John Hattie (2009) undertook an extensive meta-analysis of educational research in order to measure the impact of educational initiatives on student achievement. He surmised that an average year of schooling is attributed to an effect size on achievement of 0.40. If a teacher was to communicate learning intentions and success criteria for those intentions in their teaching, then the effect size on student achievement is attributed to 0.75, almost double the average effect size. The highest impact on raising student achievement is ‘collective teacher efficacy’, with an effect size of 1.57, almost four times the average effect size. Consequently, the collective staff at Ambrose Treacy are challenged to use Learning Intentions and Success Criteria in their teaching.
John Hattie explains the importance of shifting the classroom focus away from what students will do, to what they will learn.
The success criteria describe what student achievement of the learning intention looks like. They can be used as a measure to inform if and how well learners have met the learning intention. There are benefits for both students and teachers. Together, the use of learning intentions and success criteria create clarity in the classroom; students understand what they are going to learn and understand what improved performance looks like. Teachers use them to seek feedback on whether the chosen teaching and learning activities are successful, or whether they need to be adapted and/or changed.
The use of Learning Intentions and Success Criteria allow teachers to monitor the impact of their teaching and allow for teacher clarity.
Parental involvement also has a positive correlation with raising student achievement and we encourage ATC parents to support their son’s learning by accessing the Learning Intentions and Success Criteria via SEQTA.With the collective staff use of Learning Intentions and Success Criteria in teaching, and the support of parental involvement, ATC has an evidence informed strategy that will best grow our boys’ abilities.
Lara Morgan
Assistant Dean of Learning – School Improvement
References
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible Learning for Teachers- Maximising impact on learning. London: Routledge