Essentials and Learning Goals

Essential Learning Goalsand Scales

Activities for Today

• Overview the concept of Essential Learning (learning goals)

• Overview the concept of Scales for learning goals

• Begin the discussions of essentials

1. Learning Goals and Feedback2. Interacting with New Knowledge3. Practicing and Deepening4. Generating and Testing Hypotheses

(application)5. Student Engagement6. Establishing Rules and Procedures7. Adherence to Rules and Procedures8. Teacher-Student Relationships9. High Expectations

Page 7, The Art & Science of Teaching

The Art and Science of Teaching

Learning Goals and FeedbackRules and Procedures

INVOLVES ROUTINES

ENACTED ON THE SPOT

Student Engagement

High Expectations

Te

ache

r/St

uden

t Rel

ation

ship

s Adherence to Rules and Procedures

Generating/ Testing

Hypotheses

Practicing and

Deepening

Interacting With New Knowledge

The Art and Science of Teaching

ADDRESSES CONTENT IN SPECIFIC WAYS

Pg. 5

Learning Goals and FeedbackRules and Procedures

INVOLVES ROUTINES

The Art and Science of Teaching

Design Question One:

What will I do to establish and communicate learning goals, track student progress and celebrate success?

“You’ve got to think about ‘big things’ while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.”

Alvin Toffler

Nice to Know

Supplemental

Essential

Adapted from McTighe & Wiggins

Literature Framework

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2007). Schooling by design. Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Transfer

• Apply learning to new situations not only in school, but also beyond it.

• The point of school is to learn in school how to make sense of learnings in order to lead better lives out of school.

• Learn now to apply lessons to later challenges.

Enduring Understandings

• An important inference, drawn from the experience of experts, stated as a specific and useful generalization.

• Refers to transferable, big ideas having enduring understanding beyond a specific topic.

• Involves abstract counterintuitive and easily misunderstood ideas.

Enduring Understandings

• Is best acquired by “uncovering” (i.e., it must be developed inductively, co-constructed by learners) and “doing” the subject (i.e., using the ideas in realistic settings and with real-world problems).

• Summarizes important strategic principles in skill areas.

Knowledge vs Understanding• The facts• A body of coherent facts• Verifiable claims• Right or wrong• I know something to be true• I respond on cue with what I know

• The meaning of the facts• The “theory” that provides coherence• Fallible, in-process theories• A matter of degree • I understand why it is true• I judge when to use what I know

A learning goal (essential learning) is a statement of what students will understand and/or be able to do.

For example:• Students will understand direct and indirect

democracies.• Students will be able to do three-column addition.

What are learning goals or essential learnings?

Why do we need Essential Standards?

• So new teachers (or teachers new to a grade level) know what to teach.

• So we have clear understanding for all teachers of what is essential at each grade level / course.

• So we don’t rely on programs and supplemental materials to tell us what to teach.

Why do we need Essential Standards?

• So students have the opportunity to gain deeper, connected understandings of Essential Standards.

• So we stop talking “about” teachers at other grade levels and begin talking, planning, and teaching WITH them!

• So teachers don’t simply pick what they like, and students end up with gaps in learning.

Students end up with major, and often unique gaps when we aren’t clear about what students learn, and to what

degree they learn it.

“English Problems” The Sketch Show which aired on Fox in 2005. Used with permission

What are the criteria for essential?• Endurance (Will this provide knowledge and skills that

will be of value beyond a single test date?)

• Leverage (Will this provide knowledge and skills that will be of value in multiple disciplines?)– Inquiry, critical thinking, inferences, problem solving

• Readiness for next level of learning (Will this provide students will the “tools” they need for success at the next level or grade.)

Reeves, D. Cited in Ainsworth, L. (2003). “Unwrapping” the Standards. Englewood, CO. Advanced Learning Press.

cutting-edge research concrete strategies sustainable success

Example:• Larry Ainsworth describes a powerful

illustration in “Unwrapping” the Standards, 2003– Two students leaving college history class– Comparing results from essay exam about the

Asian Revolution– One student=recalled nothing– Other student =recalled the common

attributes noted in all revolutions he’d learned in high school (Essential Learnings)

Processing

• Think of no more than 5 big things you want your students to know or be able to do this semester.

• Remember the criteria:– Endurance– Leverage– Readiness

• Be ready to share at your table

What’s next?

Creating or Refining Proficiency Scales

Creating a proficiency scale

“I have over 25 students in my class.”

• Problem: How can I write a goal for all my students that is both challenging and attainable?

• Solution: Construct goals at multiple levels of difficulty.

“I have over 25 students in my class.”

Proficiency Scales

4 In addition to exhibiting level 3 performance, in-depth inferences and applications that go BEYOND what was taught in class

3 No major errors or omissions regarding any of the information and/or processes (SIMPLE OR COMPLEX) that were explicitly taught

2 No major errors or omissions regarding the SIMPLER details and processes BUT major errors or omissions regarding the more complex ideas and processes

1 With HELP, a partial knowledge of some of the simpler and complex details and processes

0 Even with help, no understanding or skill demonstrated

Scale

Atmospheric Processes and Water Cycle

4 Infer relationships regarding atmospheric processes and the water cycle.

3 An explanation of:• How the water cycle processes impact climate changes• The effects of temperature and pressure in different layers of Earth’s atmosphere

2 • Recognize and recall basic terms such as: climatic patterns, atmospheric layers, stratosphere, troposphere. • Recognize or recall isolated details such as:

• Precipitation is one of the processes of the water cycle.• The troposphere is one of the lowest portions of the Earth’s atmosphere.

NE State Accountability Efforts

Great work!

• Students will be able to discuss the body’s most important dietary needs.

• Students will be able to recognize healthy vs. unhealthy foods given a list

• Students will be able to discuss what would happen to the body if one of its needs was not met (eg. What would happen if the body received no calcium for an extended period of time?)

Please place in order of complexity

• Students will be able to design word problems based on given mathematical equations and find any errors.

• Students will be able to translate between simple word problems and mathematical equations.

• Students will be able to recognize accurate statements about the mathematical processes embedded in word problems.

Please place in order of complexity

• Students will be able to write a variety of complete sentences with fluidity.

• Students will be able to write compound-complex sentences in isolation.

• Students will be able to write a simple sentence with a subject and a predicate.

Please place in order of complexity

• Students will be able to discuss the key aspects of Roosevelt’s foreign policy during WWII.

• Students will be able to create a generalization about the most or least effective thing a president can do during times of conflict.

• Students will be able to compare the successes and failures of different presidents’ foreign policies during times of conflict.

Please place in order of complexity

• Advanced= 4.0 More complex learning goal• Proficient= 3.0 target learning goal• Progressing= 2.0 simple learning goal• Beginning= 1.0 with help, a partial

understanding of score 2.0 and partial knowledge of score 3.0 content

• 0= even with help, no understanding or skill demonstrated.

Organize learning goals into a scale

Beginning Progressing Proficient Advanced Procedural knowledge

Students will use elements of persuasive writing in highly structured assignments.

Students will be able to write a persuasive essay using appropriate sources within a format provided by the teacher.

Students will select the most appropriate format for a persuasive essay on a chosen topic and use multiple sources to address an argument and any possible counter arguments.

Proficient= 3.0 target learning goal

Heflebower, adapted from Nebraska Department of Education

Beginning= partial understanding with help

Progressing=simpler

Proficient=target goal

Advanced=complex

Declarative knowledge

Students will identify accurate statements about the rise and fall of Napoleon.

Students create a flowchart depicting the rise and fall of Napoleon.

Students will compare and contrast Napoleon and other military and political leaders.

Advanced= 4.0 More complex learning goal

Heflebower, adapted from Nebraska Department of Education

cutting-edge research concrete strategies sustainable success

The complete scale allows forhalf-point scores(3.5, 2.5, 1.5, .5).

4 In addition to exhibiting level 3 performance, in-depth inferences and applications that go beyond what was taught in class

3.5 In addition to exhibiting level 3 performance, partial success at in-depth inferences and applications that go beyond what was taught in class

3 No major errors or omissions regarding any of the information and/or processes (SIMPLE OR COMPLEX) that were explicitly taught

2.5 No major errors or omissions regarding any of the simpler information and/or processes and partial knowledge of the more complex information and processes

2 No major errors or omissions regarding the simpler details and processes BUT major errors or omissions regarding the more complex ideas and processes

1.5 Partial knowledge of the simpler details and processes, but major errors or omissions regarding the more complex ideas and processes

1 With help, a partial knowledge of some of the simpler and complex details and processes

.5 With help, a partial knowledge of some of the simpler details and processes but not of the more complex ideas and processes

0 Even with help, no understanding or skill demonstrated

Scale