Danielle Reese
October 23, 2012
ED 418 Fall
IDEA Paper Wk 5
Prompt: Davies and Stiggins are both talking about having clear objectives or expectations for students. However they speak about
them differently. Are there contradicting statements? Or is their thinking aligned?
(a) Using a Venn Diagram - or table - if you prefer - Compare and Contrast components from
these readings that are inferred as being the same or different.
(b) Then write your Idea Paper - explaining your thinking. Especially discuss what you have
learned from this week's readings and activities.
Both of the readings assigned this week discussed learning goals and/or learning targets. Although both chapters were
talking about the same topic, both took very different approaches to this topic and how to go about defining these goals and targets
in a classroom. The Venn Diagram I created shows the differences found in each chapter and a couple of similarities. Basically the
Venn Diagram shows that Davies believes in setting learning goals, standards, and outcomes. To be able to do this, a description of
what is going to be learned is summarized to the students. The students are being let in on the “secret”. Students will understand
what they will need to be learning and what is expected of them before the lesson is taught.
Stiggins, however, gives learning targets specific names (knowledge, reasoning, skills, products, and disposition). These
targets are not determined by your own description on what is being learned, but are determined by patterns of reasoning. The
ideas Stiggins presents are more structured when looking at learning targets.
Although, both approach the idea of defining a learning goal and/or target they do follow the same basic concept. Both
Stiggins and Davies express the importance of having a clear direction of where the lesson is heading, and where the learning of
students is heading. This will improve your teaching. Plus, it gives both teacher and student a goal or target that they are working
toward and trying to obtain. Which later gives both a since of accomplishment when the goal or target is reached. This leads me to
ask myself: Is one of these ways more affected than the other? And which approach will I use in my future classroom?
Both
- Determine the learning
goal/target you have a clear
idea where to go when
teaching
- Need something as a goal
or target that you and your
students can reach
Ch. 3 Davies
- Defined as learning goals, standards, and
outcomes
Ch. 3 Stiggins
- Defined as learning targets
- Come up with a description of what needs
to be learned and summarize what this is to
students
- There are 5 specific types of learning
targets (knowledge, reasoning, skills,
products, and disposition)
- Explain to students what they need to
learn
- Patterns of Reasoning to help determine
the learning target to use based on your
objectives (inductive/deductive inference,
analysis, comparison, classification,
evaluation, and synthesis)
- Similar to objectives because you are
stating it up front and letting the students
know what is expected
- Not a specific type of learning goal (such
as the 5 specific learning targets discussed
in Stiggins)
- More about showing and telling students
what you are doing, and telling them what
they will be doing and what they will be
learning
- Depending on teaching style, there are
different ways to approach going about his
- More structure to this idea (actual learning
target “names” to go by)
- Not your own description of what needs to
be learned.