Shared clarity about learning Page 1 New Zealand

Shared clarity about learning Page 1 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – Copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

“For students truly to be able to take responsibility for their learning, both teacher and students need to be very clear about what is being learnt, and how they should go about it. When learning and the path towards it are clear, research shows that there a number of important shifts for students. Their motivation improves, they stay on-task, their behaviour improves and they are able to take more responsibility for their learning. ” Absolum, M. (2006), p 76. Page 2 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

You can use this presentation to: • update, review and/or reflect on the learning clarity in your classrooms and school • use as a resource for exploring professional development in creating clarity about learning. In the presentation you can: • examine the purpose and value of making learning clear for students • identify strategies that teachers can use to clarify learning for students. Page 3 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Can your students answer the following questions? • What am I learning? • Why am I learning it? • How will I learn it? (Process) • How will I know I’ve learnt it? (Product) Page 4 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Essential components of clarity • • • Page 5 Learning Intentions Relevance Examples and modelling Success Criteria Checking for understanding © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Learning Intentions Both teacher and student need to be clear about what is being learnt. Page 6 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Where do you start? Learning Intentions can come from: • National Curriculum • Diagnostic information • Other assessment that has identified a learning need • Reflective discussions between teachers and students that indicate the next learning step • NCEA prescriptions Page 7 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Levels of learning intentions Learning Intentions can be: global e. g. to write persuasively or specific e. g. to structure a persuasive essay or more specific e. g. to write the introduction to a persuasive essay which hooks the reader in Page 8 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Levels of learning covered within each classroom are very much dependent on student need. The learning should be in manageable ‘chunks’ that the students can handle. The better you know your curriculum, the better able you are to define exactly, for yourself and for your students, what it is students need to learn. Page 9 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

A maths example global e. g. statistics specific e. g. to draw a line graph more specific e. g. to mark axes on a line graph Page 10 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

A science example global e. g. light and sound waves specific e. g. how to measure light and sound waves more specific e. g. to use an oscilloscope Page 11 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Examples from other curriculum areas Can you describe the levels of learning in other curriculum areas? Art? Technology? PE and Health? Discuss with colleagues how you go about planning for levels of learning for your students and identify how this could be improved. Page 12 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Transparency of Learning Intentions In order for a Learning Intention to be shared effectively, it needs to be clear and unambiguous, explained by the teacher in a way that makes sense to the students, in student-friendly language. Page 13 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Don’t confuse the learning with the task. So what’s the difference? • The Learning Intention is what you want the students to learn or understand. • The tasks are the activities the students will carry out in order to learn. Page 14 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Revise this learning intention • To estimate the length of a horse. Rewrite this as a learning intention that is ‘context-free’. Page 15 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Improved Learning Intention: We are learning how to estimate. The horse is the context for learning. Separate the context from the learning intention so the students can begin work knowing clearly what you want them to learn. Page 16 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Revise this learning intention • To make a list of verbs which could replace ‘said’. Write a learning intention that captures the learning behind this activity. Page 17 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Improved Learning Intention We are learning how to use verbs to express a character’s emotion or We are investigating alternative words for the verb ‘said’, and considering the impact this has. The same learning can be undertaken using a range of verbs, not just in the context of the word ‘said’. Page 18 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Revise this learning intention • To compare and contrast the ways in which ideas and art-making processes are used to communicate meaning in selected objects and images. Can this be reworded as a learning intention that students could more easily understand? Page 19 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Improved Learning Intention We are investigating how meaning is communicated through objects and images. This global learning intention is better understood when it is written in student-friendly language. Page 20 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Revise this learning intention • We are learning to make a jewellery box. What are the ‘deeper’ ideas inherent in the learning? Page 21 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Improved Learning Intention We are learning the skills required to make a 3 -dimensional shape from wood. The teacher would know and discuss with students the skills required for this global learning intention. Page 22 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Establish relevance Put the learning in context • Discuss with the students why they are learning this at all. • Is the learning relevant in their lives? When might they use or need this learning? • Share with them how it fits into the bigger picture of their learning. Page 23 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Model the process or look at an exemplar • This provides an opportunity to see what the learning might look like. • Students have the opportunity to discuss and discern what ‘quality’ is, or is not. • It is used to co-construct success criteria. • Students appreciate the guidance exemplars and modelling provide. Page 24 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Marshall & Drummond (2006) It is simply about making the learning explicit by focusing students’ attention on understanding quality. Learning is improved when notions of quality are combined with modelling. Page 25 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Duffy (2003) Modelling the Thinking – Making Inferences “Let me show you how I figure out meaning that is not directly stated in the text by using an example like the following: ” The sky was dark and the fog blocked out everything. I couldn’t see three feet in front of me. I didn’t know which way to turn. I was frozen to the spot. “ If it were me who was out on a dark and foggy night and didn’t know which way to turn, how would that make me feel? I would probably decide that in such a situation I would feel scared. If I would be scared in that situation, then that is probably how the character in the story feels, too. ” p. 105 Page 26 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Success Criteria are the way that students can judge whether they are successful with the learning. They should be: concrete measurable observable …. . and open to negotiation. Page 27 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Success Criteria – why bother? • They show the students what they are aiming for and how to get there. • Students can self and peer assess, independently from the teacher. They are not always reliant on teacher judgement. • Students are clear about what it is they are going to be judged or evaluated on. • Students have something to refer to when they want to check if they are on track or not. Page 28 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Students should help define Success Criteria where possible • It involves them in the learning and in the definition of process and quality. • They are being asked to link the Learning Intention with the criteria – they are making the connections. • It is a much more challenging learning experience to think about what the learning might entail than being told. Page 29 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Writing example Learning Intention: To write the introductory paragraph for a piece of persuasive writing. Success Criteria: Opening statement defines the topic. Could contain a ‘hook’ for the reader e. g. rhetorical question, controversial statement, quotation Writer’s opinion is stated. General statement about the content of the essay. Page 30 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Maths example Specific Learning Intention: To represent data on a line graph Success Criteria: Axes on the graph are marked and labelled Appropriate and even scale Accurate plotting Label and title Page 31 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Process and Product Criteria • How will students go about achieving the Learning Intention? (Process) • How will they know they have achieved it? (Product) Whether students require process or product criteria (or both) depends on the learning being covered. Further reading: Clarity in the Classroom, p. 78 Page 32 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Rust, Price & O’Donovan (2003) Criteria are best revealed through an experience-socialization process involving such processes as: observation, imitation, dialogue and practice, further explanation, exemplars and quality discussion of the more complex or ‘invisible’ criteria. Think about learning to ride a bike or play golf or dance! Page 33 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Check that students understand • Give frequent opportunities for students to check their understanding (or correct their misunderstandings!) with you or one another. • Give students time to think before responding to a question. • Model the use of ‘thinking time’ and sharing understanding if necessary. Page 34 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Strategies to check students’ understanding Page 35 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

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Display Learning Intentions and Success Criteria These need to be visually displayed for every lesson so you and the students can refer to them during the lesson. Page 37 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Recapping. . . • Clarify Learning Intentions at the planning stage • Create a climate where students expect a Learning Intention • Explain the LI in student-speak and display it • Discuss the relevance of the learning • Model the process or look at an exemplar • Invite students to share in writing the Success Criteria • Keep checking that the students understand • Ensure students refer to the LIs and SC when working on the task Page 38 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

Suggestions for syndicate or department discussions • How might planning and classroom practices change to incorporate principles of clarity? • How can we plan units of work to include global and specific learning intentions? • Are we teaching according to student needs? • How can we teach to be flexible to student needs? • Have we broken the learning down into manageable ‘chunks’ for students, each one of them a separate learning intention? • Are our plan books ‘live documents’? Page 39 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.

References and readings Absolum, M. (2006). Clarity in the classroom. Auckland: Hodder Education. pp 76 -95. Clarke, S. (2001). Unlocking formative assessment: Practical strategies for enhancing pupils’ learning in the primary classroom. London: Hodder and Stoughton. Duffy, G. (2003). Explaining reading: a resource for teaching concepts, skills and strategies. The Guilford Press, New York. pp 102 -108. Marshall, B & Drummond, M. J. (2006). How teachers engage with Assessment for Learning: lessons from the classroom. In Research Papers in Education, Vol 21, no 2, pp 133 – 149. Rust, C. , Price, M. and O'Donovan, B. (2003) 'Improving students' learning by developing their understanding of assessment criteria and processes‘. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, vol. 28, no. 2, pp 147 -164. Page 40 © New Zealand Ministry of Education – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.