Explain learning objectives: Secondary

Teaching for how students learn: Explain learning objectives 

[On-screen text] Explain learning objectives: What it is 

• Providing specific and measurable learning objectives and success criteria, in student-friendly language. 
• Developing learning objectives based on what students already know and can do, building on previous learning. 
• Referring to learning objectives and success criteria throughout the lesson. 
• Checking that students have met the success criteria. 
• Setting tasks for students to demonstrate achievement of the objective in a variety of ways. 

[On-screen text] This video demonstrates examples of the following techniques to explain learning objectives:  

• Write clear, relevant learning objectives and success criteria 
• Explain the learning objectives 
• Refer to learning objectives and success criteria throughout the lesson 
• Connect to and build on students’ prior knowledge  

Greg Ashman, Deputy Principal, Year 8 teacher, Ballarat Clarendon College: There's a lot of, kind of, educational folklore around learning intentions, and I've certainly worked in schools where, you know, you had to write them on the board and then students had to copy them out and things like that. My reading of the research is that the purpose they serve is that the kids understand what they're doing and why they're doing it, and that helps. But anything more than that is probably a bit esoteric, so we don't spend much time interacting with them or getting students to write them down. In another subject, maybe, where you've got complex products, like essays or works of art or even, you know, sporting performances, it might be worth unpacking the learning intentions a little bit more into component bits and success criteria and things like that. 

[On-screen text] Write clear, relevant learning objectives and success criteria 

Greg Ashman: So, what are we trying to do today? Have a quick read.  

Now, we almost got to this last lesson. Obviously, not last lesson when we went through the progress check, but the lesson before when we were looking at gradients and things like this. We almost got to here. 

[On-screen text] Explain the learning objectives 

Greg Ashman: We're going to be doing this today with some scaffolds. First of all, we're going to be finding gradients of lines that pass through 2 points. And then we're actually going to be finding the equation of lines that pass through 2 points. 

Angela Gee, Year 12 English teacher, Wilsonton State High School: In terms of making learning objectives specific and measurable, there's 2 things. So, in senior English, it’s looking at the syllabus and what we need to achieve, and then looking at, I guess, where we're at in our learning. And then I look at ensuring that the learning goal connects – or the learning objective – connects to the syllabus and what we need to achieve there, and then set up the success criteria as things that are measurable within the lesson.  

[On-screen text] Refer to learning objectives and success criteria throughout the lesson 

Angela Gee: So, you would have seen today we talked about introductions and thesis statements, so that success criteria was broken down into steps that I could then go around the classroom and measure and make sure that we were achieving throughout the lesson. 

Today, we are looking at organising and sequencing the introduction of an analytical essay. And we'll pull up the marking guide in a second, but you'll see that that concept of organisation and sequencing is important throughout. Okay, so you need to be able to organise and sequence your essay so it all flows together. And part of that is like having a really good introduction. If we think of it like a house, it's like the really good cement foundation. So that's why it's important. So, today, going to continue: the elements basically of an introduction would be that discerning thesis statement, which most of us, tick, can already do. We would then use that thesis statement as the foundation of organising the introduction of the analytical essay. So, your strong thesis statement should provide you with the ability to build upon that and write your introduction. Then, you would develop an introduction that's logically sequenced. 

Daniel Flood, Year 7 Industrial Technology and Design teacher, Wilsonton State High School: A learning objective – I like to use both language students know and also new terminology that they're going to be learning throughout the lesson. If we do bring in new terminology, I like to explain the meaning of that, so students have a clarity of what they're actually aiming to achieve in the lesson and then work towards how we can do that. 
[On-screen text] Write clear, relevant learning objectives and success criteria 

Daniel Flood: So, ready for the learning goal? Three, two, one and … learning goal today. Dom, could you please read the learning goal out for us today? 

Student: Today I will practise assembly techniques for joining timber. 

[On-screen text] Explain the learning objectives 

Daniel Flood: So, what does the word ‘techniques’ mean? The word techniques, Georgina? 

Student: It's like a special method or way of doing something.  

Daniel Flood: Correct. Techniques is a way of doing something. So we're going to use different ways of doing, joining Timber. That is our thing we're going to practice today. So we are successful when we have done these things. Bradley, could you please read out our first success criteria? 

Student: I have prepared all pieces for assembly. 

Daniel Flood: Fantastic. Alexis, could you please read the next one? 

Jess Lacey, Year 12 Chemistry teacher, Merici College: The learning objectives can be referred to just when we do a particular question or a particular check in that addresses a learning objective, so then students can sort of see to themselves, oh, I've been successful for some of those objectives already. And I think just sort of briefly mentioning it when a question pops up that's relevant, sort of helps students see their success, but also reminds them that we're on track and that there's a direction that we're heading in and it's not just aimlessly throwing information at them. It is actually linked to the goals we had to start with. 

Jess Lacey: So, here is a model answer. I've bolded some of the keywords. But it basically just says very similar information to what all of you said. The only extra information might be this little bit here talking about the leaving group. 

[On-screen text] Refer to learning objectives and success criteria throughout the lesson 

Jess Lacey: By the way, this was the first learning objective for today. So, you all managed to do that one. This is the second one. So, let’s see if you can draw the mechanism for nucleophilic substitution using curly arrows with this reaction. 

Chloe Rees, Year 11 Visual Communication Design teacher, Ballarat Clarendon College: An important part of planning the lesson is thinking about the bigger picture. 

So, when we're thinking about the bigger picture, we're thinking about the unit, but we're also thinking about what are the desired outcomes at the end of the year, especially for a Year 11, when we're thinking about, well, what does next year look like and what prior knowledge should they have to Year 11? 

And how can we make all those connections? Because we know that when we make connections to either prior knowledge or future knowledge, that students are going to be able to retain that information a lot quicker. It's going to make it easier for them in terms of the lesson. So, they're all really important steps in the planning of the unit of work. 

[On-screen text] Connect to and build on students’ prior knowledge 

Chloe Rees: Let's move into our lesson for today. Today we are going to be looking at convergent thinking strategies to resolve design solutions. We have looked at convergent thinking in Unit 1, in Outcome 1, when we created our lighting designs. And convergent thinking was really important in that part of the design process because it allowed us as designers to think critically about our work and make decisions in reference to our design briefs. The design brief that identifies your design problem as a designer that you're solving throughout the design process. So, there are particular points in the process that we need to do convergent thinking so that we are making sure we're delivering on the things we have agreed with, with our client. 

Angela Gee: Understanding learning objectives in your lesson and purposefully using them with students is probably the most important thing that you can do in terms of providing a solid foundation for your lesson. The number one thing, though, is you as a teacher first understanding that learning objective, and where you're heading with the lesson, and then being able to explain that to students. Once you can do that, students have absolute clarity about what their lesson looks like and what they are required to do.