Learning intentions & success criteria

LEARNING INTENTIONS

& SUCCESS CRITERIA

FOCUS ON LEARNING

workshop

Focus on Learning

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria | Workshop 01

What is the aim of this booklet?

This is part of a set of four booklets aimed at

developing assessment practice for teachers in Ireland.

The set of booklets and associated materials are

intended to be used in a flexible way to allow teachers

to explore a range of approaches which will enable

them to develop a coherent approach to assessment.

The materials are aimed at facilitating both whole staff

discussion and subject-based discussion. Although

primarily created for teachers involved in junior cycle

developments, the material and approaches can be

used across all sectors.

How is the booklet to be used?

Schools may choose to use and adapt the material in

any way to suit their own context. It is recommended

that you start with the slide presentation. You may

then find it helpful to follow the steps outlined below

or you can develop your own workshop plan.

Where possible, we would encourage using the material

on a school-wide basis as research evidence indicates

that changes in assessment practice are more likely to

become embedded if they are introduced on a

systematic basis across a whole school.

If you are planning to facilitate a workshop with

staff please consult the Facilitator’s Guide which

can be downloaded at www.juniorcycle.ie/

assessment.

How do learning intentions and

success criteria t within the junior

cycle?

It is important that learning intentions and success

criteria link closely with the learning outcomes

contained in the junior cycle specifications. In this way

the ongoing formative assessment process is seen to

complement and support the summative aspect of

assessment within the junior cycle. See page 6 an

example of how learning intentions, success criteria and

an assessment task can be linked to learning outcomes.

Note to Facilitators

Page Legend

Worksheets

The following symbol is used throughout the booklet to show activities and worksheets that can be

photocopied for use in a workshop.

Focus on Learning

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria | Workshop 01

Step 1

The slide presentation can be used to introduce

learning intentions and success criteria to a whole staff

group. The final slide in the Powerpoint contains some

prompts for staff discussion based on the main

messages of the presentation.

Step 2

Following the presentation it is recommended that

staff view the short video of Dylan Wiliam talking

about formative assessment.

Dylan Wiliam ‘Formative A ssessment’

(2 mins 18)

Prompt questions for staff discussion:

In the video Dylan Wiliam makes a number of

statements about formative assessment.

Formative assessment means:

‘Using information to adapt your teaching…to

put the learning back on track’

‘Taking constant readings about where learners

are…and if the learning is not proceeding as

planned making adjustments’

‘Minute by minute, day by day….. allowing

teachers to reect on their practice‘

Discuss how close these statements are to your

own practice. What are the main challenges and

benefits of introducing formative assessment

practice in your classroom?

Step 3

Following on from these discussions you can now

explore the workshop materials in this booklet. These

activities can be approached and undertaken in any

order that suits the school context, and it is not

necessary or intended for them to be approached in

the sequence presented in the booklet.

Step 4

Print off the discussion cards. These can be used to

stimulate further discussion and thinking or they can

be displayed around the school to reinforce the key

messages and to help staff to further develop their

practice in this area.

Encourage staff to engage with the material included in

the recommended reading section.

Focus on Learning

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria | Workshop 01

What are learning intentions and

success criteria?

What are learning intentions?

A learning intention for a lesson or series of lessons is

a statement, created by the teacher, that describes

clearly what the teacher wants the students to know,

understand, and be able to do as a result of learning

and teaching activities. Clear learning intentions should

help students focus not just on the task or activity

taking place but on what they are learning. Learning

intentions are always linked to one or more learning

outcomes in the specification.

What are success criteria?

Success criteria are linked to learning intentions. They

are developed by the teacher and/or the student and

describe what success looks like. They help the teacher

and student to make judgements about the quality of

student learning.

Why should I use learning intentions and success

criteria?

Despite building learning intentions into our planning

documents, we are not always good at sharing learning

intentions and success criteria with our students. At

the same time, we want our students to be self-

motivated and have a sense of purpose.

So…why would we want to keep the learning intentions

a secret from our students?

The value of learning intentions and

success criteria

Research shows that students who regularly receive

this information in the classroom are

• more focused for longer periods of time

• more motivated and active in their learning

• better able to take responsibility for their own

learning.

So it is really important that we share learning

intentions with our students!

To give our students the tools they need to take more

responsibility for their own learning and achieve greater

learning independence, we need to communicate to

them

• what they are going to learn

• why they should learn it in the first place

• how they will recognise when they have succeeded.

Can we be clear about the terminology?

The use of learning intentions is not new. Teachers

also use the term ‘learning objectives’ or ‘learning aims’

to share the learning with their students. The term

‘learning intentions’ is used within these materials

because it puts greater emphasis on the process of

learning rather than the end product. The use of the

term ‘learning intentions’ is also used in other NCCA

publications, including the NCCA Guidelines for

Primary Schools – Assessment in the Primary School

Curriculum.

Will this support the development of Key Skills?

When teachers share with students what they will be

learning (the learning intention) and what they are

looking for in their students’ work (success criteria) this

supports students in developing the skill of managing

themselves. They will also develop other key skills such

as communicating (as they give and receive feedback)

and the skill of staying well as they become more

confident and positive about their learning.

Download the key skills framework for more detail.

Focus on Learning

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria | Workshop 01

Success

Criteria

Learning

Intentions

Making the link between learning outcomes,

learning intentions and success criteria

Here is an example of how a teacher developed learning intentions, success criteria and an assessment task linked to

learning outcomes for Junior Cycle English. Further examples are available on www.curriculumonline.ie

Write a book review – 1st Year

Learning outcomes

Oral Language

5. Deliver a short oral text, alone and/or in

collaboration with others, using appropriate

language, style and visual content for specific

audiences and chosen purpose.

Reading

4. Use an appropriate critical vocabulary while

responding to literary texts.

5. Engage in sustained private reading as a pleasurable

and purposeful activity, applying what they have

learned about the effectiveness of spoken and

written texts to their own experience of reading.

Writing

4. Write competently in a range of text forms, for

example, report, multi-modal text, review, blog,

using appropriate vocabulary, tone and a variety of

styles to achieve a chosen purpose for different

audiences.

7. Respond imaginatively in writing to their texts showing

a critical appreciation of language, style and content,

choice of words, language patterns, tone, images.

Learning Intention

We are learning to read books for enjoyment, and to

express that enjoyment through a well-constructed

review of a chosen book.

Task

A reading project for first year students runs for 6 to

8 weeks. Students read from a list of prescribed books.

Students are organised in reading groups (4/5 students

in each group). Each group agrees the book to be read

and reading takes place in class and at home. Four

books are read in total by each group.

At the end of the group work the individual students

choose a book they enjoyed and write a review. The

review can be included in the student’s portfolio of writing

and can also be used as the basis for an oral presentation.

Success criteria

• Shows understanding of the chosen genre or form

- Knowledge of the text under review

- Conveys enthusiasm for the text (or the opposite)

- Uses references well without giving away too much

- Adopts an appropriate critical stance

- Makes a clear recommendation

• Expresses ideas fluently, imaginatively, and with

control of expression

• Writing displays mechanical competence

Alternatively, these criteria could be expressed in

student-friendly language, e.g.:

• I show a good knowledge of the book

• I convey my enthusiasm for the text (or show clearly

the parts I don’t like)

• I express my ideas fluently and choose the right

words and phrases most of the time

• My writing is accurate with correct spelling and

grammar

Learning

Outcomes

Activity 1

Learning Intentions... How are we doing?

Work either individually or with a partner and discuss how well you have developed your classroom practice in using

learning intentions.

Trafc light your responses to the

questions below using this code:

Always Sometimes Never

I set learning intentions with my students

  

I make sure that the learning intentions are in student

friendly language

  

I use words associated with learning

  

I make sure the learning intention is clear and links to the

big picture i.e. the purpose of the learning.

  

I use SMART learning intentions – specific, measurable,

achievable, realistic, and time-limited.

  

I re-visit learning intentions during the lesson and at the end

of the lesson

  

Focus on Learning

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria | Workshop 01

Activity 2: From doing to learning

When discussing learning intentions it is important to

focus on what students would have learnt by the end

of the lesson or activity i.e. what is the learning they

should retain and take away with them.

Look at the activities below and see how they have

been developed into learning intentions. Think of an

activity that you would use in one of your classes and

decide how this might be developed into a number of

learning intentions.

Share your ideas with your partner:

Learning activity Learning intentions

To plan an investigation to determine the relative

effectiveness of baking soda as an antacid

treatment.

To be able to:

• Write a testable hypothesis

• Decide on the most appropriate methods for

conducting an investigation

• Explain how reliability, fairness and safety have been

considered

Give a speech for or against capital punishment To be able to:

• Present a point of view in a persuasive way

Work in a group to design a leaﬂet to promote

healthy eating

To be able to:

• Work effectively in a group

• Agree the key messages that should be included

• Consider most effective ways to visually

communicate the messages

Now have a go yourself by starting with an activity

you would use in your own class and produce some

learning intentions. You may find it helpful to refer

back to some of the questions in Activity 1 as a guide

Remember that learning intentions need to be broad

enough so that they do not limit the opportunities for

a wide range of learning experiences.

Also keep in mind that a learning intention or set of

learning intentions might carry forward for more than

one lesson.

Activity 2

From doing to learning

Use this worksheet to develop some learning intentions based on classroom activities you are planning.

Activity Learning Intention

Activity 3

Success Criteria... How are we doing?

Work either individually or with a partner and discuss how well you have developed your classroom practice in

setting success criteria.

Trafc light your responses to the

questions below using this code:

Always Sometimes Never

When I set assignments I share success criteria with my

students

  

The success criteria are linked to the learning intention

  

The success criteria are specific and concrete

  

The success criteria are clearly understood by the students

  

I discuss the success criteria with the students and we agree

them together

  

I use the success criteria for tasks as the basis for giving

students feedback on those tasks

  

I use the success criteria to support peer and/or student

self-assessment

  

I re-visit success criteria during the lessons

  

Focus on Learning

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria | Workshop 01

The examples below show how you might move from

learning intentions to developing criteria for success.

Activity 4: From learning intentions

to success criteria

Learning intentions Success criteria

To be able to:

1. Write a testable hypothesis

2. Decide on the most appropriate

methods for conducting an

investigation

3. Explain how reliability, fairness

and safety have been considered

• Generates, discusses, and chooses interesting questions to investigate

• Uses scientific ideas to make testable predictions

• Suggests more than one way to investigate the question

• Identifies the variables in the investigation

• Explains the predicted relationships between the variables

• Identifies and justifies the most appropriate way to investigate

• Conducts a risk assessment of the proposed method and outlines

necessary safety precautions

- Identifies the most appropriate data-gathering instruments to record

reliable data

- Acknowledges the limitations on the precision of the data to be

recorded

To be able to:

Present a point of view in a

persuasive manner

• Begin with a good opening sentence

• Present reasons and examples to back up your argument

• Use emotive and persuasive language (such as ‘Surely’)

• Use humour, stories and/or questions to gain your audience’s attention

• Conclude with a strong statement

• Look at your audience

Activity 4

From learning intentions to success criteria

Use one of the learning intentions you developed in the previous activity and now write some related success

criteria. Share and discuss your example with your partner.

Learning Intention Success Criteria

Focus on Learning

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria | Workshop 01

This workshop will hopefully have helped you develop

your thinking about the use of learning intentions and

success criteria in your classroom.

You are now asked to identify a couple of areas where

you would like to improve your practice in setting

learning intentions/success criteria. You may find it

useful to refer to the traffic light questions on the

previous pages as a guide.

If you have not used learning intentions and success

criteria before you are advised to start in a small

focussed way. You should plan the change in practice

perhaps with one class in the first instance. Many

teachers find that it is useful to discuss their

experience of learning intentions and success criteria

with other teachers and keep a log of any difficulties

that they encounter. It will also be important to share

with your students why you are changing your practice

and how it will benefit their learning. Some teachers

have also found it helpful to discuss the changes with

parents.

Planning our Next Steps

Activity

Use the planning sheet attached to set out how you

intend to take forward the development of learning

intentions/success criteria in your classroom over the

next 3 months.

It might be useful to start to plan your development

focussing on a small number of areas which you have

identified as ‘red’ during the traffic-light audit.

Planning Next Steps: Planning Sheet

Timescale/Class Main area for development Observations/Reections

Focus on Learning

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria | Workshop 01

Questions to consider in a subject department

meeting

A school may decide to focus on Assessment as its third area for SSE. In particular, it could decide to focus on

formative assessment. The following questions would be useful prompts to help gather evidence at subject

department level about current practice in relation to formative assessment. The results of the deliberations on such

questions could feed into whole staff discussion and ultimately help the school identify its strengths and areas for

development in relation to formative assessment, which should then inform the school improvement plan.

What do I/we understand by the

terms ‘learning intention’ and

‘success criteria’?

How can I/we share examples

of learning intentions and

success criteria with each

other?

How can we use learning

intentions and success criteria

to help us in planning for

assessment within this subject?

How can we involve students in

setting success criteria within

this subject?

How do we provide

opportunities for students to

assess their own and each

other’s work against agreed

criteria?

See also School Self Evaluation – Guidelines for Post-Primary Schools, (DES), p. 44-45.

Focus on Learning

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria | Workshop 01

Discussion Cards

The discussion cards can be cut out and used to stimulate small group discussion as part of a whole-staff meeting

or a subject planning meeting.

Learning intentions that focus on knowledge

Thinking about the different kinds of knowledge

that you wish your students to learn:

• Knowledge about a particular topic

(know about different types of equations)

• Knowledge of how something is done, of the

steps involved in producing something

(know how the Spire of Dublin was

constructed)

• Knowledge of why something happens

(know why voting patterns change across age

ranges)

• Knowledge of what causes something to

happen

(know what causes thunderstorms)

Develop some learning intentions on knowledge

for one of your own classes using this guide

Learning intentions that focus on skills

In developing learning intentions that focus on

skills you might find it helpful to start with the

words ‘to be able to’ followed by a verb.

For example

• To be able to write a summary

• To be able to solve a problem using more than

one technique

• To be able to work as a member of a team

• To be able to identify persuasive strategies used

in a speech

• To be able to experiment with a range of

graphic techniques in order to achieve a stated

effect

Develop some learning intentions on skills for one

of your own classes using this guide

Discussion Card 1

Discussion Card 2

Focus on Learning

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria | Workshop 01

Learning intentions that focus on understanding

Teachers need to develop the understanding of

their students by building on their previous

knowledge. For instance, a student might be able

to list the signs of global warming - thereby

showing knowledge of them and might also be

able to list some impacts of global warming.

However, understanding requires that the student

builds on his/her knowledge and comes to an

understanding of the wider causes and

consequences of climate change.

Understanding, then builds on the acquisition of

knowledge and in designing learning intentions,

teachers ensure that students are exposed to this

type of deeper learning.

For example

• Understand the causes of the Easter Rising

• Understand the effects of a balanced diet on

health

• Understand how using emotive language can

influence an audience

• Understand what are the most reliable internet

sites to be used for research purposes

• Understand links between poverty and conflict

Develop some learning intentions on

understanding for one of your own classes using

this guide above

Success Criteria

To recap then…

• Good success criteria are closely linked to the

learning intention.

• They should be easy to understand and written

in student friendly language

• They should be discussed and agreed with

students prior to undertaking the activity

• They should focus on specific features of the work

that are going to be assessed and on what the

student is learning rather than what he/she is doing.

Keeping the above points in mind, discuss each of

the following success criteria and decide whether

they would be helpful for the student. Suggest

changes to improve those that are less helpful.

• I am looking for an essay written with a short

introductory paragraph and closing paragraph.

In addition all the paragraphs except the first

paragraph should start with a clear linking

sentence.

• I am looking for everyone to produce a portrait.

• I am looking for you to record the results of the

experiment accurately and explain the patterns

using your previous knowledge.

• I am looking for you to use tone, pitch and

dynamics to reflect mood of the poem.

• I am looking for a computer generated pie-

chart showing the differences between female

and male preferences based on all the data

from all of the newspapers provided.

• I am looking for everyone to achieve at least 8

out of 10 correct answers.

• I am looking for you to show how you can check

your prediction of the area by measuring and

finding out if some of the shapes are bigger than

others or if they take up the same amount of area.

Discussion Card 3

Discussion Card 4

Focus on Learning

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria | Workshop 01

Log onto www.juniorcycle.ie and go to Key Skills

videos. Then under the heading ‘Communicating’

click on the English/Media Studies example.

Junior C ycle E nglish/Media studies

(4 mins 12 sec)

Watch how this teacher sets a clear learning

intention and provides criteria for success.

Discuss

What else do you notice about this lesson? What

are the elements that make it successful? Is there

anything you would do differently?

Sometimes teachers ask

‘Do I have to do this for every lesson or

class?’ How will I nd the time?

Or they might say

‘I write up the Learning Intention each day

but it doesn’t really mean much to the

student s.’

Discuss

How can you ensure that this practice is both

manageable and meaningful?

Discussion Card 5

Discussion Card 6

Posters

The following pages contain

posters that can be used as part

of a workshop to reinforce the

activities in this booklet.

The quality

of work

improves

Feedback

is easier

There is rich

teacher-student

dialogue.

Behaviour

will improve

Students will

become more

focussed on tasks

and persevere

for longer

Learning Intentions

The benets

Success

Criteria...

must link

clearly to the

learning

intention

need to be

planned in

advance

need to be

owned by

the student

need to be

broad enough

to include all

abilities in a

class

lead to more

focussed and

successful

teaching and

learning

Focus on Learning

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria | Workshop 01

Glossary

Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes are statements in curriculum

specifications to describe the understanding, skills and

values students should be able to demonstrate after a

period of learning.

Learning Intentions

A learning intention for a lesson or series of lessons is

a statement, created by the teacher, that describes

clearly what the teacher wants the students to know,

understand, and be able to do as a result of learning

and teaching activities.

Success Criteria

Success criteria are linked to learning intentions. They

are developed by the teacher and/or the student and

describe what success looks like. They help the teacher

and student to make judgements about the quality of

student learning.

Ongoing Assessment

As part of their classroom work, students engage in

assessment activities that can be either formative or

summative in nature. Teachers assess as part of their

daily practice by observing and listening as students

carry out tasks, by looking at what they write and

make, and by considering how they respond to, frame

and ask questions. Teachers use this assessment

information to help students plan the next steps in

their learning. Periodically this assessment will be in

more structured, formalised settings where teachers

will need to obtain a snapshot of the students’ progress

in order to make decisions on future planning and to

report on progress. This may involve the students in

doing projects, investigations, case studies and/or tests

and may occur at defined points in the school calendar.

Formative Assessment

Assessment is formative when either formal or informal

procedures are used to gather evidence of learning

during the learning process, and used to adapt teaching

to meet student needs. The process permits teachers

and students to collect information about student

progress, and to suggest adjustments to the teacher’s

approach to instruction and the student’s approach to

learning. Assessment for learning covers all of the

aspects of formative assessment but has a particular

focus on the student having an active role in his/her

learning.

Summative Assessment

Assessment is summative when it is used to evaluate

student learning at the end of the instructional process

or of a period of learning. The purpose is to summarise

the students’ achievements and to determine whether

and to what degree the students have demonstrated

understanding of that learning by comparing it against

agreed success criteria or features of quality.

Features of Quality

Features of quality are the statements in the subject

specifications that are used in making judgements

about the quality of student work for the purpose of

awarding achievement grades for certification. As

success criteria are closely linked to learning intentions

and based on the day-to-day processes in the

classroom, student learning will gradually come to

reflect the requirements set out in the features of

quality which are used for certification purposes.

Focus on Learning

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria | Workshop 01

Further R eading

Assessment: The Bridge between Teaching and Learning (Dylan Wiliam, 2013)

Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment (Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam, Kings

College, London, 1998)

Embedded Formative Assessment ( Dylan Wiliam, Solution Tree 2011)

Formative Assessment in Action (Shirley Clarke, Hodder Murray, 2005)

Assessment for Learning: Putting it into practice (Paul Black, Christine Harrison, Clare Lee, Bethan Marshall and

Dylan Wiliam, OUP, 2003)

Working Inside the Black Box (Paul Black, Christine Harrison, Clare Lee, Bethan Marshall and Dylan Wiliam, Kings

College, London, 2002)

Mathematics Inside the Black Box (Jeremy Hodgen and Dylan Wiliam, NferNelson, 2006)

English Inside the Black Box (Bethan Marshall and Dylan Wiliam, NferNelson, 2006)

Assessment for Learning: Mark less to achieve more (Ian Smith, Learning Unlimited, 2003)

Science Inside the Black Box (NferNelson, 2006)

Visible learning for teachers: Maximising impact on learning (John Hattie, Routledge 2012)

Useful Websites

Assessment Toolkit

Key Skills videos

Watch this example of a teacher setting a clear learning intention and criteria for success

Dylan Wiliam’s website

Association for Achievement and Improvement through Assessment

Kings College Assessment Group

Credit: NCCA wishes to acknowledge and express gratitude to The Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, Northern Ireland

(www.rewardinglearning.org.uk) and Education Scotland (www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk) for use of materials in these booklets.

Published by the NCCA, September 2015

35 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin DO2 KH36.

T: +353 1 661 7177 F: +353 1 661 7180 E: in[email protected]e