Practices: EL Education Core Practice #26: Fostering Character: We encourage teachers to also use learning targets to foster students’ character growth. Read Core Practice #26 and the character targets in table 1.2 on p. 37 of Leaders of Their Own Learning. How you might incorporate character learning targets into your practice.

Synthesize/Take Action

• Review your lesson plans for the upcoming week. How can you include strong, clear, targets in student-friendly language that describe the intended student learning?

• Do you regularly ensure that your students are clear on what they need to know or be able to do by the end of a lesson? If not, role play with a colleague how to unpack a target with students, then try it in a real lesson!

• Review your lessons plans for target-assessment match. Do your assessments—formative and summative—give students ample opportunity to demonstrate their progress toward meeting learning targets?

Take Action- Week 1 Targets?

• “I can transition from reading to writing in 30 seconds or less.”

• “I can line up quietly.”

• “I can write my name on my paper.”

• “I can ask a friend for help or raise my hand and ask the teacher.”

• “I can listen to a story and recall details.”

Take Action- CBC Board

Why recreate the wheel?

Click here forWiki-teacher!

At Lone Mountain…

Objective=End in Mind

End in Mind is written on CBC Board as “I can…”

Discuss the importance of the Learning Targets and how they will be measured.

Begin each lesson with the Learning Target. Close each lesson by self reflecting on the learning target.

Homework=Practice

Practice is meaningful and should be to review material previously taught, extend learning, or to prepare students for the next class.

Learning Targets-Rate Yourself

• I can define learning targets.

• I can explain how to derive learning targets from standards.

• I can describe how to unpack a learning target with students.