The Varsity College vision outlines a commitment to academic excellence through world leading 21st Century teaching and learning practices. One of the most powerful ways to do this in every classroom, every day, is a teaching practice known as learning intention and success criteria.
When teachers are clear about the learning goals for the lesson and transparent about what success looks like, then student outcomes increase significantly.
There are three important questions which guide learning for students of all ages: Where am I going? How am I going? Where to next? At Varsity College we are committed to ensuring students have access to the answers to these questions at all times.
Learning intentions answer the question: Where am I going?
Learning intentions are brief statements that explicitly describe what students should know, understand and be able to do as a result of learning and teaching.
They focus on where learners need to go: what we will be learning rather than what we will be doing. Learning intentions are written in student friendly language and set the scene for learning.
When students know the learning intention, they know where to focus their efforts. In addition, they are more likely to stay on task and take responsibility for their own learning.
Success criteria answer the question: How am I going?
Success criteria describe in specific terms what successful attainment of the learning intentions look like. They help students understand what to look for during learning.
Quality success criteria makes the learning explicit and clear for students and teachers alike. They identify the significant aspects of student performance that are evaluated in relation to learning.
Feedback answers the question: Where to next?
When learning intentions and success criteria are used with effective feedback, students can confirm, consolidate and integrate new knowledge. Future learning is scaffolded through prior learning and a clear learning journey is shared in the classroom.