I can explain why learning targets are important.
I can learn how

This target presupposes that you are already familiar with learning targets. Today I will simply share with you a number of additional ideas that I have learned that have expanded my own thinking.

WHAT: Expand my knowledge of learning targets.

HOW:
Consider ideas surrounding the purpose of learning targets.
How you will know you are doing it?
You will relate your these ideas to your previous knowledge and consider ways to improve your "target practice."

WHY:
Knowing the theory behind the practice improves teaching.
There are many ways to improve and refine our ability to communicate clear, precise targets. As we do, our students are better able to reach them.

A few years ago we were required to post our standards in our classrooms. Good idea, but we didn't really know the purpose of this. Plus, the standards are not written in a format that is friendly for students (and sometimes not for teachers)...and it was REQUIRED. One teacher pulled out a stapler, and BAM BAM BAM posted four pages on his wall.

Last fall I started posting targets on the wall--the cute chevron bordered "I Can" statements, mostly because we were asked to do this.

I have learned that teachers are the hardest working people on earth. They put in long hours and tend to resent things that waste time. BUT--if they know something will help their kids learn, they will do it. I began my quest to understand the WHY behind the targets.

What is the motivation connection?

"Students who have clear pictures of the learning target and of the criteria for success are likely to also have a sense of what they can and should do to make their work measure up to those criteria and that goal...

"Once students understand where they are headed, they are more likely to feel that they can be successful, can actually reach the goal. Students' belief that they can be successful at a particular task or assignment is called self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997). Students who have self-efficacy are more likely to persist in their work and especially more likely to persist in the face of challenges.

"When students feel that they understand the criteria by which their work will be judged, they also have some sense of control over their work and are poised to be strategic self-regulators.

Moss & Brookhart
Advancing Formative Assessment in Every Classroom

My daughter came home from high school one day, excited that her teachers had put up these new things called "learning targets" on the board. She loved it! "Targets help me learn! It's not a guessing game."

Thank you, teachers!

This book advances the idea of a LEARNING TARGET THEORY OF ACTION which includes these ideas:

Students and teachers both understand the target.

Assignments and activities are focused on the target.

Targets can be specific and narrow and move you toward a larger goal.

Clear feedback is given to students. Feed forward tells you what to do next.

Developing assessment-capable students closes the achievement gap.

Learning targets tell your brain where to store new information. You can attach the new information to something you may have learned in the past.

Use simple language, but don't stop there.

Using the statement "I can" allows students to see themselves as agents of learning.

We are learning to...

This is more personal than "The student will be able to..."

Use demonstrations of the target. Show as well as tell.

--Moss & Brookhart, 32-33.

You don't necessarily have to hit students over the head when introducing a target.

There are many ways to introduce a learning target, a bit reminiscent of the "Anticipatory Set" or "hook." It draws children in and invites their participation.

Draw a diagram.
Use a story.
Use a real-life experience.
Video clip.
A riddle.

It may not be the very first part of the lesson.

p. 52 Learning Targets
1. We are learning to...
2. We will show that we can do this by..
3. To know how well we are doing this, we will look for...
4. It is important to do this because...

Is it important that they are uniform throughout the school?

Ron Russell Middle School allowed teachers flexibility in implementation. Targets looked different in each classroom. (Share conversation and information).

What are the benefits vs. "costs" of assuring uniformity?

More ideas beyond the book.

How do we communicate not just the learning targets, but the learning target theory of action to parents?

Handout?
Conferences?
Could this be a useful parenting tool? Absolutely!

Will we ask teachers to use learning targets for every lesson, every time, every minute?

Does all learning require a learning target?

Do all targets need to be measurable?

How can we incorporate the very important ideas of exploration? Free play? The random, teachable moments?