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Good Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

This document discusses what makes good learning intentions and success criteria. It recommends that learning intentions be clear, contextually linked, SMART, and use child-friendly language. Success criteria should closely link to the learning intention, emphasize the learning process over products, and involve modeling and negotiating with students. Both learning intentions and success criteria should keep the focus on learning goals and how students will recognize their success.

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daniellemcallister07
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46 views3 pages

Good Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

This document discusses what makes good learning intentions and success criteria. It recommends that learning intentions be clear, contextually linked, SMART, and use child-friendly language. Success criteria should closely link to the learning intention, emphasize the learning process over products, and involve modeling and negotiating with students. Both learning intentions and success criteria should keep the focus on learning goals and how students will recognize their success.

Uploaded by

daniellemcallister07
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What makes a good learning intention?

“Learners learn best when they understand what they are learning and what is
expected from them.”
 Set the learning intention in context.
 Make the learning intention clear and link it to the big picture i.e., the
purpose and context of the learning.
 Sharing the learning intention and success criteria with young people is
a very powerful tool that can reach out to all learners.
 Link the learning intention to overall introduction to the E/O’s.

 Use SMART learning intentions


 Small, measurable, achievable, realistic and time limited.
 Keep learning intention focused on what will be learned by engaging
with the task e.g., “we are learning to write a mystery story, using
mysterious phrases and suspense.”

 Use child friendly language


 Keep the LI clear and meaningful in language that is appropriate for the
age and stage of the young people.
 Skills and knowledge based LI’s are easier to create than concept
based LI’s.
 Technical terms can be used, and the more young people become
familiar with them the more they can cope.

 Use words associated with learning


 Clear learning intentions should help pupils focus not just on the task
and activity but also the learning.
 Useful LI’s may start with:
“We are learning to…”
“We are learning to understand…”
“We will learn to think about…”
“We are learning to be able to…”

 Display the learning intention for the visual learner


 Ensuring the LI is on display while pupils are on task, keeps the learning
focused. It reinforces the purpose of the learning and pupils can easily
revisit the LI.
 It is useful to make the LI accessible:
- Pupils may write it in a jotter at the start of a piece of work
- Add to a card, learning log or workbook
- Display on a whiteboard or poster
What makes a good success criteria?
 Linking learning intention and success criteria
 Good SC should be closely linked to LI.
 Continue to focus on the learning rather than the doing.
 They should refer to specific features of the work that will be assessed.

 Good success criteria


 Use words that emphasise the learning, knowledge and understanding,
thinking, skills
 It’s not always about an end product but the process. Don’t focus on a
list of end goals.
 Don’t enumerate e.g., 10 pieces of evidence.

 Modelling success criteria


 Learners need a good idea of what a good piece of work looks like.
 Share the standard by using exemplification of different types of work
relating these to the success criteria.
 Illustrate the standards expected.
 Displays of work can be used, highlighting links to the SC e.g.,
“This is a good piece of work because…”
“This is an excellent piece of work because…”

 Involving young people in creating the success criteria


 Involving young people in the process of identifying SC when
assessing their response to a specific learning intention helps them to
engage better in their own learning.
 Engaging with the learner through dialogue and discussion, e.g.,
asking how they know they have achieved success in their learning is
formative.
 Where appropriate it may be worth negotiating suitable SC with the
pupils

 Skills related success criteria


 Again, modelling the quality of the learning linked to the SC is very
useful.
 Using co-operative teaching, observing and highlighting the skills
involved.
 “What will a good one look like, feel like, sound like…”

 Success criteria and self-assessment checklist


 Some learning can lend itself to success criteria checklists.
 When young people are trained in the skills of peer and self-
assessment this may be useful when assessing the learning at that
point in time and informing next steps.
 Young people can use summative assessment in a formative way to
make judgements on the success of their learning.
 However, developing descriptors that are linked to levels of success
may be more useful.

 Success criteria and targets


 Using the term target can sometimes overshadow the process of the
learning.
 Using terms such as the following may be more meaningful:
- My next step is…
- I aim to…
- I am working towards…
- I could…
 Don’t expect young people to know immediately how to embark on
target setting.
 Young people might need help in negotiating and working towards a
target.
 A target is an end point, the important part is the learning journey,
sharing the criteria for success, guidance, feedback, reassurance
helps with achievement.
 However, skills-based learning and group work can lend itself to target
setting.

 Personalised success criteria


 Some young people require, through dialogue, discussion and
feedback, more help in setting individualised learning goals and
success criteria.
 Including the pupils voice is important, e.g., negotiation through
dialogue built around effective questioning about the learning, trying
things out, looking for connections, asking why? All leads to a more
inclusive approach.

 Success criteria and skills


 At times it is difficult to distinguish the skills from the task and the
knowledge-based activities. Learning intention and success criteria are
designed to share not just what the young people will do but what they
will learn and how they recognise success.
 It’s useful to think also about the difference between the activity set and
the skills needed to complete it. This helps to keep the focus on the
learning by engaging with the task.
 Build skills into your planning

See Principles and Practice documents for more information on assessment

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