Use learning targets for classroom clarity

Q: “I’m an instructional coach working with some fantastic teachers who are technically doing everything right: They post learning targets and success criteria on their boards daily. But when I observe their classrooms, I see a disconnect. The targets feel like compliance rather than conviction. How do I help teachers move beyond just writing them up to truly understanding and leveraging these powerful tools to transform student learning?”

– Seeking deeper implementation

A: You’ve hit on one of the most common challenges instructional coaches face today. That gap between compliance and conviction is where the real magic of teaching happens – and where student learning transforms. The good news? You’re not alone in this struggle, and there are proven strategies to bridge this divide. New Kappan columnist Connie Hamilton does a session about learning targets where she addresses how merely putting a learning target and success criteria on the board doesn’t change student behaviors. If we want students to have clarity and buy-in, we must use the learning targets and success criteria throughout a lesson so that students internalize the objective. It took me a long time to realize this as a teacher because I was never actually taught how to write an aim, objective, or learning target when I first started teaching. It took a while before I saw the purpose and started adjusting what I was doing. From there, I could provide a target or two and then co-construct success criteria with students. This co-construction allowed students to know if they were successful throughout the lesson.