To consider the extent to which students are clear about the learning objectives
Aim
To consider the extent to which students are clear about the learning objectives and outcomes of teaching sessions.
Evidence and reflection
It is highly likely that, in your teaching, you are making clear the lesson objectives to your students. In order to do this it is clearly essential to have key objectives concisely written on lesson planning.
The ability to translate these into a meaningful form for the students often means that we must make clear the anticipated outcomes for the activity. Many schools adopt WILF, a fictitious character (usually a dog for some reason!) that represents ‘What I’m Looking For’ to the students, often with his picture and a series of statements on the class or desk whiteboard.
Try out this simple idea and record the results, in terms of student involvement and clarity in interpreting the requirements of the lesson.
Extension
What are the limitations / problems with this approach? Consider in particular lessons where there is a high level of differentiation.
