Learning Intentions and Success Criteria: by John Hattie

Today at our staff meeting we were shown a video clip on John Hattie who is talking about the importance of learning intentions and success criteria.  This was timely for me, as I have just completed my second video observation on reading yesterday, where the focus was on assessing my teaching around 'Clarity in the Classroom'. 

John Hattie raised several key points about what teachers need to do to ensure they get the best out of their learners.  This is a video clip that every educator should watch and reflect on.

 Several key points that came out of this clip are around making success criteria work for the kids:

1. Ensure the success criteria is really really clear for the kids.  If the teacher doesn't know what they want the kids to achieve and how to get there, then the certainly kids won't get there.
2. Teach smaller chunks.  Do less and do it well!  Smaller is better than too much because if it's too big, the lesson will lose its purpose.  Keep it focused!
3. Make the learning intention and success criteria about what the kids are going to learn, not what they are going to do.  ie:  In reading if you are teaching them how to make predictions, then this is the learning, not the context of the story 'rainforests'.
4. It's perfectly fine (and encouraged) to show the students the end result.  Show them what the success looks like, then work backwards to create the success criteria.  The lesson doesn't have to be a test.  We want our learners to achieve and be successful and to do that they need to know what the success looks like and how to achieve it.