“Developing a desire to learn is the kindling of point of all classroom achievement.” By Robert John Meehan
There is a lot of research by educators such as Robert J. Marzano, Connie M. Moss, Susan M. Brookhart and Robert Defour that learning targets enhances student learning and achievement. Learning targets are short-term goals. They help students understand what is expected of them in a lesson, which in turn makes learning feel obtainable. To create learning targets teachers must have clear focus on the skill and provide a measurable student friendly statement that will drive instruction. Using this best practice as background, I thought about what would it look like in a student-centered classroom? I knew that:
1. The students would need to know what their learning goals were based on their data to make learning targets based on them.
2. The students would have to be taught and scaffold into knowing what successful learning targets are, what actions they should take to obtain the learning target.
3. The students would consistently have to self-evaluate, self-regulate, and self-motivate.
With this information, I was able to create a learning target student action plan template. The student would design their action plan based on their assessment data. (See previous blog post on how I use student data to drive their learning) Through student led conferencing, the teacher would be able to scaffold and monitor the action steps. The teacher would be able to use the Performance of Understanding (POU) as a way to hold students acceptable and show evidence of mastery learning. Students reflecting helps them self-evaluate what they have learned, self-regulate what their next learning target should be to meet their overall goal, and also self-motivate through seeing progress from the learning targets.
Here is an example of a Learning Target Action Plan. Click on the below image to make bigger to see an example.
I would love to know your feedback, please share in the comments section.