Designing Quality Learning: Clear Learning Intentions and Steps to Success

Draw a house activity

Subject Learning Intention Context Steps to Success (What you need to do to achieve the learning intention). These are planned, determine the adult modelling focus Art To use line and tone effectively Sketching houses Select appropriate pencil depending to match type of line and tone Angle the pencil to create thicker or thinner line texture for walls and windows Apply hatching techniques to shade front door

Coverage “We have got to do a lot few things in school. The greatest enemy of understanding is coverage. As long as you are determined to cover everything, you actually ensure that most kids are not going to understand. You’ve got to take enough time to get kids deeply involved in something so they can think about it in lots of different ways and apply it – not just as a school but at home and on the street and so on.” Howard Gardner “Teachers have to take risks in the belief that investment of time in formative assessment will reap rewards in the future, whilst ‘delivery’ and ‘coverage’ with poor understanding are pointless and even harmful.” Black and William

Coverage and Learning Intentions Don’t spend too much time on ‘knowledge’ learning intentions. Knowledge that is not being used is easily forgotten. No matter how interesting the lesson is, we cannot ensure that knowledge will be remembered. Spend more time on skills and concepts in which the knowledge is being used. (information retrieval. Writing accounts, designing experiments). Decide which learning intentions in a long list are most significant. Relinquish those learning intentions that will be revisited, learnt through natural life experiences or are small and trivial knowledge points. Don’t get children to do endless exercises or sums or sentences which take up valuable learning time. Do two or three examples only, then go through these with the class. More will be learnt and less time spent. Create a whole school culture to show that your priority is to achieve maximum learning rather than maximum coverage. Lengths of units in long term plans can remain the same, but teachers should be able to follow the points above in deciding how best to facilitate learning within that timeframe. Spend a few minutes briefly discussing which of these issues is the most pressing for your school

Different types of learning intention 1 Bits learning intentions (skills, concepts or knowledge) Mathematics: To use repeated addition to solve number problems Science: To know how to conduct a fair test Application learning intentions Mathematics: To solve division problems using any method Science: To be able to design and write up an experiment correctly

Different types of learning intention We need a balance between the two types of lesson all the time. This means planning skills, concepts and knowledge lessons punctuated by application lessons.

Getting learning intentions right Muddled “To make a list of what a pet needs” Children more likely to be focused on the pet because the context is more tangible than the abstract intention. Teacher also more likely to be focused on the pet than the list making Clear “To be able to make a list” “Today we are going to learn to be able to make a list. We could make a list of lots of different things – like what clothes we are wearing, books we have read ….”

Examples of learning intentions Before…. After … Muddled learning intention with context Learning intention Context To be able to write a version of Little Red Riding Hood. To write an opening of a traditional text Little Red Riding Hood Write a short account about how you kept occupied on a journey. To write a short account with reasons Select items to keep you occupied on a long journey Describe a friend. To create an effective characterisation Describe a friend

Displaying learning intentions “In a study of 72 schools where teachers were sharing learning intentions verbally the children were asked whether or not the teachers had shared the learning intention with the class. All but the brightest children denied they were being given learning intentions although some did say they were being given some activities ‘for the SATs’. I then asked the teachers to display the learning intentions for eight weeks and re-interviewed the same children. The difference was astonishing. All children, across the ability range, talked about the ‘learning intention’, explained how the teacher wrote it up on the board and even giving me examples of learning intentions for that day. Brighter children said it helped focus and not get distracted. Less able children said they looked up at the learning intention – and especially the success criteria – to remind themselves of what they should be doing.” “We learned to blend colours!” rather than “We painted rainbows”

Rationale for the learning intention “Children need to know why they are covering the learning intention at all…..a few moments spent asking children their ideas was thought to be more motivating and helping the learning process to be more effective.”

Teachers asking children School world T: Why are we doing this? P So that you can do it better than you did in September Analytical T Think generally, why are we doing this? P Thinking things through before you do them is a good idea Social T Why have we done this today? P So you don’t do it to anyone else Practical T So why are we doing this? P We need to know about money

Key Points Delivery and coverage with poor understanding is pointless There are 2 main types of learning intention: Knowledge, concepts and skills (taught specifics) Application (the applying of the first within the whole context) Alternating the two types of learning intention furthers the learning Learning intentions need to be explicitly separated from the context of the activity, except for knowledge, where the context is part of the learning intention Children need to know how all the learning intentions for a unit of work fit together Share learning intentions and success criteria in simple ways so that children see the purpose It is useful for children to know the real life rationale for their learning

Success Criteria For some time, many teachers mainly focused on success criteria around end points and products, using phrases like ‘by the end you will have…’. The Gillingham study revealed that ‘product’ success criteria were relatively unhelpful for children compared to ‘process’ success criteria.

Examples of ‘product’ success criteria which are less helpful for children Learning intention: To be able to use papier mache effectively Success criteria: Everyone to have made a bowl Learning intention: To be able to identify odd and even numbers Success criteria: Your answers will be correct Learning intention: To write an effective characterisation Success criteria: Someone who reads it feels like they really know the person

Learning Intentions With ‘Process’ Success Criteria Learning intention: To be able to use papier mache effectively Success criteria: Remember to: Tear up paper Cover it with paste Smooth it around object evenly Learning intention: To write an effective characterisation Success criteria: Include all or some with examples: Hobbies and interests Attitude to themselves and others What makes that person your friend

Key Features of Success Criteria Success criteria need to be planned in advance Planning success criteria leads to more focused activities and less over planning Success criteria needs to be generic for all children, regardless of the task, as long as they can access the same learning intention. (Maths is the exception in some cases) Brief and succinct Summary of what has been agreed with children to give them ownership Quality comes from the teaching and feedback, not the success criteria

“Once success criteria are visible in the room (90% of what the brain remembers is derived from visual images), children often look up while they are working to check that they are on task. Whenever I work with adults now, I only give tasks if they are accompanied by a success criteria.”

Possible Changes To Planning Format? Learning Intention Context Success Criteria (what you need to do to achieve the learning intention) Organisation (activity, resources, differentiation in brief) Notes for future planning

Examples Subject Learning Intention Context Literacy (Y5) Success Criteria (What you need to do to achieve the learning intention). These are planned, determine the teaching of the lesson and are gathered from the children and written up just before they begin work Literacy (Y5) To write complex sentences The Jungle Book Use appropriate connectives Include main and subordinate clauses Vary the position of the subordinate clause for effect

Examples Subject Learning Intention Context Literacy (Y2) Success Criteria (What you need to do to achieve the learning intention). These are planned, determine the teaching of the lesson and are gathered from the children and written up just before they begin work Literacy (Y2) To be able to write instructions Making Jelly Write everything in correct order Use bullet points, numbers, or first, second etc Use imperatives (bossy verbs) Use scaffold sheet

Examples Subject Learning Intention Context Numeracy (Foundation 2) Success Criteria (What you need to do to achieve the learning intention). These are planned, determine the teaching of the lesson and are gathered from the children and written up just before they begin work Numeracy (Foundation 2) To be able to count in two sets using practical aparatus Farm Animals Count the animals in the first group Carry on the counting with the second group Move each animal as you count

Examples Subject Learning Intention Context Science (Y3) Success Criteria (What you need to do to achieve the learning intention). These are planned, determine the teaching of the lesson and are gathered from the children and written up just before they begin work Science (Y3) To know the meaning of the terms translucent, transparent and opaque Shining light through materials Remember to: Use the light source Decide which group the material belongs to and put it in the right group Use the definitions on the whiteboard if you are unsure

Examples Subject Learning Intention Context RE Y4 Judaism in the home Success Criteria (What you need to do to achieve the learning intention). These are planned, determine the teaching of the lesson and are gathered from the children and written up just before they begin work RE Y4 To understand the importance of religious artefacts in worship Judaism in the home Remember: Name the artefacts Discuss their use Explain why they are important

The Talent Code “Experiences, when you are forced to slow down, make errors and correct them – as you would if you were walking up an ice covered hill, slipping and stumbling as you go – end up making you swift and graceful without your realising it.” Daniel Coyle (The Talent Code) Explain the premise…. Brazilian soccer Futebol de salao – soccer in the room (Futsal) starts (20 hours per week practice vs 5 hours in UK) Players touch the ball 600 percent more than in typical UK training session Ignition Artists of Florence – apprenticeship scheme Donatello, Michelangelo all studied under great artitsts and spent thousands of hours solving problems, trying and failing Bronte Sisters ----- Meeting Notes (04/10/2013 10:50) ----- Comment on Isaac and ice skating

Because… “Struggle is not optional – it’s neurologically required” Daniel Coyle Myelin is grown and responds to urgent repetition Myelin is universal meaning we are capable of life-long learning. One size fits all skills Myelin wraps – it doesn’t unwrap Age matters – myelin travels in waves Explain how myelin works. Differentiate between neurons and dendrons. Electrically charged sending pulses and building pathways / connections

Practise Makes Myelin… “Each time you practice anything, - sing a tune, swing a club, read this sentence – a different, highly specific circuit lights up in your mind. The simplest skill – say, a tennis backhand - involves a circuit made of hundreds and thousands of fibers and synapses.” Daniel Coyle (The Talent Code)

Great teaching happens in cycles What a child is able to do in collaboration today, he will be able to do independently tomorrow Lev Vygotsky

Why do we model? A key teaching and learning strategy which scaffolds children’s learning to take them successfully from what they already know into new learning Vygotsky – Zone of Proximal Development The difference between what a child is capable of doing independently and what he/she could do with targeted assistance

For Vygotsky, children learn through cognitive and social interaction when learning is experienced in activities that have specific goals Teachers have the knowledge and this needs to be transferred to the pupils At first, the adult has all the language and cognition necessary to perform the task independently and successfully. Through modelling (behaviour, language, process) the adult leads the child to being able to act independently, competently and confidently

When and What do we model? Do you model in every subject? How much do we pre plan our modelling?

Deconstruction Thoughts Grammar Values Problem solving Learning behaviour Methods Skills (e.g. how to use a protractor) Rehearsal of ideas Explaining decisions Talk partner (use TA)

Before modelling . . . What do the children already know? What do I want them to understand by the end of this unit/lesson? How will the learning activities I have created enable me to assess the children’s understanding and what they still need to work on? What prompts/visuals/key phrases will I use to support my modelling?

Modelling in action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysxg3CWv9Qw&safe=active http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9HyMvtQ7WQ&safe=active

Good practice when modelling . . . Be explicit – demonstrate clearly and precisely the steps needed Should engage learners, generate curiosity Include questioning Based on review of children’s needs Refer to the environment/visuals/images Additional adults add value to the modelling Is adjusted in light of pupil responses Provides feedback Think aloud

Over to you . . . Dividing a number by 10/100 To be able to use a subordinate clause LI To sort and classify information about minibeasts LI: To know how our area has changed over the years

What Evidence Would We See On Our Learning Walls?

What Would the Evidence Look Like in Books?