Duration: 7:26
This video showcases authentic examples of teaching practices outlined in the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO)’s Teaching for How Students Learn model of learning and teaching in 4 Australian schools.
Each example aligns with a consistent set of techniques teachers can use to explain learning objectives, demonstrated in a range of learning areas and with students of varying ages. These techniques include:
- Explain the learning objectives
- Refer to learning objectives and success criteria throughout the lesson
- Connect to and build on students’ prior knowledge.
You'll also hear reflections and insights from teachers and students about how these techniques support learning.
We recommend watching this video after reviewing AERO’s Explain Learning Objectives practice guide. You don’t need to watch the video in one sitting – you can pause to reflect, take notes, discuss the content with colleagues or consider how it applies to your own practice. Viewing this video as part of a staff meeting or professional development session can help spark discussions and collaboration within your team.
Acknowledgements
AERO extends its gratitude to the teachers, students and families from these schools for their support and participation:
- Aveley Secondary College (WA)
- Briar Road Public School (NSW)
- Riverwood Public School (NSW)
- Serpentine Primary School (WA).
We would also like to thank Professor Lorraine Hammond, Dr Nathaniel Swain, members of AERO’s First Nations Expert Reference Group, and the teachers and school leaders who reviewed and provided feedback on these videos.
More information
You can find more information about this and related practices in AERO's:
- Teaching for How Students Learn model of learning and teaching
- Explain Learning Objectives practice guide.
Transcript
[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 that allow 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:
- Explain the learning objectives
- Refer to learning objectives and success criteria throughout the lesson
- Connect to and build on students’ prior knowledge
Jessie Griffiths, Assistant Principal, Year 3/4 teacher, Briar Road Public School: So, I use learning intentions in my lessons to make sure it's really, really clear to myself and to my students what they are learning and what they need to do to be able to achieve that learning goal.
[On-screen text] Explain the learning objectives
Jessie Griffiths: And I communicate that really clearly at the beginning of the lesson and break that down by reading it, getting them to pair-share it and really checking if they do have a clear understanding of the learning intention.
I want someone to tell me what we are learning today. Harmony?
Student: We can read and spell words and understand words with the suffix -ment.
Jessie Griffiths: Excellent. Thank you, Harmony. And Lily?
Student: I can read and spell words with the suffix -ment.
Jessie Griffiths: Excellent. Okay. So, to know we've been successful, everyone read with me.
Class: I can read words with the suffix -ment. I can infer the meaning of words with the suffix -ment. I can spell words with the suffix -ment.
Jessie Griffiths: So, if we can do all those things, then we have learned all about the suffix -ment and been successful in our learning.
Ebony Dowson, Year 6 teacher, Serpentine Primary School: I think learning objectives are an important part of lesson planning, because it sort of sets the kids up for success: they know what's expected of them, They, they know what’s sort of coming within the lesson and then they can prepare themselves for success.
So, today, we're going to be looking at the learning objectives. So, I'm going to read it for you. I want you to track along with me.
[On-screen text] Explain the learning objectives
Ebony Dowson: We will find unknown sides of a square or rectangle given its perimeter. All right, I want you to read with me. Learning objective. Off we go.
Class: We will find unknown sides of a square or rectangle given its perimeter.
Ebony Dowson: It gives them an end goal. They, they know what you want from them at the end of each lesson. So, they know that once they've done that, they're successful. So it builds success in the kids. And when they feel success, they're more likely to want to do more.
You will be successful when you can find the unknown side of the following shapes. Can you read that for me? Off you go.
Class: You will be successful when you can find the unknown sides of the following shapes.
Tanya Judd, Assistant Principal, Year 1 teacher, Briar Road Public School: When I'm designing my lesson, I think carefully about what I want students to be able to show me at the end of the lesson and that becomes my learning intention.
I make sure that it's in language that students can use, try and tie it to some demonstratable [sic] skills that they can show me as well to make sure that they can really show what they've learned in that lesson.
We are learning to split numbers into their place value parts so that we can solve addition problems.
Tanya Judd: [On-screen text] Explain the learning objectives
This word, ‘split'. When I say, ‘split,’ what I mean is to separate something into its parts. So, if I have the number 43, I split it into 3 ones and 4 tens. That's what I mean when I say, ‘split’. Can you very quickly turn and pair-share what are we learning about today?
Class: [Interposing voices.]
Tanya Judd: Through the lesson, I really think about when I can give them many opportunities to show that they're building towards those learning intentions and demonstrating them. So, in the You Do part of the lesson, I give them multiple opportunities, particularly at different levels where we might have more challenge as well, so that they can show that they understand the steps, that they can demonstrate the steps and that they can retell the steps.
Let's read our next problem. Read with me.
Tanya Judd and class: 20 + 35 =.
Tanya Judd: Fantastic. My first step says, biggest number on top.
[On-screen text] The teacher is referring students to the success criteria (shown here as ‘Self-talk steps’) during guided practice
Tanya Judd: So, looking at my problem, we need to decide which is the biggest number. Is it 20 or 35? Turn and pair-share with your partner. Whisper to them the biggest number.
Class: [Interposing voices] 35.
Melissa Watson, Year 10 humanities teacher, Aveley Secondary College: It's important to link a learning objective to what students both know and can do, so when they are looking at a learning objective it feels familiar.
[On-screen text] Connect to and build on students’ prior knowledge
Melissa Watson: I can describe things. I know what a barrier is, for example. So, if the learning objective is, ‘We will describe the barriers to human wellbeing,’ these students already know what ‘describe’ is. We've practised description and task verb questions over and over again. They recognise the word ‘barrier,’ so they know, okay, we're going to be talking about things that get in the way of human wellbeing. We've spoken about human wellbeing in a previous lesson. So, there's a sense of both being familiar with something but also knowing that we're going to be building on that today.
Keywords: student progress, explicit teaching