Learning Intentions, Learning Objectives...

Currently for in-house CPD we have been reading Embedded formative assessment by Dylan Wiliam. This term we have been focussing on Chapter 3: Clarifying, Sharing, and Understanding Learning Intentions and Success Criteria. I have enjoyed this particular chapter because it doesn't re-invent the wheel; it simply tells you/reminds you what you know already and re-explains the relevance in a clear manner. (As an aside, I think it would make excellent reading for Trainees/NQT's in any subject.)

Following on from this reading I started to really focus on my Learning Intentions, as I realised that they weren't as precise as they could be. I've been teaching a few years now and it wasn't really an area I had visited since my NQT year. When I used 'understand' in an Intention, I knew what I meant by it, and perhaps I did adequately paint a picture of it in my Success Criteria, but I don't think it was actually the correct choice of word to begin with. Can a student really 'understand' in one lesson? I think the term is too broad and imprecise. I've been working to avoid the use of this word. Additionally, I was unhappy with how my context was too closely mixed in with the actual skill I wanted students to learn/demonstrate.

I've put some examples of my revised Learning Intentions below. They are for a Year 9 class (English NC Levels 3a-5c) and are in the context of early preparation for the Information and Ideas GCSE English paper:

I still don't think these are perfect, for a start they aren't aligned with SOLO Taxonomy , which is what I want to be using across my entire Curriculum for 7, 8 and 9, so they do need changing in that regard. Additionally I'm unsure as to whether I like having the Success Criteria mixed in with the Intention in this way; I am leaning towards comfortably accepting this mixture but I do think further scrutiny would do no harm. I do also provide a seperate, more detailed Success Criteria, usually in the form of a tick-sheet to go with the work. (This also easily affords the opportunity for peer, self and teacher assessment as it only needs a few extra columns adding!)

With Year 7 and 8, I tend to use WALT (We Are Learning To) and WILF (What I'm Looking For) a lot more as it seems to help them understand our learning journey/progression a lot easier.

If anyone would like to share their Learning Intentions with me I would be really interested, as I'm always wanting to develop and refine my own! Perhaps you could upload them to Twitter and tag me in them? I would welcome any feedback on my Intentions here, positive or otherwise...! I'd be interested to know if you have students write Intentions down (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, sometimes they're pre-printed on the sheet) and if you always share the Learning Intention with the class or not? I don't always think it is appropriate to, and sometimes it can be insightful not to and then ask "so, what do you think we were learning this lesson then?" for a Plenary!