Developing Learning Targets or
Kid-Friendly Objectives for
Students (“I Can” Statements)
Mr. Brian Shepard
Presenter Background
Davis Junior High School Principal – 2 years
Oakbrook Elementary School Principal – 7 years
Utica Community Schools
Oakland Elementary School Principal – 2 years
Addams Middle School Assistant Principal – 3 years
Royal Oak School District
School Administrator – 14 years
Teacher – 5 years
Purpose/Goal of Presentation
The purpose of this presentation is to provide
administrators with information on developing
learning targets or “I Can” statements within the
building and classroom setting for students and
staff.
The goal of this presentation is to provide resources
and tools for administrators to return to the
building and implement this strategy to increase
consistency among staff and ultimately improve and
impact student achievement.
“I Can” Statements for Presentation
I can create and construct learning targets within the
building and classroom setting for students and staff.
I can access resources and provide information to
support learning targets for staff.
I can develop a consistent message to students and
staff within the building to impact student
achievement and provide a direction for learning.
Packet Contains
Copy of Power Point Slides
Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Levels
Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs
Davis Junior High Information
•
•
•
•
810 Students (7, 8, 9 grades)
43% Free and Reduced Lunch
Sterling Heights, Michigan (Utica Community Schools)
Growing EL Population/Growing Diversity Within School
District
• 2012/2013 School Year (Reward School)
• 2013/2014 School Year (Focus School) – New Principal
• 2014/2015 School Year (Focus School)
2013/2014 School Initiatives
• First Year in Building – Reviewed Current Practices/Lots of Observations
and Conversations
• Set Three Goals and Shared with Staff (Goal #1 - Build Knowledge Base of
Junior High Curriculum Through Evaluation and Instructional Leadership
Development, Goal #2 - Build Relationships with Students and Staff
Through Visibility, Accessibility and Communication, Goal #3 - Build a
Positive and Collaborative Learning Environment
• Focused on Building Relationships with Students, Staff and Parents
• Rewrote and Focused School Improvement Plan – Peer to Peer and
Differentiation Strategies, CITW, AVID
• Positive Behavior Support (PBS Planning - MISD) – Rollout 2014/15
• Classroom Instruction that Works (Three year training – MISD) – 14 Staff
Members
• Made Three Changes – Weekly Staff Newsletter, Staff Meeting Format
(One Hour Embedded PD/One Hour Department – Two Hours Total
Monthly) and Posting Kid Friendly “I Can” Statements (Raider Red Magnet)
• 100% Consistency – “I Can” Statements or Daily Posted Student Friendly
Learning Objectives/Targets
Why “I Can” Statements for Davis Staff?
As a new principal, I did not want to come in and make sweeping changes, but
rather strategic moves, so that I would be able to build trust and confidence
among the staff.
“I Can” Statements would be a building wide strategy that could be included
in the school improvement plan as a way to build consistency from classroom
to classroom.
Part of Classroom Instruction That Works Strategy - “Setting Objectives and
Providing Feedback.”
Setting daily objectives would provide students with a direction for their
learning and could be accomplished consistently throughout the building.
The result – 100% staff involvement.
2014/2015 School Initiatives
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Second Year in Building – Implemented Many Changes
Continued to Build Upon Three Goals and Shared with Staff (Goal #1 - Build
Knowledge Base of Junior High Curriculum Through Evaluation and Instructional
Leadership Development, Goal #2 - Build Relationships with Students and Staff
Through Visibility, Accessibility and Communication, Goal #3 - Build a Positive and
Collaborative Learning Environment
Continued Focus on Building Relationships with Students, Staff and Parents
School Improvement Plan – Took Staff Input into Goals and Plans. Focus – AVID,
CITW, Department Strategies and Activities
Positive Behavior Support (PBS Rollout) – I Can Listen, Learn and Lead))
Classroom Instruction that Works (Three Year Training – MISD) – 14 Staff Members
(Year Two)
Made Three Changes – Weekly Parent Newsletter, PBS Implementation and
Expansion of Kid Friendly “I Can” Statements (Move From Low Level “I Can”
Statements to Higher Level with the Addition of Bloom’s Taxonomy/Depth of
Knowledge)
AEIOU Chart (Continued Consistency Among Classrooms)
100% Consistency – “I Can Statements” or Daily Posted Student Friendly Learning
Objectives/Targets – Deeper Statements
Consider Classroom Statistics
Consider the results of more than 1500 classroom
observations:
•
•
•
•
Clear learning objective – 4%
Worksheets – 52%
Lecture – 31%
Monitoring with little to no feedback – 22%
Source – Learning 24/7 (2005) now Teachscape
•
We realize that there will always be lecture/direct instruction, worksheets
(guided or independent practice) and feedback, but how can we establish
clear learning objectives that students understand?
What Does the Research Say?
Research tells us that when students know the
expectations, they are more likely to achieve
those goals.
“I Can” statements empower students, provide a
common focus, communicate what is important,
build community and engagement and increase
motivation and confidence.
What Does the Research Say?
“The starting place for all effective instruction is
designing and communicating clear learning
goals.”
Robert Marzano (2009)
What Does the Research Say?
“In most cases neither teachers or students can
articulate what they are supposed to be learning that
day; they can only describe the activity or assignment.”
“There is a glaring absence of the most basic elements
of an effective lesson: an essential, clearly-defined
learning target.”
Mike Schmoker
What Does the Research Say?
“A recent meta-analysis of 53 research studies
(Marzano, 1998) found that when students were
clear in advance about what they were learning,
their achievement was, on average, 34
percentile points higher on tests used in these
studies than students in control groups.”
McREL, 2000
What are “I Can” Statements?
“I Can” statements are simple sentences designed by a teacher based off of
the learning objectives from the curriculum. “I Can” statements are written
in student-friendly language.
“I Can” statements break down lofty objectives into learning targets students
can read and understand. They cover specific learning for each lesson, and
there can be more than one “I Can” statement for each common core
standard.
What are “I Can” Statements?
Consider this quote from Rick Stiggins:
“Explaining the intended learning in student-friendly terms at the outset of a
lesson is the critical first step in helping students know where they are going.
Students cannot assess their own learning or set goals to work toward
without a clear vision of the intended learning. When they do try to assess
their own achievement without understanding the learning targets they have
been working toward, their conclusions are vague and unhelpful.”
It answers the question: “What part of the larger learning goal are we doing
today?” or “What do I want students to carry away today from this lesson?”
Stiggins, among others, push “I Can” statements because they are worded in
a way that encourages students to measure their own learning.
What are “I Can” Statements?
When “I Can” statements are used consistently
and accurately, they can help students become
more responsible for their learning and more
reflective of their own work.
“I Can” statements also easily transition into
assessments and allow for students and
teachers to have a better discussion of their
work.
“I Can” Intended Use
Intended Use for Teachers - Connect students with learning targets and
communicates the purpose of instruction. (Centers, class meetings, student
goal setting, identifying learning targets for explicit instruction, student led
conferences and to support EL students (clearly defined goals and combined
content and language objectives.))
Intended Use for Students – Provides ownership of their learning and answers
the student question, “What do I need to know and be able to do?” (Student
data folders, goal setting, progress monitoring, communication tool and
student-led conferences.)
Intended Use for Parents - Communicate learning targets to parents and
answers the question – “Where is my child on the continuum of learning?”
(Communication tool to strengthen the home-school partnership, to support
learning at home, parent information night, open house, newsletters and
conferences.)
“I Can” Activity
Take the following math common core standard for third grade
and break it down in to “kid friendly language.”
Remember that “I Can” statements break down lofty objectives
into learning targets students can read and understand.
“I Can” Activity Examples
Strengthening “I Can” Statements
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy and DOK Levels to
Strengthen ‘I Can” Statements.
“I Can” Activity
Take two of the CCCS and create an “I Can” Statement.
Once you have created one, try to strengthen the “I Can”
Statement using the Bloom’s/DOK charts.
“I Can” Statement Magnet
Classroom Examples
Feeder Elementary School
Davis Classroom Examples
Davis Classroom Examples
Davis Classroom Examples
Davis Classroom Examples
Davis Classroom Examples
Davis Classroom Examples
Extending “I Can” Statements
We have some teachers within the building already skilled with “I Can”
statements. Here are some ideas on extending the strategy:
• Teachers can state and restate “I Can” statements throughout the
lesson.
• Teachers can read the “I Can” statements at the beginning of every
lesson and can select up to three non-volunteers to restate the
learning goal.
• Students can restate the “I Can” statements at the end of class as
an exit ticket.
• As a classroom management tool, teachers can state the “I Can”
statement to bring students back together or quiet the class during
instructional activities. They can also have students complete this
aloud.
• Student teams can create “I Can” statements for units and as a class
can vote on the favorite one to display.
Setting Objectives – Classroom
Instruction that Works
Setting Objectives –Bringing the Strategy to Life
• Recommendation One – Set learning objectives that are specific, but not
restrictive (Know, Understand, Do)
• Recommendation Two – Communicate the learning objectives to students
and parents? (Post, Discuss, Reference)
• Recommendation Three – Connect the learning objectives to previous and
future learning
• Recommendation Four – Engage students in setting personal learning
objectives
CITW Training, 2014
Setting Objectives – Classroom
Instruction that Works
Reflection/Take-away from Strategy/Things to Share
with Teachers
Does your “I Can” statement capture the following
information? (What the Students Need to Know, Understand,
Do?)
Do 90% of the students in the classroom know where the
learning objective is listed?
Do you list the learning objective on student assignments?
How are you communicating this to parents?
Extending “I Can” Statements to
Tracking Student Growth and Learning
Next Steps
Have conversations with staff about how they communicate their learning
expectations to students. Start with a teacher, grade level, or department.
Select a visual (magnet, mascot) for consistency from classroom to classroom.
Start small and identify the learning expectation for the content area and
transform to student friendly version. Learning targets take time and effort.
Display the “I Can” magnet on your whiteboard/bulletin board in classroom.
Create “I Can” statements and extend the strategy as needed.
Revisit often with staff, make it part of your culture.
Next Steps
“I Can” Statements – Every day, every room (Consistency across
classrooms, departments, building.)
Extend the “I Can” in your classroom through one of the listed ideas or
one of your own.
Charlotte Danielson Evaluation System - (Domain 3a: Communicating
with Students – The teacher links the instructional purpose of the
lesson.)
Charlotte Danielson Evaluation System - Think about how students are
tracking their progress in the classroom. Are students actively tracking
their progress? (Domain 4b: Maintaining Accurate Records – Students
contribute information and participate in maintaining the records
(Students contribute to and maintain data files indicating their own
progress in learning.))
Impact in Other Areas
The simple learning target or “I Can” may lead to
other items within the school. Example – PBS
(Respect, Responsibility, Safety)
Impact in Other Areas
The simple learning target or “I Can” may lead to other
items within the school. Example – AEIOU
(Citizenship/Engagement/Effort) – Used in Earned
Privilege Program.
“I Can” Statement
Website Resources
• http://www.wapsievalleyschools.com/guaranteed-to-learn
• http://resa2.k12.wv.us/wvcso.asp
• http://www.wcde.org/education/components/docmgr/default.php?sectio
ndetailid=24351&&PHPSESSID=5997c5838ae2c28510cca9d68b3ac203
• http://www.maysville.k12.oh.us/domain/190
• http://www.etown.k12.ky.us/Instructional-Links.asp
• http://lakeviewelementarywy.wikispaces.com/Learning+Focused+-+KUD++I+Can+Statements
• http://www.boyertownasd.org/Page/1165
Questions?
Brian Shepard
Brian.Shepard@uticak12.org