Are Your Students on Target? Aiming for Success with Learning Targets

Kim SteeleSoutheastern Randolph Middle School Lead Teacher & Governor’s Teacher Network Participantksteele@randolph.k12.nc.us

Bridgette KiserSoutheastern Randolph Middle School6th Grade Science Teacherb1kiser@randolph.k12.nc.us

CCSA Presentation – March 31, 2015

Kim Steeleksteele@randolph.k12.nc.us

Lead Teacher – Southeastern Randolph Middle School

Bridgette Kiserb1kiser@randolph.k12.nc.us

6th Science Teacher – Southeastern Randolph Middle School

Welcome

• Be attentive

• Participate in all activities

• Silence cell phones

Norms for Participation

• I can create clear and appropriate learning targets for my students.

• I can explain why learning targets should be an essential part of every lesson.

• I can list at least 3 ways to incorporate a learning target into every lesson.

• I can summarize the findings of the presented action research project on learning targets.

Today’s Participant Learning Targets

Established by NC Governor Pat McCrory and NC Department of Instruction Spring 2014

Funded by Race to the Top grant Selected 450 out of 1400 teacher applicants

across NC to serve as instructional and professional development experts and facilitators

Teachers applied for one of two pathways:1. Professional Development 2. Instructional Resources

Video - GTN Update

Origin of this Project: What is GTN?

Governor’s Teacher Network

Professional Development

GTN Pathway 1

Create professional development sessions and materials to address classroom instructional needs through action research in the classroom and increase the PD offerings in the state-wide Professional Development system in Home Base.

Face to face (School, District, Region/State)

Wiki Space on Homebase

My Focus – LEARNING TARGETS

Systematic inquiry conducted by teachers and other educators to find solutions for critical, challenging, relevant issues in their classrooms and schools.

Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

Action Research

Main Goals Include:•Positively impact student outcomes•Identify and promote effective instructional practices

•Create opportunities for teachers to become reflective practitioners

•Share research results with other educators

Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

What is Action Research?

Think of a learning target you have posted or seen posted in your school.

Turn and talk to a partner and share:1. an example learning target 2. how you have seen learning

targets used with students.

LEARNING TARGETS – Turn & Talk

My school is successful at implementinglearning targets in the classroom.

A. Strongly AgreeB. AgreeC. NeutralD. DisagreeE. Strongly Disagree

Poll Everywhere

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZZ6wPdcYG4

Why Have Learning Targets?

Learning Targets may have been included in lesson plans and displayed in the classroom, but they were NOT:

Introduced orally to students Written down by students Always the focus of the lesson Formatively assessed Included in the lesson’s closure

The Problem:

“Students who don't know the intention of a lesson expend precious time and energy trying to figure out what their teachers expect them to learn. And many students, exhausted by the process, wonder why they should even care.”

-Moss, Brookhart, and Long

Knowing Your Learning Target 2011

In my action research, I will examine how the implementation of lessons highly focused on learning targets coupled with summarizing strategies centered around the learning target affect student growth and mastery of concepts and standards.

The Purpose:

6th Grade Science with Bridgette Kiser 4 Groups of students

2 classes – experimental group

2 classes – control group

Research Questions1. Does keeping a daily Learning Target log assist students

in mastering material taught in class?2. Are there specific summarizing strategies that enhance a

students ability to address the Learning Targets presented?

3. Do students who keep a Learning Target log and complete summarizing strategies that are focused on the Learning Target perform better on formative and summative assessments than students who do not?

Action Research

Specific to that day’s lesson Student friendly language Statement of intended learning Tells students what to learn Tells students how deeply to learn it Tells students exactly how to demonstrate

their new learning Directly connected to assessments

Define Learning Target

AN “I CAN” STATEMENT:

With your table group, arrange the statements in the envelope into one of two groups:

Group 1 – YES, a clear learning target

Group 2 – NO, not a learning target

Activity: Identifying Clear Learning Targets

Check Your AnswersYES

Clear Learning TargetNO

Not a Learning Target

A D E F H L

B C G I J K

Experiment Vs. Control

Experimental Group Control Group

LT posted LT introduced orally Students record LT in log LT mentioned during lesson LT center of the lesson Summarizing strategy

centered around LT Closure with orally reviewing

LT Students reflect and record

response to LT in log LTs available on teacher

website for parents to view

LT posted LT introduced orally LT center of the lesson Closure with orally

reviewing the lesson

Class Demographics

Surveys (Teacher and Student) LTs recorded on Lesson Plans Teacher daily LT Checklist/Reflections Student daily LT Log/Reflections Summarizing Strategies Formative and Summative Assessments Pre assessments Post assessment District Benchmarks Report Card Averages Parent guestbook on website

DATA Collection

Student Surveys

Student

Survey

Student Survey Results

Student PRE Surveys Student POST Surveys

56% could define a LT

Is it helpful to have the Learning Target:

Posted – 78% Orally introduced – 59% Orally used in closure –

51% Written in log – 46%

93% could define a LT

Is it helpful to have the Learning Target:

Posted – 85% Orally introduced – 78% Orally used in closure –

63% Written in log – 63%

Teacher Surveys

Teacher

Survey

Teacher Survey Results

PRE SurveysPOST Survey

Learning Targets are: Posted Sometimes introduced

orally Not necessarily the

center of the lesson Rarely used in

designing assessments and closure of a lesson

LT Areas of Improvement:

Introduced Orally Center focus of the

lesson Used in summarizing

and closing lessons Requiring students to

write and reflect on LT Designing assignments

and assessments around the LT

Teacher Daily LT Log

Teacher LT Daily Log

Posting the “I Can Statement”

Student – LT Log

Student LT Log

Teacher and Student Log Results

Teacher Results

Student Results

LT Introduced Orally95% experimental

group89% control group

Summarizing Strategy

88% experimental group

10% control group

LT Used in Closure69% experimental

group2% control group

Average 25 students or 52% of students per week noted improvement in learning and understanding in experimental classes with an intense focus on LTs

Summarizing Strategies

Ticket Out the Door (TOD) 19Turn and Talk 8

Student Drawings/Diagrams 6

Absent Student Note 5

3-2-1 3

Demonstrate 2

Mock Interview 1

Write Around 1

Students answer any question or address the learning target at the end of class and turn it in as they leave the classroom.

Ticket Out the Door (TOD)

In response to a summary prompt or question, direct students to turn and talk to a shoulder partner.

Turn and Talk

Students are asked to make a non-linguistic representation of a concept based on what they learned in class.

Student Drawings/Diagrams

Students write a quick letter to an absent student explaining what was learned that day.

Absent Student Note

Absent Note…

Students list 3 main points, 2 ideas, and 1 question they still have. This can be tweaked for what the teacher needs to know from the students.

3-2-1

Students physically demonstrate a concept learned that day in class.

Demonstrate

Show Me!

Students are partnered and create leveled questions based on the LT. Students conduct interviews based on their questions. These can be heard by the teacher circulating around the room or they can be recorded.

Mock Interview

Students in a small group are asked to respond to questions in writing. After one minute, they shift papers and respond to the thinking on the paper they receive. They add to the paper and continue writing and rotating until all questions are answered or time is up.

Write Around

Sign student learning target logs weekly Send home LTs in a unit syllabus Include LTs in weekly newsletters Post LTs on teacher website

Ways to Inform ParentsHow do we let parents know what

students should be learning each day?

I Can…..

6.E.2 Standards 6.L.1 Standards0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

40.00%Experimental Teacher

Control Teacher 1

Control Teacher 2

Increase in Growth

DATA: Common Assessments

Growth increased significantly more for the experimental teacher than the two control teachers in both units of study.

+19.5

+5.75

+20.25

+36.25

+26.33

+11.34

PRE-TEST / POST-TEST RESULTS

Standards Tested

Fall Benchmark Winter Benchmark

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

Experimental Teacher

Control Teacher 1

Control Teacher 2

The class average per-cent correct was higher on both district benchmark assess-ments for the experi-mental teacher than the two control teachers.

DATA: Benchmark Assessments

BENCHMARK RESULTSClass Avg.

District Benchmark Tests

63.4%

58.2%

64.5%

58.9%

50.4%

54.1%

Quarter 1 Avg.

Quarter 2 Avg.

Semester Avg.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Experimental Teacher

Control Teacher 1

Control Teacher 2

86%90%

78%

DATA: Final 9 Week Averages

REPORT CARD CLASS AVERAGESClass Avg.

Grading Term

The class average per grading term was higher for the experimental teacher than the two control teachers.

88%

81%

92%

75%

86% 87%

Students made close connections between learning targets and their own work

Students went into testing sessions with increased confidence

Making clear decisions about summarizing strategies and being deliberate in facilitating them brought lesson plans in alignment with research strategies for getting student to synthesize and remember information.

Students found satisfaction in completing the LT response and marking themselves higher on the self-evaluation tool than they did just 50 minutes before.

Beginning with a LT, summarizing, and responding to the LT at the end of class has shown improved student achievement at the end of a unit.

Conclusions & Final Thoughts

1. Find the one quote that speaks to you the most.

2. Walk to the corner of the room where that quote is posted.

3. After reviewing the results of this study, discuss with others why you feel that particular quote is so important for student learning.

Quotes to Ponder4 Corners

Having an intense focus on learning targets DOES increase student learning and performance.

Implications of the Data

All students deserve the best education in order grow and become productive citizens.

It is our job as teachers to learn from research and implement teaching strategies that are proven to increase student learning.

Why Does This Matter?

TeachersSupport StaffAdministratorsLEA LeadersSTUDENTS!!!

Who Needs to Know This?

Bell to bell teaching, centered around the methodical plan of incorporating standards based learning targets, will ensure that our lessons are focused on the right student tasks and we are able to assess our students on the mastery of the required standards.

Teachers will be able to determine specific tasks and skills that correlate to each standard and will find it easier to differentiate instruction for students when a specific learning target has or has not been mastered.

How Can this Impact Teaching?

All teachers should post a learning target every day for their students.

All teachers should introduce and close their lessons with the learning target.

All teachers should plan all parts of a lesson with the end in mind – the learning target.

All teachers should develop class activities and assessments around their learning targets. LTs are the foundation of all lessons.

WHAT WE WANT OUR STUDENTS TO LEARN SHOULD NOT BE A MYSTERY!!!

What do LEA Leaders Need to Know?

1. You will work in groups of 4.2. You will use the Write Around summarizing strategy to respond to 4 separate statements. 3. You will have about 30 seconds to write.4. When time is up, you will pass your paper to a group member, and you will receive a different paper from another group member.5. Read what was written by the other group

member(s) and try not to repeat anything already written.6. You will follow this rotation until you have responded to each statement.

Write Around

3-2-1 Triangle SummaryLearning Targets

3 New Ideas You Learned Today

2 Things You Will Share

1 Idea You Will Implement

Brookhart, Susan M., Long, Beverly A., Moss, Connie M. (2011) What Students Need to Learn - Knowing Your Learning Target. Educational Leadership, 68(6), 66-69.

Hougan, Eric. (2010). 5 Ways to Teach with Learning Objectives. Teaching Community – Where Teachers Meet and Learn. http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/9441-5-ways-to-teach-with-learning-objectives#comment_form

Worksheet Library. (2008). 10 Things to do When You Only Have 5 Minutes Left in Class. http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/4282-10-things-to-do-when-you-only-have-5-minutes-left-in-class?print=true

Brookhart, Susan M., Moss, Connie M. (2014) Learning Targets on Parade. Educational Leadership, 72(2), 28-33.

Marzano, Robert. (2013) Art and Science of Teaching / Targets, Objectives, Standards: How do They Fit? Educational Leadership.70(8), 82-83

Mills, Geoffrey E. Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher. 2014

References

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Contact Information

Kim Steeleksteele@randolph.k12.nc.

us

Lead TeacherGTN Participant

Southeastern Randolph Middle School

Randolph County Schools, NC

Project Wikispace:http://gtnpd83.ncdpi.wikispaces.net

/

Bridgette Kiserb1kiser@randolph.k12.nc.u

s

6th Grade Science

Southeastern Randolph Middle School

Randolph County Schools, NC

Teacher Website:http://www.randolph.k12.nc.us/schools/serms/Teachers/b1kiser/Pages/Default.aspx